Picture a shark with hundreds of teeth in rows. Now, your child will not have hundreds of teeth in many rows, But they can get one or two teeth growing behind a baby tooth. Understanding how to properly care for these shark teeth can help make sure your child has the best outcome when this happens.
What are Shark Teeth?
As a parent, it could be a little worrisome when you notice that your child has a tooth growing behind their baby tooth. Of course, you tell your child they look like a shark so they don’t worry. Dentists also call them shark teeth. Shark teeth can happen when a permanent tooth emerges at an angle and grows behind the baby tooth instead of dissolving the roots and loosening the tooth. Your child will start losing their teeth about age 5 and the permanent teeth will start coming in about age 6, so you may notice the shark teeth during this time.
Should I Be Concerned About My Child’s Shark Tooth?
Your child could have shark teeth without even realizing it. It can cause a little discomfort with the tooth coming in, but with the extra tooth, it does not cause a lot of problems. Most likely, the baby tooth will loosen after the shark tooth emerges and it will eventually push the baby tooth out.
How Do You Treat & Care for Shark Teeth at Home?
Taking care of the shark teeth is just like taking care of all your other teeth. You need to brush and floss them. It may be more difficult and you may need help from a dental hygienist, but you want to make sure that you brush and floss to remove all the bacteria and plaque that your teeth can get throughout the day.
When Should I Worry About Shark Teeth?
When you notice a shark tooth coming in, you want to make sure you encourage your child to continue to wiggle the baby tooth to get rid of it as much as possible. There are some situations where it needs more action. You need to call the dentist:
– if the child is complaining of discomfort
– it has been there for two months and the baby tooth has not fallen out
-the permanent tooth is getting to the same height as the baby tooth.
Do Shark Teeth Need to Be Pulled?
Most shark teeth resolve on their own. If your child has a stubborn baby tooth that is not willing to come out, the dentist can recommend ways to help increase your child’s tooth to become wiggly. We can offer some over-the-counter pain medication if there is discomfort and on of our dentists can even extract the baby tooth if needed. This can help ensure that the permit tooth is coming in correctly.
Pediatric Dentistry
It can be quite alarming when you notice that your child has an extra tooth behind another tooth. While in most cases, it’s nothing to worry about, if your child is having problems then call a pediatric dentist and find out what they recommend. Smile Reef has great dentists and can help in this situation and any other dental issues your child faces.