Tooth Eruption

Tooth Eruption is when your child's teeth emerge and become visible in the mouth. The Smile Town North Delta team will guide you and your child through the stages of primary and permanent teeth eruption.

There are multiple reasons that the growth and development of your child's teeth should be monitored by a dentist. Children's mouths go through significant changes from the time they start teething, to when the adult teeth grow in.

During this whole process, a dentist should monitor your child's development, in order to identify and treat potential problems before they develop. Regular dental check ups and cleanings throughout childhood help ensure that children's teeth grow in healthy and strong.

Baby Teeth

Since baby teeth eventually fall out, some people don't realize how important they really are. However, baby teeth play a fundamental role in the healthy development of children's smiles, and they should be treated with the same care as adult teeth.

Healthy baby teeth make it possible for children to chew and digest their food properly, so that they can absorb all the important nutrients they need to grow into healthy teens and adults.

Baby teeth also guide emerging adult teeth into the correct positions. If a baby tooth falls out too prematurely as a result of damage or decay, the adult teeth may not grow in properly. A dentist can help your child avoid developing tooth decay, and in cases where a baby tooth does fall out too early, can also place space maintainers to preserve the space.

Most orthodontic professionals agree that your child should have an orthodontic consultation by the age of 7. An orthodontist can determine whether orthodontic intervention is needed, and in some cases, can begin interceptive treatment early, by prescribing things like palatial expanders or headgear.

Early orthodontic treatment can prepare your child's mouth for future orthodontic treatment, and in some cases may even reduce the extent and time frame of the treatment needed when your child is older. > Learn More

Adult Teeth

Adult teeth are the ones you live with for most of your life, so taking good care of them is extremely important! Have a dentist regularly monitor the growth of your child's adult teeth as they emerge, so that potential problems can be identified and prevented.

Some problems that might occur as adult teeth erupt include

Loss of Space: Blocked Molars

Sometimes, primary teeth that are not ready to fall out may block the eruption of permanent teeth. This can make teeth harder to clean, which increases the risk of cavities. While this problem often self-corrects, sometimes orthodontic intervention is necessary to allow the blocked teeth to erupt.

Impacted Teeth

Impacted teeth grow in in the the wrong direction. This is typically caused when there is not enough space in narrow jaws. Fortunately, with early supervision by a dentist, teeth that may eventually become impacted can be identified ahead of time and avoided before they progress.

Ectopic Dental Eruption

Permanent teeth can sometimes erupt in the wrong position. If not detected and intercepted, this can cause damage to adjacent teeth and to the supporting bone and gum tissue.

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