Shark Teeth: Adult Teeth Coming In Behind Baby Teeth | Ear, Nose, Throat, and Dental problems articles | Body & Health Conditions center

Humans develop two sets of teeth during their lifetimes — their primary, baby, deciduous, or milk teeth or their permanent teeth. As can be expected, the milk teeth come in first and serve some very important purposes before being slowly replaced by their permanent successors.

In some cases, though, the permanent teeth start to come in before the milk teeth fall out and that can be a bit disconcerting. Commonly, this condition is called "shark Teeth", because of the appearance of multiple rows of teeth.

When and why do milk teeth fall out?

Milk teeth start to fall out around the age of six and then continue to be replaced until the age of 11 to 13, depending upon a number of other factors. A variation of about 10 to 12 months in these ages is considered to be perfectly normal. In general, girls get their first permanent teeth a little earlier than boys, and all of their milk teeth also fall out a little earlier.

This is also the time around which the permanent teeth start to come into the mouth. Coincidence? Not really, since it is the developing permanent teeth that dissolve the roots of the milk teeth, make them loose, and then cause them to fall out.

Causes of shark teeth

The deciduous teeth can remain longer than normal in the mouth under some circumstances and thus the permanent teeth actually come in behind them.

Improper path of eruption

The successor tooth is supposed to erupt very close to the root of the milk teeth. In fact, the root actually serves as a guide to get the permanent tooth in the right position but in some cases, the permanent tooth develops in the wrong direction and then does not follow the expected path of eruption.

An altered path of eruption means that the permanent tooth does not apply the needed pressure on the roots of the milk teeth to make them loose.

Early loss of milk teeth

Milk teeth are very prone to getting decayed and often need to be removed when they get completely destroyed. The combination of poor oral hygiene and a thin protective layer of enamel are to be blamed for this happening. In some cases, particularly when the baby molars are lost, the space for the permanent teeth to come out can lack.

As explained earlier, the roots of the milk teeth also serve as a guide and without it, the permanent teeth can get "lost" and go in the wrong direction. Thus, the permanent teeth have to erupt in a position that may not be considered ideal and give the appearance to shark teeth.

Genetic causes

Some genetic mutations and syndromes have been associated with over-retained deciduous teeth. In these cases, the milk teeth do not fall out at the expected time and the permanent teeth end up erupting around them in abnormal positions. A few examples of these syndromes include hypopituitarism, hypothyroidism, hemifacial atrophy, cherubism, and cleft palate. There will be a number of other classical systemic symptoms in case an underlying syndrome is the cause.

Complications of shark teeth

No major complications arise from having shark teeth, although there are some things to be careful about. The first and most obvious one is difficulty in maintaining oral hygiene. Children may already find it difficult to keep their teeth clean and having teeth in abnormal positions that prevent the bristles from reaching everywhere is going to compound the issue.

Bleeding from the gums, bad breath, and even tooth decay can occur as a result of having shark teeth.

Another, less common, complication is that of injury to the soft structures of the mouth. The permanent teeth which have erupted in abnormal positions can end up causing a cheek bite, blisters, injury to the tongue, and even to the palate.

Treatment of shark teeth

The treatment of shark teeth is quite simple. When you first notice the permanent teeth coming out behind the milk teeth, don’t panic. It is quite common and relatively easily dealt with. Check if the milk teeth are slightly loose or not.

If the milk teeth are slightly loose then the child can probably help loosen those teeth in a few weeks and help them fall out. If, however, the milk teeth are not loose then it is time to make an appointment with the dentist.

The dentist will remove the milk teeth so that the permanent teeth have the best possible chance of moving into the right position.

Some amount of orthodontic treatment may be required for the permanent teeth to move into their desired positions. This orthodontic treatment may be started when the child still has milk teeth in the mouth to help maintain space for the permanent teeth or be stated once all the milk teeth have fallen out.

The latter is the much more common option that is utilized.

Conclusion

Having "shark teeth" is relatively common and nothing to be concerned about. In a lot of cases, the position of the permanent teeth will self-correct once the milk teeth have been removed from their way. The main thrust of oral care should be on keeping the milk teeth clean and healthy. The position of the permanent teeth can be adjusted very easily through the use of orthodontic treatment.

Couldn't find what you looking for?

TRY OUR SEARCH!