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Think back to when you lost your first tooth as a child. If you were like most kids, you were super excited that the Tooth Fairy would leave you a few dollars under your pillow. The years flew by and now you find yourself asking the same questions that your parents probably did.

When will my child’s first tooth fall out?

Is there a predictable order in which they fall out?

Being the good parent that you are, it’s natural to be concerned about such a pivotal time in the life of your child. After all, teeth are one of the most important body parts and they play a key role in eating, speech, and even self-confidence.

We have compiled this guide to help answer the various questions you might have regarding the adult teeth of your child coming in.

Why Does Your Child Have Baby Teeth?

On the surface, it seems rather pointless for children to have a baby set of teeth come in, only to wind up losing them a few years later. Baby teeth play a vital role in the development of the mouth and jaw. The muscles and jaw bone require baby teeth for proper spacing.

Baby teeth also act as a guide for permanent teeth. The permanent teeth grow up through the roots of the baby teeth. They also help with speech development and assist a child when its learning to chew.

When Will Your Child Lose Their First Tooth?

Most children will lose their first baby tooth anywhere from four to seven years of age. If their teeth start to become wiggly prior to four years of age, that is slightly earlier than the norm. Check to see if there has been some trauma such as a fall or other object that could have made the tooth wiggly. As long as there is no sign of tooth decay, then there really isn’t a reason for concern.

Girls tend to get and lose their teeth earlier than boys do. Doctors aren’t quite sure why this happens, but it’s thought that it’s due to girls developing faster than boys. If your child has Down syndrome, then you can expect them to lose their baby teeth a little later in life than other children.

In What Order Are Baby Teeth Lost?

A little-known fact about baby teeth is that they’re usually lost in the same exact order that they originally came in. Generally speaking, the bottom two front teeth are the first to be lost. They’re closely followed by the top two front teeth.

Next up are the bottom two lateral incisors, the teeth on either side of the incisors. Last to go are the top two lateral incisors. These eight teeth are usually lost by age 7. The remainder of the baby teeth don’t fall out until age 10 to 12. At age 12, the 12-year molars start to come in.

An interesting fact about permanent teeth is that they will dissolve and reabsorb the roots of the baby teeth. This is why your child usually feels little to no pain or bleeding when their teeth fall out. It’s important that you don’t try to force your child’s baby teeth to come out. Let it happen naturally.

How Should You Prepare Your Child?

The first thing you should do is let your child know that it is perfectly normal to lose teeth at their age. When their first tooth is ready to fall out, it will become very wiggly. While it is ok if they wiggle the tooth (and it could help loosen it up a bit), they should not attempt to force or pull it out. Oftentimes, baby teeth will fall out when your child is routinely brushing their teeth.

Adult teeth are not as white as baby teeth, so you shouldn’t worry if the new teeth coming in don't appear as bright. Their new adult teeth will also have ridges on the biting edges for a while until they get worn down a bit by normal chewing.

Potential Complications

If your child has a loose tooth that refuses to come out, it may need to be pulled by a dentist. Situations like this are somewhat rare, but are nothing to get worried about. Make an appointment with your dentist and they will help extract the stubborn tooth, oftentimes without any pain or bleeding at all.

In other rare cases, sometimes the new teeth will erupt and come in before the old ones are lost. This is completely normal and often referred to as “shark’s teeth” due to the way a shark will lose and gain new teeth.

Pediatric Dentist in the Miracle Mile

If your child has just started losing their teeth, or you have any questions regarding their new adult teeth, call us at (312) 787-2131 or schedule an appointment online. At Water Tower Dental Care, our gentle and compassionate dentists can help keep your child’s new adult teeth healthy and pearly white!

There are very few people in life who have absolutely perfect teeth. For the rest of us, we have to suffer through cavities, embarrassing dental checkups, and the occasional root canal. While genetics play an important role in who wins the dental lottery, regular maintenance such as brushing and flossing play an even bigger role in preventing tooth decay, cavities, and extractions.

