Parents often worry that something is wrong when their child’s milk teeth don’t fall out on time as expected. Most of the time, all is well, although there are some developmental issues that require professional attention.
Milk Teeth Play an Important Role in Tooth Development
Milk teeth serve many purposes besides chewing. Baby teeth form permanent teeth and hold space for them until they are developed enough to come in. If milk teeth erupt too early, space may be lost and crowding may occur in the underlying permanent teeth. At the other extreme, milk teeth that do not fall out on time can cause the permanent ones to come out crooked, making the orthodontic situation even more difficult.
Problems can occur if milk teeth are lost too early
The most common causes of early loss of milk teeth are caries, trauma and crowding. If a tooth needs to be extracted due to disease or is lost due to trauma, your dentist will intervene. If the teeth are crooked, your child may naturally lose two primary teeth to accommodate the eruption of a single large permanent tooth. If primary teeth are lost early, an orthodontist should be consulted to see if a placeholder is needed.
Missing milk teeth can also indicate problems.
There are several conditions that prevent milk teeth from falling out on time. If the lower teeth are crooked, they may not be able to push the upper milk teeth out. Primary teeth that do not have permanent replacements can remain indefinitely. Extra teeth can prevent normal permanent ones from erupting normally. With a simple X-ray, your orthodontist can tell you if there really is a problem or if your child is developing slowly.
A two-year pause in losing milk teeth is normal.
However, the most common cause for parents’ concern is their misunderstanding of the normal sequence of tooth loss in their developing child. The first milk teeth usually fall out at about 6 years of age. Some kids may lose theirs as early as five or as late as seven, and either variation is fine. By the age of eight, the average child will have lost eight primary teeth; four anterior teeth on the top and four anterior teeth on the bottom. Again, a one-year change in either direction is nothing to worry about. Between the ages of eight and ten, the number of teeth does not change much. So it’s normal for a child to lose eight teeth in a row and then stop for about two years. (This two-year pause is the best time to provide preventative orthodontic treatment if needed.)
Around the age of ten, the remaining teeth begin to wobble and fall out. The average adolescent loses their last milk teeth before the age of 13. The 12-year molars also appear in this 12th year.
Most questions about delayed tooth loss come during the eight to ten year period when no teeth are lost. This type of inactivity is unexpected by parents, but completely normal. An important service your orthodontist can provide is monitoring your child’s dental development and advising you on the need for milk teeth to be extracted if necessary
