Teeth

[Vics128]

Hi everyone. My little boy has got 4 teeth. The top two are only about three weeks old, and the bottom two are longer. At the moment when he closes his mouth his bottom teeth close in front of the top ones. Is this just because they are not fully grown yet?

Also he has a fasination with getting anything he can get his hands on, holding it in his teeth and pulling. Im really worried he is doing damage. I obviously try and stop him, but he does it with everything soft he gets hold of. Can this make his baby teeth wonky because im sure they look a bit crocked already!

Sorry for going on. TY for your help x

[Brinjal]

They will even out as the other teeth come in dont panic. They are only baby teeth after all. Just becare ful about sweet drinks and things. Always offer these in a cup if baby really has to have them. Drinking these from a bottle causes damage. Becareful of any antibiotics as some of these can cause discolouration of the permanent teeth even tho they arent through for a long time. Start cleaning them with a soft brush. Make a game of it so he gets used to it.

[blueeyedlass]

yeh dont worry about him making them crooky , they will even out as all his other teeth come in and i wouldnt worry about him pulling on things either its all new to him too , its a different feeling in his mouth he is just trying to get used to them lol just watch when he tries to stick your finger in his mouth , those little teeth are razor sharp lol

[kick3m0n]

agreed, nothing at all to worry about, they will even out just fine as all the others eventually grow in. As for him pulling/biting things - again, this is totally normal. Quite apart from the exploration angle mentioned above, his gums will be sore as his teeth come thru, and the biting and pulling will probably relieve this discomfort for him, so I'm not sure I'd try to stop him. Maybe you could just make sure he always has something safe and clean to bite/pull at?

[Le Chat]

He may have an 'underbite' like I did! Nothing braces can't sort out when he's about 10 yrs old! Some celebs have mild underbites like George Michael or Sheree Murphy and have never had them treated.

As for the toy business ...as others have said...don't worry, he'll grow out of it.

[thussain]

If you have a concern take him to a dentist - preferably one with experience in orthodontics.

I'm not an expert but just a mum of a daughter who previously had a class-3 bite, currently aged 10. That means an underbite in laymans terms. She has just finished long term treatment - about 4 years - to correct it. It was a removable, adjustable brace to increase the size of her top jaw. It took longer than expected, probably as she lost 2 braces, 2 got broken, and she frequently forgot to wear it. Yes - it can be expensive!

It may sound a cruel to inflict this on a child but if you wait until his/her teens, the jaw is already formed and all you are doing is moving teeth around.