Currently, the methods that most dentists use to help people with missing, broken, or diseased teeth are somewhat artificial in the sense that such materials as amalgam (the substance dentists use to perform a filling) are not natural. These non-natural substances can erode or wear down over time. Crowns, bridges, dentures, and even dental implants are all artificial means of making our teeth look normal.

What Happens When Teeth Decay?

Human teeth are surprisingly complex. The hard outer layer that you brush with a tooth brush is called the enamel. It is harder than your bones and contains living tissue. This tissue is referred to as dentin and it resides underneath the enamel. It accounts for a big percentage of the structure of your tooth and can easily be negatively affected by bacteria.

The bacteria eat the dentin (dentin is like prime rib to bacteria) and that causes tooth sensitivity problems and cavities. Left unchecked over the course of many years and it can lead to tooth decay or tooth loss.

The other major difference between human teeth and human bones is that unlike bones, human teeth cannot grow back or regenerate naturally. This means when it comes time for a dentist to help alleviate the pain from a toothache or perform a root canal, the techniques they use aren’t exactly natural and as such can be prone to failure due to time or stress.

What Currently Can and Can’t Grow Back?

If you’ve been holding out on deciding to get that dental implant you need…you should probably go ahead and get it anyways. Currently dentists cannot grow teeth back. Scientists and researchers are exploring new ways to encourage teeth, dentin, and pulp regrowth from a natural perspective. If they are one day successful, it will revolutionize dentistry and forgo the need for artificial materials that are prone to break down over time.

Laser Lights to Regrow Teeth? – Scientists are currently testing low-power lasers that are designed to stimulate and encourage dental stem cells to regrow dentin. Preliminary tests in laboratory mice have shown great promise.

This process cannot grow new enamel, so growing new teeth with lasers will most likely not happen in the future. However, if the technique is perfected and clinical trials on human beings are successful, it holds the promise to completely eliminate the need for root canals!

Tideglusib – This is a drug that is normally used to treat such conditions are autism and Alzheimer’s. Scientists found that it can be used to stimulate stem cells in the pulp of the tooth. This in turn creates more dentin and eliminates the need for a root canal. The drug is currently being tested on lab rats and if successful will move to clinical trials on human beings.

What Does the Future Hold?

As the years go by, dental science is improving by leaps and bounds. Long gone are many of the antiquated and very painful dental techniques that were employed just 25 short years ago. Scientists are currently working on ways to completely regrow teeth, which would eliminate even more painful and invasive dental fixes that are currently in use today.

For example, scientists have already regrown teeth in mice. They created a “baby tooth” and implanted it into the mouth of a mouse. The teeth grew to adult hood in just 49 days! Imagine going to the dentist and having them remove your decayed or broken teeth and then implanting brand new baby teeth that they grew in a petri dish. In just a few short months you’d have perfect adult teeth and as long as you take care of them, they will last you a lifetime!

Advanced Dentistry Procedures in Chicago

Let’s face it. There are many of us who have an unnatural fear of the dentist. The drills, the smells, the uncomfortable positions we have to endure while the dentist does his job aren’t exactly considered to be fun. Perhaps some day in the future our great-grandchildren will look at the dentistry practices of today as barbaric and something best relegated to the stone age.

Until that day comes, there are many new dental technologies that are designed to make dental procedures less painful, invasive, and even more pleasant!

At Water Tower Dental Care, we have many new and exciting technologies that can make your dental office visit a pleasant experience. Give us a call at (312) 787-2131 or schedule an online appointment to learn more about the exciting innovative technologies we offer that will have you smiling from ear to ear!

A “gummy smile” is when a person’s upper gums are very prominently shown when they smile. It is usually characterized by the upper teeth appearing too short, or the upper gums appearing to be too long. This harmless condition is highly subjective – and entirely dependent upon what the person feels is aesthetically pleasing.

