As parents, your goal is to make sure your kids are healthy. This is especially true when it comes to development. There are many different milestones for kids as they get older from getting taller to of course their teeth. Teeth are one of the easiest trackable milestones for a young child. The first set of teeth start erupting through the gum line before their first birthday, and between ages 6-12 your kids will lose those teeth and get all new adult teeth. Of course, it can be concerning when things seem to be abnormal. For example, sometime instead of replacing a tooth an adult tooth will come-in behind the baby tooth. This is sometimes referred to as “shark teeth” by parents because of the visual similarity to how sharks have multiple rows of teeth. In this article, we will discuss what to do if your child’s teeth aren’t coming in correctly. But of course, to simplify everything upfront, the best thing to do is to see a dentist. A family dentist can address oral issues on an individual level and make suggestions based on your child’s specific oral health.
Should I Be Worried That My Child Has Two Rows Of Teeth?
You should not be worried if your child has two rows of teeth, but you should see a dentist. Two rows of teeth happens for a variety of reasons, but most commonly because there are baby teeth blocking the path for adult teeth. You should never force baby teeth out. Dentists recommend that you let the baby teeth fall out naturally or go to a dentist for a safe tooth extraction. Pulling a tooth out at-home can lead to serious dental problems and also just hurts. At a dentist’s office they can take x-rays and see if there are specific reasons a tooth is not coming-in correctly. They might recommend tooth extraction or just to let the baby teeth fall out naturally. Often what can happen is that the adult tooth is larger than the baby teeth and it needs more than one tooth out of the way. For example if the adult tooth coming in was one of your front incisors (one of the two front teeth for example) it might need both of the two front teeth to fall out before it can come-in. So if one tooth fell out, it could start the process for the next tooth to come-in but it doesn’t have a space because of the adjacent teeth. This can lead to a strange overlapping pattern where the tooth comes in behind or slightly twisted.
Is It Normal To Have Two Rows Of Teeth?
Yes, two rows of teeth is a normal orthodontic issue. As discussed above there are a few reasons an adult tooth might not have the space to come-in correctly. This can lead to the tooth erupting completely behind the baby teeth or at a strange angle because it is being slightly blocked. For the most part, this is not a dental emergency, but still something to talk to your dentist about. A quick dental check-up can provide X-rays as well as diagnosis and treatment recommendations. It is often common for dentists to simply recommend that the tooth be monitored until the baby teeth fall out naturally. Later on your child might need orthodontic solutions to reposition the adult tooth.
How Do You Fix Two Rows Of Teeth?
Wait For The Teeth To Fall Out Naturally: Sometimes a dentist will not recommend any immediate treatment. Often times the right solution is to wait for the baby teeth to fall out naturally at home. The adult tooth might shift into place, otherwise your child might need orthodontic treatments later in life.
Dental Extractions: Rarely, dentists will recommend that baby teeth are pulled to make room for adult teeth. But tooth extraction is almost always a last resort. Ideally teeth should fall out on their own.
Orthodontic Solutions: The most common solution for any misalignment with teeth are orthodontic treatments. But not all children need them. Some children’s teeth naturally position themselves to a degree that orthodontic treatments are either unnecessary or completely cosmetic. In other cases, orthodontic treatments can help improve your child’s bite alignment and oral health.
Family Dentists in Chicago
With our 11 offices throughout Chicago, we work with children, teens, and adults to help promote oral health, diagnose dental issues, and provide treatments. If you have questions about your dental health or your child’s dental health, please call us today for treatments.