Hello! My name is Den. This blog is going to cover a range of dental topics. I am not a dentist or a dental nurse but I have recently undergone a lot of dental treatment. This treatment has given me a great insight into the world of dentistry and I would like to share everything I have learnt with you here. Last year, I developed terrible pain in my mouth. I was diagnosed with severe tooth decay. The dentist removed the problem teeth and then inserted false ones in their place. He also whitened my teeth to improve my smile. I hope you find my blog useful.
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To lose a permanent, adult tooth is undoubtedly a massive inconvenience. This inconvenience can certainly be overcome, whether it's via a traditional dental implant, a dental bridge, or even removable dentures. But what about when your child loses a baby tooth? Sure, this is meant to happen, and yet it's supposed to occur according to a schedule with the baby tooth falling out due to the growth of the permanent adult tooth beneath it.
Sometimes the loss of a baby tooth can be premature, and this might be the result of an accident or even tooth decay. Since an adult tooth will eventually grow, is it fine to simply live with the missing baby tooth?
When No Action Is Necessary
It's not as though the premature loss of a baby tooth is ever an ideal situation, but if it has to happen, there is a preferred time frame. Your dentist will need to examine the issue, potentially remove pieces of tooth from your child's gums if the tooth fragmented. Your dentist will also assess the likely time for the emergence of the adult tooth, and an x-ray might be needed in order to check its progress. If the premature loss only preceded the likely natural loss of the baby tooth by a short period of time, then no further action might be necessary.
The adult tooth will emerge without complications, although your dentist might schedule additional examinations in order to ensure that the adult tooth in fact coming in as it should. But what about when there is likely to be an extended period of time before the adult tooth emerges of its own accord?
When Action Is Necessary
There can be complications if a gap is left in a juvenile mouth. Without the (now missing) baby tooth to act as a guide, the adult tooth might develop in an incorrect, misaligned position. There is also the possibility that the teeth either side of the gap might shift slightly, changing their alignment, and also causing the adult tooth that will follow them to develop in this incorrect position.
Though this could be corrected when the adult teeth have grown (generally with braces), it's better to prevent this from occurring at all. For this, your dentist might refer you to an orthodontist to have a space maintainer fitted. The most appropriate space maintainer will be determined by your child's age and specific situation.
Your dentist may suggest a fixed maintainer — which is a prosthetic tooth is affixed to the neighbouring teeth with dental cement. This is periodically adjusted as your child grows until such time as the adult tooth begins to emerge, at which point it will be removed.
Partial dentures can also be used, and this is similar to dentures for adults, although once again, they will be discarded once the adult tooth emerges and also might need to be adjusted as your child grows.
Ideally your child will never lose a baby tooth ahead of schedule, and yet for their ongoing dental health, the appropriate action might be needed to maintain the necessary space in their smile.
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