Dentists and plastic surgeons estimate that around 7 percent of men and 14 percent of women have a “excessive gingival displays” which is the medical term for a gummy smile. Some dentists estimate that figure is much higher, as many people don’t seek treatment for what others would consider to be a gummy smile.

What Causes a Gummy Smile?

Genetics are the controlling factor for gummy smiles. The most common reasons are excessive gum tissue, small teeth, or a short upper lip. Teeth that are the proper length can appear short due to excessive gum tissue.

There could also be an issue with the movement of the upper lip where it becomes hyperactive and rises up higher than normal. When this happens, more gum tissue is exposed when a person smiles. The development of the jaw bone could also cause the appearance of a gummy smile. If the jaw has an excessive protrusion within the gum tissue, it could cause the gums to appear more prominently when smiling.

What is a “normal” smile?

There really is no such thing as a “normal smile.” As long as a person’s smile is not causing medical issues, it is entirely subjective as to what is and what isn’t attractive. In trying to understand what a cross-section of society views as a “normal smile,” a study was performed wherein plastic surgeons, dermatologists, and dentists were asked what they consider to be normal.

The vast majority of participants stated that they considered a normal smile to show no more than 2mm of gum tissue. When the size of the gum tissue reached 3-4mm, people started to take notice and anything higher than 4mm stood out as being a smile that shows too much gum tissue.

When it comes to describing a person’s smile, dentists and plastic surgeons often refer to the “smile line” which is how many teeth are showing when a person smiles. The smile line takes into consideration the individual facial muscles of a person, shape and size of their lips, shape and size of the teeth, as well as the gum tissue. Anyone of these body parts can contribute in part or whole to a gummy smile. Dentists and plastic surgeons suggest that the optimal smile line appearance should reveal the least amount of gum tissue possible.

Treatment Options

There are many treatment options available for those who wish to correct their gummy smile. They range from minimally invasive, all the way up to major surgery. They kind of procedure a person will need to correct their gummy smile can only be determined by a qualified dentist.

In the past, the only option to treat a gummy smile was invasive surgery in which the gums were sliced open with a scalpel and that lead to massive bleeding and a long recovery. Fortunately, medical science has advanced to the point where there are several non-invasive treatment options available.

Laser Treatments – A laser gum contouring procedure can help sculpt the gums of a patient to make them less prominent. The procedure can be performed in an out-patient setting and the patient can return to normal activities after leaving the office.

Botox – In recent years, dentists have been successfully using Botox to help dramatically lessen the appearance of a gummy smile. It is injected into the upper lip “elevator” muscles, which in turn prevents the gums from showing. The only downside to Botox is that it must be administered every 3 – 4 months, otherwise the gummy smile will appear as prominent as it did before.

Orthodontics – In other situations where Botox and laser treatments might not be as effective, orthodontics (braces) can be used to move the teeth into positions where the gums won’t be showing when the patient smiles.

Surgery – In more extreme cases, surgery is the only option. There are many surgical procedures a dentist could perform. Maxillofacial surgery will help reposition the bone and surgical sculpting of the gingival tissues or lip repositioning can permanently fix a gummy smile.

Gummy Smile Treatments in Chicago

If you feel that too much gum tissue is showing when you smile, give us a call at (312) 787-2131. At Water Tower Dental Care, we specialize in the treatment of gummy smiles and offer a wide range of treatment options. Schedule an appointment to learn more about the options available to help treat your gums so that you can once again smile with confidence!

Cracked or chipped teeth often happen when you least expect it. Whether it’s due to falling, being hit in the face, or biting down on something hard, some people tend to worry that a chipped tooth can’t be fixed. Thankfully, modern dentistry has come a long way over the years and there are several ways a dentist can repair a chipped or broken tooth.

Symptoms of a Cracked Tooth

Oftentimes there will be no symptoms that your tooth has been chipped or cracked. If the tooth breaks off while you are eating food, there is also a possibility that you could swallow it without even realizing it. Other times, the crack may be microscopic and only an X-ray would be able to tell it’s present.

