May I know how old your little girl is? You are absolutely right. In most cases, the adult teeth will cause the milk teeth to be mobile and subsequently lost, making space for the adult teeth. In this photo, it looks like the two side adult teeth are erupted but the two front milk teeth are still present. My advice will be to seek an opinion from an orthodontist to check for the reason why this has happened BEFORE extacting the milk teeth. Sometimes it may be because two lower adult teeth are missing and in this case, you might want to keep the baby teeth for as long as possible.

Thank you for your question! The black spots may be decay, or it may be surface stains caused by certain bacteria in the mouth. I would definitely recommend bringing him to a dentist to diagnose the black spots as the diagnosis would lead to different treatment for him. And yes all dentists are trained in school to see kids and are able to do so, however they may choose to refer to a kids specialist if they deem necessary. Hope this helps!

Hi Yen Wan, Braces treatment is used for the correction of teeth and jaw malalignment. Not all teeth and jaw malalignment requires treatment. Braces treatment is usually an elective procedure, whereby the choice of undergoing treatment is dependent on the child and parents. At the first consultation, I would usually ask the child why they want braces treatment, and if there is anything he/she doesn’t like about his/her teeth or face, and whether it is affecting his/her daily function and psychological well-being.

Your child can still continue to play sports, including soccer. Wearing braces shouldn’t stop him from playing soccer especially if that’s his passion! Patients can still continue to play sports even with braces treatment. The only risk is that when the ball accidentally hits the mouth, the impact from the ball against the braces may cause the brackets to detach from the teeth. You can purchase a set of sports guard from any sports shop.

At age 5, your child would just be beginning to transit to adult teeth and may have a mixture of small baby teeth and larger adult teeth. The adult teeth may also grow from the tongue side on the lower jaw and slowly drift forwards to its final destination. Having two rows of teeth, one being the baby teeth and the other adult teeth, can look quite messy. Rest assured that this process of transition is normal. However, whether the adult teeth will straighten out on its own will depend on some of these factors: 1.

The price ranges from $3,500 to $4,800 at National Dental Centre Singapore for routine braces treatment for patients in permanent dentition This does not include the extractions of teeth. The price range varies at different clinics in Singapore. It does sound like your son will benefit from braces treatment for his overcrowded teeth. However, your dentist will need to first assess if he is ready for braces treatment.

While there is no age limit for Invisalign (my youngest Invisalign patient is 8 years old), there are a few prerequisites before treatment can take place: Eruption of all permanent incisors and first molars No significant tooth damage or decay Discipline to wear aligners for at least 20 hours a day (including brush after every meal before wearing the aligners) Invisalign aligners are removable, therefore it is much easier for kids/teens to maintain good oral hygiene, play sports and look good at the same time.

It is never too early to start toothbrushing! I actually started brushing my child’s teeth when he only had gums! Starting even before teeth emerge can help babies to get used to the sensations of tooth cleaning early. She may also feel a little “itch” near where the tooth is emerging - a common occurrence during the teething phase. A gentle scrub with a toothbrush may feel rather soothing and enjoyable for her.

The silicone-type finger brush is a really popular choice among many parents. Do note that babies are really curious explorers so you may find that she keeps biting on the brush (and your finger too! if you are using the finger brush). Not to worry! There are many teething-type toothbrushes available on the market which are designed to withstand our little chompers. Check them out at your local baby store or ask your dentist to give you a recommendation at your baby’s first dental visit! Bonus tip: Don’t forget to clean her tongue!

You are quite right about the fact that most of the time orthodontists will only start full braces treatment when a child has all their adult teeth present. However, every child is different and there exists certain conditions where early management may help to prevent worsening of the bite condition or may prevent future problems from developing. We refer to such treatment as interceptive orthodontic treatment.

Any recognised orthodontist would have gone through rigorous training in the field of orthodontics and would be adequate to treat your child. You can look up the Association of Orthodontists website (www. aos. org. sg) to look for recognised orthodontists. There’re no paediatric orthodontist as all orthodontists are trained to treat child patients for any type of orthodontic problems. There are, however, paediatric dentists, who are dentists that have undergone further training in the specialty of pediatric dentistry.

As braces treatment is an elective procedure, Medisave cannot be used to pay for it.

Tooth decay is a contagious oral bacterial disease. These bacteria produce acids in the presence of sugar and these acids soften the teeth. When cavities appear in the mouth, it is a signal to paediatric dentists that the mouth is in imbalance. The amount of bacteria and the volume of acids being produced in the mouth is overwhelming — more than what the body and immune system can handle. Although the baby tooth with the decay may have fallen out, the bacteria remains along with their acid producing ability. This creates an oral environment conducive to more decay.

Thank you for your question. I would say that your child probably has a generalised delayed tooth eruption, but there is nothing to worry about for now yet. It’s a good sign that his lower front teeth have began to erupt! “Is it advisable to remove the milk teeth to enable the adult tooth to grow out properly? Or is it alright to wait for the milk teeth to fall out by itself. ” The lower adult teeth erupts naturally at a position behind that of the baby teeth. I assume based on your description that the adult teeth is just peeking through the gums (i. e.

Hi Xue An, Thank you for your question. From what it seems based on your description at least, I would think that there is no urgent need to extract the shaky tooth at this moment, as it is the baby tooth that is exfoliating naturally. It should not hinder the eruption of the adult tooth. We may not be able to tell if your child needs braces at this time, as there are many factors in place that determines that. For example, jaw growth of both the upper and lower jaws and their relativity to each other, the size of the teeth when t the arch size etc etc.