Is my child’s teeth coming out on time? What can happen if there is a delay in eruption?

These are some of the questions parents often worry about. The good news is that there is a large variation in the timing of tooth eruption because each child is unique in his or her own way. Below is a chart you can use to track your child’s dental development.

An important aspect of monitoring is the sequence of eruption of the different tooth types. It is also helpful to check that the same tooth type on both sides erupts within six months of each other.

If there is a significant delay between the right and left sides, the tooth on the delayed side could be erupting abnormally. A dental X-ray can reveal any underlying problems. In the event that a tooth has problems coming out normally, early braces treatment may be required to assist in its eruption.

When all the baby teeth have erupted, it is common to see gaps at the front. This is an ideal situation because gaps are needed to accommodate the larger adult teeth when they come out a few years later. If there are no gaps between the baby teeth, it is an indication of a lack of space. In such instances, the adult teeth will likely come out crooked.

Baby teeth are important as they reserve space for developing adult teeth. If baby teeth are lost prematurely, usually due to decay, the surrounding teeth can drift into space. This can lead to the underlying adult tooth getting trapped beneath the gums. When this happens, braces treatment will be needed to guide the adult tooth out from the gums so that it can continue to erupt properly.

This article is contributed by Dr. Boey Pui Yunn.

Dr. Boey is a Specialist Orthodontist at Neuglow Dental @ Somerset and specializes in conventional braces treatment, braces for jaw problems, invisalign treatment, lingual orthodontics, and modification of growth and eruption for young growing children.

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