There are several symptoms that could indicate a cracked tooth:

• Dental pain that has no obvious cause
• Difficulty pinpointing the exact location of the dental pain
• Warm/cold food sensitivity
• Unexplained pain when eating
• Swelling of the gums around the cracked tooth

How Do Chipped Teeth Happen?

Tooth enamel is one of the strongest tissues in the human body – yet teeth can easily be cracked due one of several reasons:

• Slip and fall
• Getting struck in the face
• Tooth decay
• Biting down on something hard like ice or candy

It doesn’t take much for teeth to get chipped if they suffer from tooth decay. Even biting down on something as soft as a bread sandwich can cause a decayed tooth to suddenly break or chip off.

Fortunately, your teeth are biodegradable and if you accidentally swallow a piece of chipped tooth, it will most likely pass right through your system. However, in some instances it might be best to seek the advice of a doctor if the chipped tooth doesn’t pass or you notice other health irregularities in the following hours and days.

What Can Happen Because of a Cracked Tooth?

Different people have different reactions to cracked teeth. For some it is merely a cosmetic issue and a quick trip to the dentist can make it look like it never happened. For others, a cracked tooth is a sign of tooth decay or disease and if left untreated could result in the loss of the tooth.

If the cracked tooth is severe enough, you can accidentally cut the inside of your mouth on the jagged edges. The remnants of the jagged tooth will brush up against your tongue or cheeks and bleeding is very possible. If the crack is left untreated it could allow bacteria to enter into the tooth and cause a painful infection.

At the first sign of a cracked tooth or dental pain, it’s a good idea to make an appointment with a dentist. They can not only repair the cracked tooth, but recommend a treatment course that could save it from having to be extracted.

How a Dentist Can Repair a Crack

There are a wide variety of options available that can treat or fix a chipped or cracked tooth. These options vary in price as well as the amount of dental work that’s needed to be performed.

Bonding

Dental bonding is most often used when the chip is purely cosmetic. It can last upwards of 10 years and general anesthesia is not required unless the bonding is being used for cavities.

The dentist will roughen up the tooth a bit and apply a conditioning liquid. Putty is then applied, molded, and smoothed. An ultraviolet light is then used to cure the composite. After the bonding has dried, it will be polished and shaped to match the look and color of the other teeth.

Veneers

Veneers will cover the front of the chipped tooth. They are bonded to the front of the tooth in order to completely chance the appearance. Veneers can last upwards of 30 years if taken care of properly.

Getting veneers is a multi-stage process. Your teeth will need to be prepped and impressions will be taken. You will be given a temporary set of veneers to wear while the laboratory creates your permanent ones. At a later dental appointment, the dentist will apply the veneers by bonding them to the front of the tooth or teeth.

Crowns

Crowns are another restorative treatment option. If your tooth is severely chipped, or you experience pain when drinking or eating, a crown is an ideal solution.

The crown is a cap that covers the broken tooth completely. It looks, feels, and works just like any other tooth in your mouth. The crown acts as a shield in that it protects you from losing the tooth. Crowns are intended to be permanent and are cemented directly onto the broken tooth.

Root Canal

Root canals are intended for cracks in teeth that extend into the dental pulp. Sometimes a crown is placed on the tooth after the root canal to prevent the crack from spreading further.

A root canal involves the dentist removed decayed tooth matter and removing the nerve of the tooth. Root canals often get a bad rap as something very painful – but if performed correctly, there is little to no pain. A root canal can ultimately save the tooth from having to be extracted.

Chipped or Cracked Teeth Repair in Chicago

If you have had a tooth crack or chip or you’re experiencing dental pain, schedule an appointment or give us a call at (312) 787-2131. At Water Tower Dental Care, we’re experts in fixing cracked or chipped teeth. We can help stop the pain and get your chipped teeth fixed so that they look perfectly normal again!