Why does my child have an extra row of teeth?

An extra row of teeth can be a sign of crowding and a checkup with your pediatric dentist is always worthwhile.

As an adult tooth starts moving up, the root of the baby tooth starts to dissolve away ahead of it.

Once the root has dissolved away enough, the baby tooth will become wobbly.

If there isn’t enough room for the adult tooth to move up directly under the baby tooth it is replacing, it can pop up behind it, leaving both the baby tooth and the adult tooth in the mouth at the same time.

Do we need to do anything?

Mostly, an over-retained baby tooth can be wriggled out at home over a measured period of time. Your dentist can recommend how long your child should try this for, but we would generally give it 3-4 months.

If the tooth doesn’t come out naturally and is still very firm in the mouth, your paediatric dentist may suggest an extraction. Over-retained teeth that are left for too long can be uncomfortable to clean around and can lead to poorly positioned adult teeth that may need orthodontics to correct.