New Tooth Coming in Behind Baby Teeth

Updated on June 08, 2009
D.P. asks from Portola Valley, CA
13 answers

My daughter is about to lose her first tooth. The tooth is on the bottom. The new tooth has already broken through. It is coming in behind her baby teeth. She will have to loose at least one other tooth before the new tooth will have enough room to come forward. The other tooth that she would need to lose is no where near ready to come out. What do we do? Let things happen naturally, or do we go to the dentist and see if he can help move things along?

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So What Happened?

I looked through the Mamasource database of recent questions and saw another mom had recently asked the same question. In most cases, the answer is - wiggle the tooth to encourage it to come out. New teeth will push forward when they have room. Thank you!

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C.R.

answers from San Francisco on

This happened to me with all of my baby teeth. I had to have everyone pulled as the adult teeth came all the way in behind the baby teeth so the root of the baby tooth was never eroded enough to make it wobbly and fall out. I would definitely talk to a dentist.

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J.R.

answers from San Francisco on

My oldest son had the exact same thing (and so did my nephew). . . the front tooth wil fall out and then the big one will move forward. You can't even tell that the tooth came in kind of weird. Just let it be,

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J.K.

answers from Fresno on

This happened with both of my children but it was the upper canines and tooth next to it. I waited but they never came out. Both had to have several teeth pulled and braces for two years as well. Talk to the dentist and let him decide.

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H.J.

answers from San Francisco on

That happened to me when I was little. The dentist needs to pull the baby teeth.

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W.M.

answers from Sacramento on

D.,
WHat is supposed to happen is that the permanent tooth would wear down the roots of the baby tooth as it comes in, making the baby tooth loose. In your daughters case she will have to have the baby tooth pulled, because there is nothing to eat away the roots of the baby tooth now. Take her to a pediatric dentist if you can unless you know a good general dentist.
W. M.

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H.D.

answers from San Francisco on

It will be fine, just encourage her to wiggle it. =)

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R.B.

answers from San Francisco on

Be careful about dentist consultations and dental coverage (we have normally excellent coverage by the way).

My daughter had the same situation. We were at a regular cleaning appointment and the dentist said "I'll just pull it now to save her the time of working the baby teeth out". Our insurance did NOT cover the $150 charge (for 30 seconds of pull) and said we could have wriggled the tooth out ourselves.

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D.C.

answers from San Francisco on

Dear D.,

This is a very common occurrence, and very rarely is a significant problem. It would be a good idea to take her to a dentist if she has never been before; otherwise just ask her dentist about it at her next 6 month appointment. Her jaw will grow substantially until it reaches adult size, so permanent teeth are often crowded, and will straighten out with time. The two middle bottom baby teeth are usually the first to be lost, and they are both probably more loose than you might think. If they don't loosen up after the permanent teeth are completely "erupted", then they may need to be extracted, but that cannot be determined absolutely at this time. If you have any more questions, you can call me at ###-###-####. By all means, don't worry ! It is not a big deal !

D. Cotner, DDS

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B.R.

answers from Sacramento on

I would definitely see the dentist and at least get a professional opinion. It sounds like having the tooth pulled early might possibly save you $$$$ in braces later, but I think only a good dentist can tell you for sure.

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W.V.

answers from Sacramento on

This happened to my youngest son with 2 of his baby teeth. He ended up needing to have a gum tissue graft at age 8 ($1500) due to gum recession on the adult tooth. By the time the baby tooth came out, the adult tooth had erupted far enough so that there was next to no gum tissue between the two teeth. As of right now, our dental insurance is denying the claim for the tissue graft even though his dentist, his orthodontist, and a periodontist all said it needed to be done to prevent pain and bone loss. Get it checked by a dentist.

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C.M.

answers from Chico on

If you or your husband had braces and you suspect that your child will have to have them, you can just let nature take it's course. However, if it bothers you or your child or you hope you may be able to get by without braces, you should probably get advice from a pediatric dentist. Many pediatric dentists will refer you to an orthodontist who will consult with you regarding your child's teeth in an attempt to stay ahead of the game and possibly avoid braces by pulling baby teeth to allow space and possibly inserting spacers. It would really be your choice.

We decided to consult with and orthodontist for my oldest son because he has a narrow jaw/mouth and cross bite similar to mine and knew it was highly likely that he would one day need braces. He did need braces, and the orthodontist did suggest pulling some baby teeth that were not budging to make room in his mouth. We chose not to do rush in with the spacer appliance and let his eye teeth grow in badly, but it all worked out because overall, he now will wear the braces for only 2 years instead of the 4 he would have had to do with the spacers. Of course it compacted our timeline to pay, but everything is turning out beautifully! Email me if you have more questions.

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J.A.

answers from Sacramento on

Called shark teeth. My son had it and finally just lost the 2nd tooth today. The two bottom teeth started coming in about 2 months ago. I was very worried and talked with the dentist and he said to give it some time....that the teeth will come out. They were not even loose at the time. The baby teeth have finally come out and the adult teeth are finally coming forward. It is amazing what the human body can do.

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D.S.

answers from San Francisco on

Greetings Dorthy: When in doubt go see the dentist. He mostlikely will not even charge for it just to look at. Our children seemed to have extra thick gums and it was always hard with teeth and often he would have to open the gum line to get them to pop through. Yes, it hurts for a second but the new tooth made up for it. ALways use caution when you are in doubt about something.
Nana G

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