When Baby Teeth Don't Fall Out

Are you embarrassed to smile because you’re an adult with baby teeth? We at Bayberry Dental Care in Tinley Park would like to help you. Retained deciduous teeth, or baby teeth, are a somewhat unusual phenomenon, but not all that rare. Treatment will depend on the teeth’s exact position, but we want patients to understand that extractions may be the best thing for their dental health and bite comfort, as well.

Typically, the roots of the baby teeth dissolve as the permanent teeth erupt. There are a few reasons why this may fail to happen, such as if the roots are fused to the jaw bone. But in a lot of cases, the adult teeth simply never develop. The lateral incisors in the upper jaw are the teeth that are likeliest to be congenitally missing. The baby teeth would never fall out if nothing is pushing them, but we can still extract them. After that, we may place an implant to mount an artificial crown or provide the patient with a denture.

Sometimes the adult tooth develops but pushes through the gum line at a different place from its baby equivalent. This most often happens with the central incisors in the lower jaw. As a result, a person could have two sets of teeth. Overcrowding and dental infections would likely ensue, since teeth are very hard to brush when they are jumbled behind each other. After extracting the baby teeth, we would likely refer the patient for orthodontic care.

Kathleen M. Falsey, D.D.S., operates Bayberry Dental Care at 8014 West 171^st St, Tinley Park, Illinois, 60477. To schedule an appointment, call 708-802-8300 or visit Bayberry Dental Care and fill out a contact sheet.