Replacement of Milk Teeth

The eruption of permanent teeth has a sequence.

The first permanent tooth is a molar that will erupt at the age of 6. Parents often mistaken this tooth as part of milk teeth and there’s substitute after extraction.

Parents need to give more attention to this permanent molar because it is located behind and most of them do not have the ability to brush their teeth properly and still drink milk and often being bottle fed at night.

 

Frequently Asked Questions:

1. Why there is no replacement after a baby tooth

     has fallen out for such a long time?

 If you do not spot the permanent tooth erupting after 

 several months after the loose tooth falls out which normally

 only take  few weeks. Then it is better to bring your child to

 see the dentist.

   

There are several possible reasons of delay eruption of

permanent tooth which including:

Ø Congenital missing-no permanent tooth bud underneath the milk tooth

Ø Excessive thick and hard gums covering the tooth causing difficult emerge through the gums

Ø Supernumerary ( extra tooth ) in between central incisors

Ø Early loss of milk tooth which changes the balanced position of adjacent teeth. This cause adjacent tooth to loss support and slowly lean towards the gap of missing tooth. Hence, there will be no sufficient space for the tooth to erupt

Therefore, an x-ray examination is important to rule out all possible reasons.

2. Why there is an extra tooth erupting from the outer or

     inner part of the milk tooth?

The root of milk tooth will not be dissolved and loose

if the position of permanent tooth bud is not exactly

below the milk tooth.

Parents should bring their child for tooth extraction and

The permanent tooth will grow to its proper position

after the milk tooth is extracted.

3. What is the solution for the big gap between the  

     newly erupted upper incisors?

This is a transitional stage which called ‘ugly duckling

stage’ where parents often worried about.

The gap will be closed when the lateral incisors and

canines are erupted. Normally, the incisors will be

pushed to the centre and straight up.