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Dental Health and Food: Learning to Eat Better

My intense love for candy, cakes, and everything in between started as a child. I simply couldn't go one day without something sweet to eat. But my love for all things sweet took a toll on my teeth. My dentist diagnosed me with seven cavities, each one a different size and depth. After sitting through four long dental appointments, I decided to make a change. I now monitor my diet and only eat things that benefit my oral health. I'm here to help you take better care of your teeth. My blog offers tips on how to improve your diet, maintain good oral hygiene, and many other topics. Hopefully, you can learn to overcome your bad habits just as I did. Good luck with your future dental health.

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Dental Health and Food: Learning to Eat Better

When Your Child's Wisdom Teeth Arrive Prematurely

by Eric Bailey

About the best thing (or the wisest thing) a wisdom tooth can do is to never appear. Not everyone is that lucky, however. Between the ages of 17 and 21, those pesky third molars can make themselves known. This is the typical age range, but they can appear later. While it's rare, they can even appear earlier. What happens if your child's wisdom teeth begin to erupt years ahead of schedule, such as earlier in their teens?

Dental Development

A huge part of pediatric dentistry is charting the development of your child's teeth and flagging any issues that might arise. Although it might be a surprise, the actual early eruption of wisdom teeth will not be entirely unexpected, as your child's dentist will have noted their growth well before they erupt from your child's gums. 

Wisdom Tooth Formation

Even when it erupts during the typical age range, a wisdom tooth will be visible for years before this, courtesy of a dental x-ray. The tooth germ that forms the wisdom tooth is a collection of tissues, including dental papilla and the enamel organ. These begin to calcify before the tooth's crown forms, after which the wisdom tooth grows in size, before it begins to erupt. The only way that the early appearance of a wisdom tooth will be a shock is if your child hasn't been receiving regular checkups.

Assessing the Wisdom Tooth

Although the early appearance of a wisdom tooth is irregular, it's not a major dental issue. Your child's dentist will assess the position of the emerging wisdom tooth in proximity to the surrounding teeth. They will also look at whether the wisdom tooth is emerging in its entirety or if it's impacted (partially submerged in the gums). A wisdom tooth is a permanent tooth, so even when it's well ahead of schedule, it won't appear until your child's baby teeth have been replaced with their adult teeth.

Overcrowding

Despite the fact that your child's early wisdom tooth will be taking its place alongside their other permanent teeth, it might not easily be accommodated. Although your child has their adult teeth, they don't have an adult jaw, as this bone is still growing. Wisdom teeth can cause overcrowding at the best of times, and this can be a particular concern when these teeth arrive early. Your child's dentist will often recommend extraction, and this can be more straightforward at a younger age, since tooth roots are softer at this age, making removal quite simple. It also means healing and recovery will happen more quickly.

Sure, it's a bit strange when a wisdom tooth shows up several years prematurely, but it's not entirely unheard of. Your child's dentist will make certain recommendations, but it's likely that  the tooth will need to be removed. Contact a dental facility like New England Dental Specialists of Norwood to learn more.

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