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Tooth Eruption

Tooth Eruption is the process by which children's teeth emerge and become visible in the mouth. The Smile Town Langley team will guide you and your child through the stages of primary and permanent teeth eruption.


There are many reasons that the growth and development of children's teeth should be monitored by a dental professional. Children's mouths go through substantial changes from the time they start teething, to when the adult teeth are in place.

During this process, a dentist can monitor your child's development, and identify and treat potential problems before they develop. Regular visits to the dentist throughout childhood help ensure that children's teeth grow in healthy and strong, with a minimum of problems.

Baby Teeth

Some people believe that baby teeth aren't that important, since they eventually fall out. However, baby teeth play an integral role in children's healthy oral development, and they should be treated with the same care as adult teeth.

Healthy baby teeth allow children to chew and digest food properly, which means that all the important nutrients they will need to grow into healthy teens and adults can be absorbed.

Baby teeth play the role of a guide for emerging adult teeth, so that they grow into the correct positions. If baby teeth fall out too early because of damage and decay, it may result in the adult teeth not growing in properly. A dentist can help your child avoid dental decay, and in cases where the baby teeth do fall out to early, can also provide space maintainers to preserve the space.

It's a good idea to bring your child in for an orthodontic consultation by the age of 7. An orthodontist can determine whether orthodontic intervention is necessary, and in some cases, can begin treatment early, by prescribing things like headgear or palatial expanders.

These kinds of treatment will prepare your child's mouth for future orthodontic treatment, and may even minimize the extent of the treatment needed when your child is older. > Learn More

Adult Teeth

Adult teeth are the ones you live with for most of your life. It's vitally important that a dentist regularly monitors the growth of adult teeth as they emerge, so that potential problems can be identified and prevented.

Some problems that might occur during as adult teeth erupt include

Loss of Space: Blocked Molars

Sometimes, primary teeth that are not yet ready to fall out may block the eruption of permanent teeth. This can make teeth harder to clean, thereby increasing the risk of cavities. While this problem often self-corrects, sometimes orthodontic intervention is necessary to facilitate the eruption of the blocked teeth.

Impacted Teeth

Impacted teeth are ones that grow in in the the wrong direction. This is usually caused by lack of space in narrow jaws. With early supervision by a dentist, impacted teeth can be identified and avoided before they become a problem.

Ectopic Dental Eruption

Permanent teeth may also grow in the wrong position in the mouth. This issue, if not detected and intercepted, can cause damage to adjacent teeth and to the supporting gum and bone tissue.


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