Thursday, November 29, 2018

Retained Baby Teeth

We all remember the funny feeling of losing our baby teeth and watching adult teeth emerge in its place. But sometimes, baby teeth don’t fall out on their own. Dentists are generally reluctant to extract them, but there are times when we at the Oral Surgery Consultants of Pennsylvania recognize that it’s the best option for adult or teenaged patients whose retained baby teeth are causing problems.


A baby tooth falls out because the erupting adult tooth dissolves its root. If the adult tooth is coming in at a different angle, the baby tooth’s root may remain solid, and the patient could end up with two rows of teeth. This most often happens with the lower incisors, although it can happen to the upper ones, as well. In these cases, it is difficult for the patient to brush all their teeth, and they may have alignment problems from overcrowding or bite problems from the teeth’s misplacement. They may be referred for orthodontic work after the extraction is finished.


It’s also not uncommon for people to be congenitally missing adult teeth. This most often occurs with the upper lateral incisors. The baby tooth never falls out because nothing is pushing it. We may recommend that these patients get their missing teeth replaced with implants after the baby teeth have been extracted, if their baby teeth are causing aesthetic or bite issues.


Oral Surgery Consultants of Pennsylvania operate in Philadelphia, Folsom, and Clifton Heights. Visit Oral Surgery PA or call 215-463-4141.


 

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