Primary teeth are vital. Your child needs them to speak. Your son or daughter needs them to eat.
A healthy smile improves self-esteem for everyone—young and old.
Plus, those little teeth preserve space for the permanent teeth to come in and take their place.
When pre-teens lose their baby teeth a long time before their permanent teeth erupt, it can impact tooth spacing.
Artifical Space Maintainers Keep Teeth From Shifting
Your dentist may recommend an artificial space maintainer to keep the remaining baby teeth in place. This ensures that there will be adequate space for the permanent teeth to erupt.
Your dentist will remove the artificial space maintainer when it is no longer necessary.
Tooth Timing
Distinctive gap-toothed smiles are a trademark for pre-teens. Most young children begin losing their baby teeth around age 6.
When Is It ‘Too Early’ Or ‘Too Late’ For Baby Teeth To Fall Out?
If your son or daughter’s baby teeth starting falling out before they are 4 1/2, book an exam at Marcos Ortega DDS. It’s vital for Dr. Marcos to examine your child and take X-rays. It’s also critical to check for any related medical issues.
If your child hasn’t lost a tooth by 7 or 8 years old, it may also indicate a problem. Hopefully, you are already maintaining a twice-yearly dental visit schedule for your child. If not, we recommend that you start. Your child’s current and future health is at risk.
Regular dental exams allow your dentist to monitor your son or daughter’s oral development. There’s a lot going on (seen and unseen) in little mouths!
Eruption Charts
Ask your dentist about an eruption chart. (As in tooth eruption, not volcano eruption.) An eruption chart tells you when you can expect baby teeth to erupt and fall out.
Regardless of their history of dental visits, make sure you see a pediatric dentist if your child’s tooth development schedule is unusual.
Contact Marcos Ortega DDS:
619-295-4545
Location (Tap to open in Google Maps):
306 Walnut Ave Ste 25
San Diego, California
92103