My daughter is almost 10 months old. She was a little late cutting her teeth say around 7 months or so. First, her bottom front teeth came in with a large gap between them and now she has a tooth ooming in right in between them. Her top front teeth have a gap but not as noticeable. The teeth on the sides of her top front are coming in crooked also. I know there probably isn't anything I can do right now. Just wanted to hear from other moms to see if you have experienced the same thing. Not sure if I should take her to the doctor or what. Thank you everyone in advance.
First of all I want to thank you all for your responses. I know she would have to see an Orthodontist but not at this age. I guessed people would understand that asking the Pediatrician first and then seeing if he had any concerns before taking her to a dentist. I would not want to waste their time and mine. I talked to one of the doctors I work with and said the same thing as most of you did. Thank you for the advice and helping put my mind at ease.
First of all, it would be an orthodontist, not a doctor. But no, you should not take a baby under a year of age for any care related to crooked teeth. These are only her baby teeth, they will fall out and be replaced by adult teeth starting around the age of 5.
I had two boys that had the same problem. They are now 12 and 6 and yes, it is a problem. The first thing we realized was that if either parent had dental problems, it's almost a sure thing your kids will. My husband had extensive dental problems complete with massive head gear. His mouth was very small, high palate and large teeth. He wore braces for 3 years. These days, they do start early - very early, in addressing crooked teeth and that's a good thing. My 12 year old will need braces, but we cannot afford them right now. My 6 year old had massive cavities even though we brushed very well and took him every 6 months to the dentist starting at age 3. He had to have one tooth pulled, two baby root canals and 4 caps! We felt awful, but there was little we could do. It was recommended we start orthodontal work before he turns 7. He has severely crowded teeth yet to come through and many won't make it if others are not pulled to make room. It's a long process of lots of x-rays and targeted decisions about which teeth he'll need and which ones he will not.
The next time you go to the dentist, mention your daughter's teeth and let him advise you, but when it is time to get her seen, only go to a pediatric dentist. That is where we made our first mistake with our youngest and why I believe they missed his cavities. Pediatric dentists have are like specialists and I have a new respect for them.
Good luck!
It's a good idea to get your daughter used to going to the dentist -- most dentists say children should come in by age 1 (but of course, they will charge you). The gaps are no problem -- my 2-y/o still has spaces between his teeth (although they are not large -- but his teeth are not touching, like adult teeth do) -- most infants do have gaps and spaces like this, but as more of their baby teeth come in, the gaps will get closer and even disappear. I doubt the dentist would actually do anything at this stage, since she's so young. I don't think there is anything they really *could* do, to be perfectly honest, especially since it is most likely normal. Perhaps when she gets older, they put braces on baby teeth; but I think they'll probably wait until she gets her permanent teeth and see how those are coming in. My 2-y/o's teeth are also sort of crooked in front, and the dentist didn't say anything about them, so I'm fairly sure your daughter is perfectly normal.
If it makes you feel better, take her to the doc. Quite honestly, they will probably tell you to wait, as it all depends on other teeth coming in, the way her mouth continues to grow, etc.
I went thru the same thing, so I know what you are going through :)
Hi C.,
A dentist will look at her teeth and charge you for a visit no matter how old she is, lol. I don't know if he will OR can do anything yet though... My youngest daughter had a LARGE gap between her teeth(and one was crooked)when she was that young and she is the one that did not need braces. The extra space gave her plenty of room for her adult teeth when they were ready to come in.
She'll be fine. The dentist will let you know when you need to be concerned.
Regards,
I would take her to the dentist so they can do an x-ray... not that they will probably do anything. Does anyone in your family have an extra tooth on the bottom? There might be another extra one on top making the other two crooked.... Definitely get an experts opinion. Even pediatricians are clueless about teeth, there is no way for you to know what the problem is because you can't see it.
Just check with the ped. next time you take your child in for an appointment. It is not that unusual for children to have extra teeth. Unless there is some sign of something more wrong, it is not a big deal. My son had two extra teeth, one came out on its own the other had to be extracted when he was 13 and in braces.
Baby teeth are not always an indication of what the permanent teeth will look like. Gaps are fine, more spsce for bigger teeth. A visit to the dentist would put your mind at ease. I have seen kiddos with crooked crazy baby teeth get perfect permanent teeth, and kiddos with perfect baby teeth have crazy permanent ones so there's that for you as well.
Hi C..
My first daughter did not cut teeth till she was 13 mos. They were gapped and crooked. I was told this is fine as long as they aren't crowding or being crowded. That is probably what they will tell you.
Good luck
-D.
Don't worry these are not her permanent teeth. check Web Md .com for more info.
