~ New tooth behind baby tooth ~

Yesterday evening, Denver told me that he went to see his school dentist because he felt something at his lower jaw. It was then we realised that he has a new tooth growing behind his baby tooth.

I panic for awhile because the new tooth is right behind his baby tooth and doesn't seems to be straight. Hence, I asked Denver to have the dentist call me to understand his condition better.

I must say the dentist is very friendly and helpful. During my time, all of us were afraid to go for dental appointments simply because the dentist is super fierce and we always get scolded. But it is a whole lot different now... the lady dentist who contacted me was so sweet and even re-assure me with the information that I needed to know.

I also did some research on the Internet and apparently, this is a very common situation among children 5 to 6 years old and at the lower front teeth (70% of the children will experience this).

In common scenario, the permanent teeth will slowly dissolves the baby tooth root as it comes up and when there is not much root left, the baby tooth will get loose, falls out and comes in where the baby tooth used to be.

However, in Denver's case, I was told that he has a very nice set of baby teeth. (From birth till now, he has not drop any of his baby tooth yet.) But this is not a good sign as Denver's teeth and jaw is small, this means the permanent tooth has no room for growth and hence comes in behind the baby tooth.

The good thing is that the permanent tooth will eventually move forward into the correct position provided there is nothing in the way. Hence, the dentist has suggested to extract Denver's baby tooth (scheduled on 23rd June) to ensure that there is enough room for the tooth to set in place eventually. This will take many months or even years and the dentist has advised us to be patient and it will get better as Denver grow up with a bigger jaw.

On the other hand, it also means Denver will get a jab on his gum before his extraction. We did not tell him about the jab to avoid unnecessary worries and fear since his appointment will be a month later. It's best to leave it to the professional and we hope everything will be done smoothly and swiftly to spare Denver with too much pain and discomfort.