How Long Is Too Long: Are You Worried About Your Child’s Adult Teeth Being Delayed?

Name: Bhandal Dental Practice
Address: 298A-C Foleshill Rd, Coventry, CV6 5AH, UK
Telephone: 024 7668 6690
Price range: $

From the time that your child first starts to lose their baby teeth you get used to their gappy grin – however, you might find that these gaps stick around for a lot longer than expected.

Once the baby tooth has fallen out, it can take as long as six months for the permanent adult tooth to appear in its place.

Sometimes the gap can remain unfilled for a lot longer, causing concern in parents about the development of their child’s teeth.

What’s the usual timeline for tooth eruption?

Every child is different, so don’t be too worried if your child loses teeth earlier or later than their classroom friends. The teeth will emerge when they are ready, but this will typically happen on the following timeline:

Teeth first start emerging around the age of 6 months and it can take up to three years before all of the baby teeth have emerged.
Baby teeth will start to fall out around the age of 6, and it could be another 6 years before all of the baby teeth fall out.

Adult teeth typically start to appear from the age of 5 and your child might not have all of their adult teeth until they’re around 13.
Wisdom teeth might not emerge until the age of 25.

With so much variation, it’s far better to focus on the oral health of your child, rather than worrying too much about the timeline.

If your child has oral health problems with their milk teeth, this could lead to problems with their adult teeth emerging. For example, having a milk tooth extracted could lead to issues when the time comes for the adult tooth to take its place.

This is because the milk teeth hold space for the adult teeth, so when one is removed without being able to fall out naturally, this can upset the alignment of the remaining teeth.

Signs that something might be wrong

The first sign that something could be wrong with the way your child’s teeth are emerging can often be seen when the child has had a tooth extraction. The emerging adult teeth could become impacted, which means they get stuck behind other teeth.

If your child has had a tooth extracted and you don’t see signs of a tooth emerging, book an appointment with your dentist. It could be the case that the tooth wasn’t due to emerge yet, so your child will have a gap in their smile for longer.

However, if your child is around the age of 10 or 11, it’s more likely that their adult teeth would be ready to emerge.

Another sign that something is amiss would be pain, swelling, bleeding or discomfort in the gum. If the tooth is partially emerged, it could be causing issues as food can get caught in the gum.

Another issue that children can face with their adult teeth is when the mamelons don’t wear down as they should. These are ridges on the top of the teeth that make the teeth appear serrated. They are made of enamel and should wear down over time, but some people find that this doesn’t happen and they are unhappy with how their teeth appear.

Finally, overcrowding and misaligned teeth can also become evident as your child’s adult teeth emerge. This can happen to any child, regardless of how well they care for their teeth. Issues with the shape of the jaw can lead to lifelong problems with the bite, which is why dentists monitor this so carefully.

Why do some adult teeth fail to appear?

While the delay can sometimes just be down to the teeth taking longer to appear there may be other reasons, which will be diagnosed by a dentist.

These include:

Lack of space – If the baby teeth are very close together when they fall out the gap left may not be large enough for the adult teeth to grow into.
Impacted tooth – Sometimes teeth become lodged in the bone, this is most common when the baby tooth has been knocked out. It’s also common with the wisdom teeth, which may grow sideways into the side of the neighbouring teeth.
Hypodontia – Occasionally the tooth fails to develop entirely in which case the baby tooth usually remains in place as there is no pressure behind it.

Incorrect growth – Children’s teeth are often noted for their non-uniform appearance. Some teeth are so incorrectly placed when they grow that they fail to appear in the mouth properly.
Failure to erupt – The tooth may have, for no clear reason, failed to erupt from the gum.

What happens if your child's teeth fail to appear?

While general guidance will give you an idea of what to expect when your child’s teeth start to appear, not every child will conform to that. Longer delays can be just that and as the surrounding teeth fall out teeth may appear.

However, it is important to always seek the advice of a dentist if you have a concern about the development of your child’s teeth.

Surgery may be needed to correct a problem with your child’s adult teeth failing to appear and the earlier the problem is identified the better. This can help to avoid the need to long-term treatments such as orthodontics, as it will enable the teeth to emerge correctly without overcrowding or overlapping.

Will my child need braces?

A common concern when the teeth fail to emerge correctly is that the teeth will become crooked or overlapped, which may mean that your child needs braces. Orthodontic treatment may be recommended even earlier than this, as it can help to keep space for the teeth to emerge correctly.

Regular visits to the dentist will ensure that your child’s teeth are correctly monitored. We recommend visiting every 6 months to ensure your dentist can keep an eye on the teeth as they emerge. As soon as we believe orthodontic treatment could be beneficial, we will discuss this with you.

How can children care for their teeth while their adult teeth emerge?

As the adult teeth are emerging, this is an important time in your child’s oral health development. This is the ideal time to teach your child about properly caring for their teeth and help them to create healthy habits that will last them a lifetime.

The best thing you can do for your child’s development is to make sure they visit the dentist every 6 months. This will help to spot and respond to issues before they become more problematic. It can also give your child a lifelong appreciation for the value of going to the dentist, while also helping to curb any fears they might have about their visit.

By this age, they should be actively engaged with the process of brushing their teeth twice a day for two minutes at a time. You might encourage them to care for their teeth by investing in an electric toothbrush with a timer.

This is also a good time to teach them about the impact of their food and drink choices. They should limit their intake of juice and soda to special occasions only and to use a straw when they enjoy these drinks. Children should be encouraged to drink water instead of sugary or fizzy drinks. They should also learn about the risks of snacking between meals.

Children should also care for their milk teeth just as well as they care for their adult teeth. While milk teeth are going to fall out, they shouldn’t be treated as “practice” teeth, as this can encourage children to develop bad habits that follow them around for the rest of their life.