What’s wrong with premature loss of deciduous teeth?

What is "early loss" of deciduous teeth? As the name implies, it refers to the loss of deciduous teeth before the normal shedding time. Under normal circumstances, deciduous teeth become loose and fall out because the corresponding permanent teeth continue to erupt and the roots of the deciduous teeth continue to absorb and shorten, and finally because there are no roots long enough to take root in the bone. It can be seen that the normal shedding of deciduous teeth is due to the eruption of permanent teeth to take over! The reference time range for the normal shedding of deciduous teeth is shown in the figure below. If some abnormal factors cause the deciduous teeth to fall out prematurely before the permanent teeth take over, it is considered "early loss" of deciduous teeth, and the professional term is "early loss of deciduous teeth." Let's talk about the causes, adverse effects, treatments and preventive measures of early loss of deciduous teeth.

Common causes of premature loss of deciduous teeth

Tooth decay - small holes are no problem, but big holes are troublesome

This is the most common reason for premature loss of deciduous teeth! Because deciduous tooth caries progress quickly and the pain symptoms are not obvious, children and parents ignore and fail to treat them in time. Tooth caries rot from small holes to large holes, causing the entire crown to change from a small defect to a large defect, until it disappears completely, leaving only the tooth root buried in the tooth socket. Some tooth caries even develop into inflammation of the dental pulp nerve and inflammation around the deciduous tooth root, which in turn affects the development of permanent teeth. In the end, these harmful deciduous teeth have to be extracted and "forced" to retire early.

Six-year molars are causing trouble

When the eruption position or angle of the sixth molar, which is the first permanent tooth, is abnormal, it will compress the root of the second deciduous molar, causing it to be absorbed and leading to premature loss of the deciduous tooth.

External damage

Children are lively and active by nature, and often accidentally hit their deciduous teeth. Because the roots of deciduous teeth are short, they are easily knocked out or displaced by external forces. If the development of permanent teeth is affected, the displaced deciduous teeth need to be extracted.

What are the consequences of premature loss of deciduous teeth?

Each deciduous tooth has its own meaning of existence. Early loss of deciduous front teeth will affect the appearance and pronunciation, while early loss of deciduous molars will affect the chewing function.

After the premature loss of deciduous teeth, some adverse effects will gradually appear as time goes by. On the one hand, the lack of local functional stimulation after the premature loss of deciduous teeth affects the growth and development of the jaw. On the other hand, the premature loss of deciduous teeth and the displacement of adjacent teeth will trigger a domino effect - when the deciduous molars are lost early, the subsequent permanent teeth will erupt too early, and the two adjacent teeth in front and behind will tilt and shift, gradually occupying the gap of the missing teeth, causing the permanent teeth waiting to erupt to fail to grow out or grow to other positions, that is, impacted or ectopic teeth. After the premature retraction of the mandibular deciduous canines, the lower front teeth tilt inward or move towards the missing space, resulting in a deep overbite and a deviation of the midline of the lower dentition, affecting the eruption of the permanent canines.

In general, premature loss of deciduous teeth may affect the appearance, function, development, and even the psychology of children. It is reported that the incidence of permanent tooth disorder caused by premature loss of deciduous teeth is 3 to 4 times higher than that of those without premature loss. In the first 6 months after premature loss of deciduous teeth, the displacement of adjacent teeth and the reduction of gaps are obvious. The earlier the treatment, the less adverse effects and the simpler the treatment methods.

How to treat premature loss of deciduous teeth?

There are several common treatment methods for the gaps left by premature loss of deciduous teeth:

1. No treatment is needed for the time being. If the baby teeth fall out, but the doctor finds through X-ray examination that the permanent teeth are about to erupt, or there is no permanent tooth to take over here, the displacement of the adjacent teeth is beneficial to closing the gap of the missing teeth. In this case, you can temporarily not treat it and observe the progress of the child's tooth replacement.

2. Use a space maintainer to maintain the space between missing teeth, prevent adjacent teeth from shifting, and allow the permanent teeth to erupt smoothly.

3. For cases where multiple deciduous molars are missing and chewing is seriously affected, it is recommended to make a functional retainer, that is, attach a denture to the retainer, which can not only maintain the gap at the missing teeth, but also restore the chewing function. For premature loss of deciduous front teeth, if the child or parents have aesthetic needs, you can also consider making a denture retainer for the front teeth. For cases where the teeth have been missing for a long time and the gap has been reduced, special orthodontic appliances can be used to restore the gap until the permanent teeth take over.

It can be seen that different deciduous teeth fall out at different times and have different treatment methods. Whether treatment is needed and how to treat it should be left to your dentist to help you develop a response plan to ensure the normal replacement of deciduous and permanent teeth.

The earlier you lose your baby teeth, the better. But the best way is to prevent them before they happen. Remember this jingle and visit your dentist regularly.

It is better to treat cavities in deciduous teeth early so that large and small cavities can be filled quickly.

Pit and fissure sealing can prevent problems early and reduce the worry of permanent tooth replacement.

If the deciduous teeth fall out prematurely, please maintain the gap.

Brushing your teeth should be done diligently to keep them white.