My 5 year old son had his teeth examined and the dentist referred him to an orthodontist because he has the opposite of an overbite and his top teeth are wearing down his bottom teeth. Dentist states jaw may be growing faster then top. What should I expect? Any advise? Should I be seriously concerned?

ANSWER:

My advise is to go see the orthodontist. It sounds like your son’s lower jaw is larger or growing faster than his upper jaw. Ideally in these cases the orthodontist will start the braces at an early age so that they can help direct the growth of the facial bones. This will help your son avoid the possibility of facial surgery in the future to correct his bite. If started early enough (and five is plenty early in fact the orthodontist may decide it is to young) the orthodontist can put pressure on the upper jaw to help it catch up with the lower jaw. If you wait until you son is older his facial bones may not have enough growth left for the orthodontist to be able to accomplish this equalizing of the jaws. I would expect at you first visit with the orthodontist they will simply do an exam, maybe an x-ray or two and discuss with you your options. I would not be overly concerned at this point but I would go see the orthodontist and get their opinion.

Hope this helps,

Nick DeTure DMD
AskaDentist.com

The post 5 Year Old Has Underbite first appeared on Ask A Dentist.

My teeth are not that crooked but one tooth did not grow in. Therefore no space is available at all and my teeth grew leaving no space as if the missing tooth wasn’t going to grow in in the first place. I was wondering if it is possible for me to get a dental implant in that spot and how would the dentist go about doing that?

ANSWER:

If the adult tooth never came in and is below the gum it will need to be removed before an implant could be placed, or it may be able to be exposed and then move into position with braces. If there is no space where the tooth should be you will have to have braces to make space for an implant or the tooth before doing any type of surgical treatment. If the adult tooth never developed then it may be easier to place an implant but again if the other teeth grew in to position in such a way that the space where the tooth should be has been blocked or filled by the adjacent teeth then you have to recreate the space by using braces to put the teeth back into the right positions. I suggest you see a local periodontist to quarterback your treatment. Let me know if you need me to suggest someone for you.

Hope this helps,
Nick DeTure DMD
AskADentist.com

The post Missing Tooth first appeared on Ask A Dentist.