My one-year old is finally teething but his bottom teeth are coming in crooked. They are V shaped with the angle pointing in. I don't know if this is cause for concern - I suppose waiting is the only real option, I just want to hear others' experiences.
I was wondering the same thing about my one year old! Thanks for asking the question!
Hi Tanya,
I remember clearly when my now 5 year old's teeth were coming in they looked like fangs! They were so jagged and all over the place on the bottom. I remember thinking, "Hmm, probably nothing to worry about..." then a friend's 12 year old said something about how funny they looked. I thought, "Oh, no - it is something to worry about!". My friend assured me her children's teeth looked the same. Once my son's teeth all came in, they came together relatively straight. He has a little space between all of them which is great - easy brushing and no cavities!
They're just baby teeth that will come out anyway. Hopefully adult teeth will come in better. Even my daughter's adult teeth came in crooked, and then they straightened themselves out after a while. Just keep those baby teeth brushed and flossed and teach your son good habits. I think we took our kids to the dentist at age 2. Don't wait too much late than that. My friend didn't take her daughter until 2nd grade and she already had cavaties.
Hi T.,
I wouldn't worry to much about these. Growing up the dentist told my parents that I needed braces. I think I was not even a teen at this point. But I have pretty straight teeth. My bottom ones are a bit crooked but no one ever notices and the detist said that I do not need braces and actually had asked if I had ever had them. Thank goodness my parents did not get them for me. My dentist said that my teeth are almost text book and that to fix the bottom ones I would have to pull teeth on top and that my smile is so beautiful it would do more harm than good. Let his adult teeth come in before worrying about this problem. Also, a lot of people are under the impression that not worrying about cavities and what not right now is not necessary but this is very false. The baby teeth do effect the adult teeth so make sure you have your kids brush and floss. Start them early. My nephew who is now 4 has been flossing since he was 2. Obviously he needed help but he is very good about it. Keep us updated.
It's completely normal :o). They may straighten out as the other teeth come in.
Is he still bottle feeding? Alot of dentists say this is the cause. Try changing over to a sippy cup during the day and use a pacifier is you need to during the night or a botle filled with a mil or formula mixture with rice cereal so his stomach will stay full through the night if he is still waking up other wise don't worry to much because these teeth will fall out and his permanent teeth will probably come in straight but you can always take him to a dentist to be sure. P.
My 2 year old's baby bottom teeth cam in at a slight V but straightened out as the other teeth came in. She now has a full mouth of straight teeth. My 8 month old just pushed through her bottom teeth and they are in a slight V also. If your son's teeth are a severe V then I would take him to a peds dentist. If slight - they will probably be fine.
If you're concerned, you should take your son to a pedatric dentist so they can take a look. They may not be able to do anything yet, but if they can do something later, at least you'll be ahead of the game to get started when he is of age.
Good luck.
My daughter (who is now 20) had extremely crooked teeth from her first baby teeth on. She started orthodontia at 7, which surprised me, because I thought she would have to be much older. Starting her that early kept her from having to have jaw surgery. Her jaw was just too narrow for a full mouth of teeth so they used jaw expanders for about 4 years before she got braces and the straightening started. She had her wisdom teeth pulled at 17, but has all the rest of her teeth and a beautiful smile. She now has a permanent retainer. It was a very long process but really not traumatic for her and completely worth it to avoid the surgery. Talk to your dentist for a recommendation/referral to an orthodontist.
My youngest has really crooked bottom teeth... she is 2 1/2. My middle has a strange bitting problem that will have to be fixed w/ braces.... so just wait.... braces do wonders. :) Don't think you can do anything until they are old enough for orthodontic work.
