Every child develops at a different rate. Although we have general age guidelines when baby teeth should be lost and replaced by an adult tooth (eruption), there is a broad spectrum of when this will actually occur. Generally, the first baby tooth falls out around the age of 6 years old. Some children may have the majority of their adult teeth by the age of 10 and others it may be the age of 15. This is one reason the American Association of Orthodontist recommend a child be screened by an Orthodontist around the age of 7. It is the job of a dental professional to determine if your child is delayed in their dental development, and if so, is there a reason for it. Orthodontists are specifically trained to be aware of such problems. Aside from delayed development there are other reasons baby teeth do not fall out as expected. Some reasons for delayed eruption of adult teeth include extra teeth that may get in the way, inadequate space for the adult tooth to come in, or it may be that an adult tooth is missing. Some children would benefit from interceptive treatment to help create space to guide adult teeth into the proper path to enter the mouth.If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact any one of our Sondhi-Biggs-Hansen Orthodontic team members!
