The eruption of teeth, between deciduous and permanent teeth, is a process that consists of several stages and covers a period of life between 4 months and 18/20 years of age.
Eruption of deciduous teeth: timing and anomalies
The deciduous dentition covers the time span between 4 months and two years of the child’s life. This phase of teething shows some recurrent symptoms:
- redness of the gums;
- abundant salivation;
- loss of appetite;
- alteration of body temperature.
Each of these symptoms can be the warning of an imminent eruption of the teeth, however it is not possible to establish the exact moment of the appearance of the first teeth.
Advances or delays could depend on the specificity of the individual subjects, so a delay in the eruption of the first teeth, in certain time limits, cannot be considered a worrying clinical condition.
In cases of excessive delays, the pediatrician will recommend a specialist visit to the dentist.
One of the most complex but very rare pathologies for which the eruption of deciduous teeth does not occur is thedental agenesis, ie the congenital absence of the tooth. To ascertain the problem you will need to perform a diagnostic imaging exam.
Delay in eruption of permanent teeth
After the time limit for which the delay in the eruption of a permanent tooth is no longer considered physiological, the dentist will evaluate the possible clinical causes.
Deciduous supernumerary teeth
One of the most frequent causes is the lack of eruption due to lack of space, in dental jargon it is called dento-alveolar discrepancy, ie a mismatch between the number of teeth and the alveolar bone useful for containing them. If the tooth does not find the necessary space it will not erupt. In the presence of a surplus of teeth, the solution is the extraction of the excess teeth that hinder the permanent dentition.
Ankylosis of the deciduous tooth
Another cause could be due to the blockage of the deciduous tooth in the bone, a circumstance that prevents the tooth from falling, in dental jargon it is called ankylosis of the deciduous tooth. In this case, if the “locked” tooth is not removed, the permanent tooth will not find the space to erupt or a road will open, popping up in an incorrect position.
Tooth included
When a tooth fails to erupt, and this can occur due to various causes, this tooth is in the condition of being included, ie it remains blocked under the gum.
This phenomenon occurs for the most varied causes, among which we mention the narrow palate and dental malformations.
The included tooth does not erupt late, very often it remains included for life.
A delay in the eruption of the teeth must therefore be treated with the utmost care, because it could be a clinical condition capable of compromising the whole teething process, it is not just a question of aesthetics.
