A child's first set of teeth don't last very long — or at least they shouldn't! Between the ages of five and seven, most children have already started to lose primary teeth. The first teeth to go are the upper central incisors, which leads to the much-loved toothless grin. Then, tooth-by-tooth, the rest of the front teeth should fall out and be replaced by adult teeth by age eight or nine.

However, if a child's primary teeth fall out late, this can lead to the need for early orthodontist treatments. That's why it's important that you monitor your child's progress in regard to early and natural tooth loss.

Losing teeth late can cause issues that will later require braces.

Late Tooth Loss Leads to Crowding

By the time your child reaches the age where their primary teeth should begin to fall out, their permanent teeth will be developed and ready to come through. If your child's baby teeth don't fall out when they should, there will be little room for the permanent teeth to erupt. What might happen is that the permanent teeth will come through anyway. This will cause crowding.

Your child's mouth will begin to fill with both baby teeth and permanent teeth. Moreover, since the primary teeth are in the locations where the permanent teeth should be, the permanent teeth might erupt behind the primary teeth. In severe cases, your dentist may need to extract the baby teeth and uses braces to move the permanent teeth into their proper positions.

This case may call for early orthodontic intervention, as young as the age of eight.

Late Tooth Loss Causes Crookedness

The permanent teeth might also come through crooked if the baby teeth in front of them don't fall out when they should. Baby teeth serve as placeholders for the adult teeth, guiding them into their proper position. However, if the baby teeth don't fall out at the normal time, the adult teeth may still come in anyway. Unfortunately, they will likely come through crooked.

Even if the baby teeth fall out later, the adult teeth might not move into their correct alignment in the mouth. This can cause issues for the other erupting teeth and cause severe crookedness. Fortunately, with early orthodontic intervention, an orthodontist can move crooked adult teeth into better alignment in the mouth. This will help your child's jaw development and their confidence.

Be diligent when it comes to your child's teeth. If you think your child's baby teeth are late in falling out, get in touch with your dentist as soon as possible. Early intervention will prevent the need for extensive orthodontic treatment in your child's teens.