The Trouble With Shark Teeth: Understanding What To Do If Your Child Has Them
Have you recently noticed that a second row of teeth are growing in directly behind your child's baby teeth? After noticing this situation going on in your child's mouth, you may be freaking out and wondering what you can do to fix the problem. When an adult tooth starts growing in before a baby tooth has fallen out, it is commonly referred to as a shark tooth. Although it may be a nuisance, the good news is that there is a way to solve this dental problem.
Why Do Some Kids Get Shark Teeth?
A child's teeth will normally start falling out as a result of the root dissolving. Once the root is no longer there, the tooth eventually falls out with ease. While it is a normal process that continues to happen over the span of several years until the child officially has all of his or her adult teeth, some teeth are a bit more stubborn than others.
If the root does not completely dissolve, the tooth may feel slightly loose, but it usually will not fall out on its own. While waiting for it to fall out, the adult tooth may start making its way through the gums. As it breaks through the gums, it often appears directly behind the tooth that it is supposed to replace. Even though you may feel like you child is the only one dealing with this kind of problem, it is far more common than most parents even realize.
Is It Possible to Solve This Problem?
In some cases, the baby tooth will fall out on its own over a period of time, but it is best to take your child to see the pediatric dentist for a professional opinion. The dentist may want to perform an extraction, which involves removing the baby tooth so that the adult one has time to shift right back into the correct spot. Although an extraction may sound frightening to your child, the dentist may offer a number of options to help put him or her at ease. These options could include a local anesthetic to numb the pain or nitrous oxide to keep your child feeling calm while the procedure takes place.
Seeing extra teeth in your child's mouth may have you feeling concerned. However, a pediatric dentist should be able to handle the situation with no problem. Shark teeth are quite common in children between the ages of 6 and 11. And, while they may be annoying for children to deal with, a simple extraction can solve the problem fairly quickly.
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