Dentists Remove Supernumerary Teeth in Children

Though it only happens in roughly one percent of all children, supernumerary teeth, or an extra set, do sometimes occur in children.  Usually before the age of five, when many children make their first visits to the dentist’s office, the dentist will take an X-ray of the child’s oral cavity and jaw area.

In this X-ray, he or she may see something unusual, which may be an extra set of teeth between the baby and adult sets.  This most commonly occurs with the front teeth, but it can be found throughout the entire mouth.

Though it may seem helpful to have an extra set of teeth, it can actually cause major damage to the patient’s mouth.  The extra set usually does not come in completely, and they are not fully-formed teeth.  The baby teeth are typically extracted.  Then, parents have to wait for the extra set to appear.  These too are pulled to make room for the permanent teeth.

If your child is approaching four or five years old, you should get him or her to the dentist.  If not caught in time, the child may require extensive and painful surgery to remove the supernumerary teeth.