What if the baby tooth fails to fall out?
In some cases, a baby tooth may remain in place even though the adult tooth is erupting beside it. In this case, the baby tooth MUST come out one way or another or it will interfere with the positioning of the adult tooth. The image on the right shows an adult premolar that has been forced to erupt out of the normal position it should occupy in the arch because of the presence of an over-retained baby tooth. If the child cannot or will not remove it herself by wiggling it, then bring her in to see us for an extraction. Thumb sucking Thumb sucking is perfectly normal for infants. Most children stop sucking their thumb by the age of two. If he or she does not, parents should try to discourage the habit by the age of four. Thumb sucking actually places forces on the bone that supports the teeth and causes it to grow outward and upward causing an anterior “open bite” and sometimes a narrow upper arch form. These deformities are easily diagnosed by any dentist or hygienist. As a rule, the b
