My baby's first teeth are crooked

annielise

My baby (7 months) just cut his first two bottom front teeth. I'm so upset to see that they're crooked! They're both at an angle so it's like they're forming the letter V. What caused this, and can I do something to correct it? I'm just sad coz this is my baby's very first teeth, and they're crooked. Thanks

annielise

Just want to add he was exclusively breastfed before I introduced solids, and never used the pacifier. I'm still at a loss how it happened.

Misa Hayase

I am sure you're a very excited and anxious mom. However, this is nothing to worry about. More baby teeth will erupt soon, and the V might even out. Your child will exfoliate those teeth anyway when he starts getting those permanent ones (at 6 years).

annielise

Thanks so much. I do hope it will even out. There's no such thing as baby braces, anyway!

smilewarrior

^^
You're quite right, metal braces were never mean't to be placed on infants.

Does your child have a Pediatric dentist (a dentist for kids)? Now would be a good age for your kid to start visiting one.

annielise

smiledoctor: I don't have a dentist yet. Isn't it too early to bring him to the dentist (he only has two precious pearly whites )what caused the crooked teeth? The teeth didn't appear at the same time, so when the first one was crooked, I was hoping the other one isn't. Fat chance! It's as crooked as the other one! Is there a chance the other teeth will be crooked too? Thanks a lot.

Misa Hayase

Actually, it's not actually that early. Baby-bottle caries (caries=yung sira sa teeth) do occur on baby teeth, lalo na pag the parents don't clean their baby's teeth. Milk left on the teeth turn out to be food for caries-causing microorganisms, kaya ingat-ingat lang when you let your baby sleep with the baby bottle in his mouth.
Also, pag nagkaka-isip na si baby, mas okay na familiar na siya sa surroundings ng dental clinic, so he won't grow up thinking it's a place that he should be afraid of. Better take him to annual check ups even if you think that there is nothing wrong with this teeth, para hindi niya i-associate yung dental visit as an event na merong GAGAWIN sa ngipin niya.

Hmm, baka di pa naman fully erupted yung two teeth na yon. Wait and see. Malay mo yung iba hindi. Sometimes it's just genetics... kung crooked din yung sa parents dati, baka ganon din.

smilewarrior

^^
I totally agree with Misa.

You live in the United States right? You may want to search the web or ask your neighbors if they know of a reputable pediatric dentist.

It's too early to tell whether your kids front teeth will be crooked. You'll have to wait till they all come out (at about 2 1/2 years old). There is still a possibility that your kids teeth will attain a better alignment later on. For now what your child has are the temporary (baby ) teeth. They'll be replaced later on with permanent teeth (despite the fact they will be replaced, they need to be brushed and cleaned regularly.

The baby teeth are important since they maintain space for the permanent (adult) teeth to emerge into.

annielise

Thanks Miya and smilewarrior! Just one last question: how do you clean baby teeth? Should I purchase a small toothbrush for kids or should I just clean them with cloth? thanks

smilewarrior

^^
You may use a small baby toothbrush ( preferably one with very very very soft bristles). For now, use a toothpaste which DOES NOT contain fluoride. Use very gentle, circular strokes to clean the teeth.

Chiledren below the age of four tend to swallow everything, so its best to use a non-fluoridated toothbrush for now. It will be the Pediatric dentist and the Pediatrician (Physician) who will monitor your child's fluoride intake through vitamins (prescribed by pediatrician) and through professional application (by the pediatric dentist).

Is your tap water fluoridated?

Cleaning the mouth with a very clean cloth made a little damp with clean water is often recommended after feeding a child milk if none of the child's teeth have come out yet (from about 0 days old to about 6 months old).

smilewarrior

^^
Ooops, I meant "children", sorry.

badbreath

crooked baby teeth??!?!! asa lahi niyo ba?! im no expert but maybe kulang space ng mandibles niya for his baby teeth kaya crooked. But he's only one year old... his bone growth might catch up and eventually will accomodate properly his teeth.

have him see an orthodist nalang as early as u can so that corrective interventions can be placed on him without the need for braces in the future. Kasi kaya ng orthodontists in some cases na i-enhance yung development ng mandibles before its growth and development seizes.

Isa pang concern mo is... crooked teeth tends to rot more.

smilewarrior

^^
A Pediatric dentist, not an Orthodontist would be more appropriate at this point.

Usually, we Orthodontists can put braces for kids as young as 7 years old. We can sometimes manipulate the jaws of younger kids, but on a case to case basis.

A child's lower jaw will grow till the kid enters his or her teens.

What's more important now is to make sure the teeth are healthy. We can worry about the alignment later. The development of the teeth need to be observed, and the Pediatric dentist would be more appropriate for this.

Infantile Jaw Orthopedics (manipulating and influencing the growth of the jaws for kids only months old) is something we usually do for infants with craniofacial anomalies such as Cleft lip and palate or any Craniosynostosis Syndrome, but not usually for "normal" kids.