My 4 Year Old Is Getting Adult Teeth BEHIND His Baby Teeth!!!

Yes. My son went through the same thing. I called the dentist and they said that is very normal. (Her son even had that happen!) He finally lost the baby teeth after both of his bottom front adult teeth were in completely. As soon as he lost the baby teeth the adult teeth just moved forward into place just like the dentist office said they would. His teeth are now really straight. Lots of people told me that he would have to have them pulled, but the dentist didn't even ask to see him. And, he thought it was so cool looking like sharkboy.

I just took my 5 y/o daughter to the dentist for this same reason last week. She had her 2 bottom teeth pulled out because they weren't even loose yet and her 2 adult teeth (on the bottom) were already almost in. The dentist said that she could have gone another month or so before she would've extracted them, just in case they would've loosened up on their own, but I didn't want to have to take my daughter back into the dentist.

This is perfectly normal. My oldest daughter had the same thing happen with her lower central incisors and as a dental assistant I saw several children come in with this. Usually permanent teeth come up underneath baby teeth and erode the root, causing them to eventually fall out. But if the permanent tooth comes in in a slightly different location that root erosion doesn't happen and you get two rows of teeth. You can either let nature take it's course and wait for the baby teeth to fall out on their own (which is what I did. Her baby teeth were getting loose anyway) or you can take him to the dentist and have them pulled. Some dentists would rather not do this since it's not really necessary and anesthetizing a child can be problematic. You'll have to talk with your dentist, but don't be alarmed. It's normal!

You will need to take him to the dentist. If the adult teeth don't push the baby teeth out the dentist needs to pull them. My kids both had serial extractions and later braces.
Otherwise he could end up with 2 rolls of teeth.

The baby teeth aren't loose because the adult teeth aren't pushing them out of place. When the teeth grow in behind the baby ones, the dentist can give you suggestions. Some want to pull the baby teeth hoping the adult teeth will come up into place, others just wait it out and let nature take it's course. Unless the teeth are causing him discomfort, like poking into his tongue, or whatever, your dentist may just keep and eye on them and go from there. He may send you to an orthodontist.

I had this when I was young (I don't remember 4 but young) and they had to pull my baby teeth and eventually use braces to fix up the adult teeth. Sucks, but was taken care of over time.

by this time he should have already been to a dentist if he hasn;t been now is the time to get him to one.
Paula

That was totally me as a kid! You'll want to take him to the dentist to have the baby tooth pulled or his new teeth will be really crooked because they will come in around the tooth and will end up being in the wrong place. I had that problem all through childhood - most of my teeth would not loosen by themselves. Over the course of my childhood, I had 12 of my baby teeth pulled by the dentist for that very reason! One of my baby incisors that was pulled was shocking - it had a root on it that was half an inch long! It was difficult even for the dentist to pull it!I was actually not at all traumatized by this and like going to the dentist still ... and because my mom was on top of having them pulled right away my teeth came in pretty straight. Good luck to you!

This also happened to me as a kid. I had three adult teeth come in before the baby teeth were ready to go. I had to have them pulled.

While having my teeth pulled wasn't fun, I was relieved not to have "double" teeth because it looked so strange.

I never had to have braces - my teeth are now totally normal.

Oh my yes--- my middle child told me solemnly ( when he was almost 5 '''' Mommy, my teeth are fat!''' --- what he meant was that --- yup --- big teeth coming in behind the baby teeth--- ask a childrens' dentist if/when to intervene -- it's not that unusual --- ( oh, you will look back and treasure these years -- I promise)

:-)
Old Mom
aka- J.

The dentist told me this was normal, and it's exactly what I'm dealing with, with my 5 yr old! In his case, it is very painful, so they are going to pull the two baby teeth out, and let the adult teeth come in painlessly! If he isn't in any pain, they don't recommend getting them pulled!! It is very normal to have double row of teeth, and yes, they are called "shark's teeth" :)
K.

4 is young to be getting adult teeth, but not out-of-the question. I think this is pretty common. I tutor at our local school and one of my students has had 2 lower teeth growing in behind the baby teeth for much of the year. Recently both of the baby teeth fell out. I don't think a dentist is really necessary.

On a side note, my 6-year-old daughter's dentist wanted to extract teeth so that her adult teeth could grow in straighter (she has a small mouth). After a trip to the orthodontist and some careful thinking I said no to the extractions. Lo and behold the ones they wanted to extract came out on their own and haven't grown back yet allowing her other adult teeth some room to grow in. Her own mouth did the work of the dentist!

My brother had something like that. The dentist had to pull his baby teeth, and then my brother had to push his adult teeth into place by putting pressure on them with a tongue depressor every day. His teeth are fine now (he's twenty), but it was a bit of a pain then (when he was six). They might have come up with better methods since then.

This happened to me as a child, the densist pulled my baby tooth, but only happened to the one tooth.Call the dentist.

This happend to a friends daughter.. and they took he to the dentist.. and they were going to pull the baby teeth. But her younger sister beat them to the punch. when the kids were playing in the bath tub the younger sister riped a wash cloth out of her sister mouth and loosend the baby teeth and they fell out.. I would taker him to the dentist.
Lenci

this happened to my son. the pediadontist said to let him have a frozen pop (to numb the jaw), and then wiggle each day...and they did eventually fall out. the first one fell out at school...he didn't even know exactly when/where.
they told me this was quite normal.

I have a ten year old daughter who has had four cases of this kind and her 12 year old friend has had a half dozen. From these experiences, I have to say to get to a dentist, PRONTO to avoid serious problems. ONce, my daughters whole face swelled up because the adult tooth was pushing a tight baby tooth so hard and that tooth was JAMMED, without even a hit of the root going away. EVery time we see a "jammed tooth" we get Josee to the dentist for an extraction. By having the baby teeth yanked right away, we are avoiding pain and the teeth coming in crooked. My daughter's friend had a whole bunch of teeth come in crooked and will probably have to have braces but they are looking better after the Dentist finally pulled the baby teeth from the double row of teeth that she had in her mouth.

Good Luck!

H.

This happened with my son. The dentist just went ahead and pulled out his baby teeth and all was well. The adult teeth went right into their "normal" position.

2 of my cousins had that and the baby teeth eventually fall out, but the older cousin was called shark face or jaws or something like that for awhile since he had two rows of teeth! His teeth are pretty straight now without braces. His younger sister currently has two rows on her top front teeth if I remember right.

That happened to my son on his bottom front teeth. Sometimes the baby teeth do get loose and fall out, but my son had to have his pulled. He didn't find it traumatic. Perhaps because he got tired of being called shark boy.

No worries and best wishes,
Sarah

That happened to me! I had the two baby teeth pulled by the dentist. It was not traumatic at all. I even got a neat box to put the teeth in!
Good luck and don't panic.

This same thing happen to my son almost a year ago and since he needed a check-up anyhow I took him to the dentist. He was six when this happen so it may be a little different in that reguard. The pediatric dentist recommended that I pull that tooth and the other three front teeth since when they x-rayed him his other front teeth were close to coming out and would probably do the same thing. She said he just has stubborn teeth. I was nervous but decided to go with the recommendation. I don't regret it but I do wonder if there was a better way. He was given a local and was awake, he did great and was treated like a hero after. They said all his teeth should show up by Christmas (it was July). The tooth he already had immeditaly moved forward into place so that was nice, but we are still waiting for the last tooth to come in and it is almost a year later. Maybe just pull the effected tooth. Good luck.