{"id":177,"date":"2024-09-03T15:30:26","date_gmt":"2024-09-03T15:30:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.simplypedoorthofitchburg.com\/blog\/?p=177"},"modified":"2026-07-14T15:32:28","modified_gmt":"2026-07-14T15:32:28","slug":"shark-teeth-in-kids-what-every-parent-needs-to-know","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.simplypedoorthofitchburg.com\/blog\/2024\/09\/03\/shark-teeth-in-kids-what-every-parent-needs-to-know\/","title":{"rendered":"“Shark Teeth\u201d in Kids: What Every Parent Needs to Know"},"content":{"rendered":"
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If you’ve glanced into your child’s mouth recently and noticed a brand-new row of teeth poking up behind their existing ones, it’s natural to feel a little alarmed! This condition, often nicknamed “shark teeth,” is actually quite common in young kids who are in the process of losing their teeth. That said, while it might look unusual, in most cases, it’s nothing to worry about. Here’s more about why this happens and what you should do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

What Exactly Are Shark Teeth?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

“Shark teeth” is a condition that occurs when a child’s permanent teeth begin coming in behind their baby teeth before they have fallen out, creating the appearance of a double row of teeth (similar to how sharks continuously grow new rows of teeth). This typically happens because the roots of the baby tooth haven’t fully dissolved, so it doesn’t loosen and fall out on its own to make room for the permanent tooth coming in behind it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As your child’s permanent teeth develop, they naturally push against the roots of the baby teeth above them, causing those roots to dissolve and the baby teeth to loosen and fall out. Sometimes, though, a permanent tooth comes in at a slightly different angle. When this happens, the baby tooth stays firmly in place while the new tooth emerges behind it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Are Shark Teeth Something to Worry About?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In most cases, shark teeth are simply a normal part of childhood dental development and tend to resolve on their own. As your child continues to use their teeth, the loose baby ones will often come out naturally, allowing the permanent ones to gradually shift into their proper position.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, if a loose baby tooth doesn’t fall out within a few weeks, or if your child is experiencing pain, swelling, or difficulty eating, it’s time to schedule a visit with their dentist. They can determine whether the tooth needs a little extra help finding its way out and can also check to make sure there’s enough space for the permanent tooth to settle in correctly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The bottom line is, shark teeth might look alarming at first, but in most cases, it’s just a normal (and slightly odd-looking) part of growing up!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

About the Practice<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Under the leadership of Dr. Myles Clancy, Dr. Codi Saunders, and Dr. Sam Alkhoury<\/a>, our team here at Simply Pediatric Dentistry & Orthodontics has proudly served the needs of patients and families in Fitchburg for several years. We offer a wide range of pediatric dental services<\/a> for children of all ages, from infants to teens! If you have any questions about shark teeth or need to schedule an appointment for your child, feel free to reach out online<\/a> or call today for more information or assistance. Telephone: (978) 424-4255.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

If you’ve glanced into your child’s mouth recently and noticed a brand-new row of teeth poking up behind their existing ones, it’s natural to feel a little alarmed! This condition, often nicknamed “shark teeth,” is actually quite common in young kids who are in the process of losing their teeth. That said, while it might […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-177","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.simplypedoorthofitchburg.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/177","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.simplypedoorthofitchburg.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.simplypedoorthofitchburg.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.simplypedoorthofitchburg.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.simplypedoorthofitchburg.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=177"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.simplypedoorthofitchburg.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/177\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":179,"href":"https:\/\/www.simplypedoorthofitchburg.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/177\/revisions\/179"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.simplypedoorthofitchburg.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=177"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.simplypedoorthofitchburg.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=177"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.simplypedoorthofitchburg.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=177"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}