In the article we will consider milk teeth in adults. For what reasons do they not fall out and what to do with them? Milk teeth are a sign of childhood. However, there are cases when one or more of these teeth are also found in an adult. Absolutely everyone has experienced a situation where teeth begin to fall out, this is completely normal.
However, sometimes they are not replaced and remain with a person even in adulthood. Such a phenomenon turns out to be unexpected for many, but, as practice shows, it cannot be called rare. We will discuss milk teeth in adults in more detail below.
What are the main differences?
Temporary and permanent teeth have approximately the same structure - they have a crown, root, neck. Inside the crown is a cavity that is filled with pulp (soft tissue). Canals run along the length of the entire root - they contain nerve fibers and blood vessels.
That is, permanent and temporary teeth havealmost the same shape, but there are certain differences between them:
- Lifetime.
- Number in the dentition.
- Chemical composition.
- Root length.
- Sizes.
Temporary teeth of the jaw row with their size are designed for an organism that is at a constant growth rate. After all, it is known that the jaw of a child or teenager is smaller than that of an adult.
Size
To make life comfortable, and milk teeth do not put pressure on each other, do not provoke pain, do not cause inconvenience in the process of chewing food, do not damage adjacent tissues, nature has chosen a much smaller size for them.
In addition, the length of the roots of milk teeth is shortened, and the chemical composition is different. This is due to the replacement mechanism. It should be traumatic and relatively painless.
A child has only 20 milk teeth. They are divided into large molars, fangs, incisors. After a permanent bite has formed, a person erupts 32 teeth. Some of them have 28, since wisdom teeth (four figure eights) do not grow in everyone.
Reduced service life
Temporary teeth have a reduced service life, as they differ from permanent teeth in chemical composition, are more susceptible to various diseases and pathologies, and are less resistant to carious lesions. It is these properties that determine the widespread recommendation to limitthe use of large amounts of sweets by children in order to avoid caries and other diseases. Following this advice will extend the life of your milk teeth.
Thin enamel layer
The enamel layer of temporary teeth is much thinner than that of permanent teeth, they have a fairly pronounced bluish tint. In addition, small enamel ridges are present on the neck of a milk tooth. Their roots are spaced wider, their cavities are thinner. But why, all things considered, do adult deciduous teeth persist?
Normal change of teeth, probable anomalies
Normally, temporary (milk) teeth are subject to displacement when the rudiments of permanent ones are formed. As the child grows, along with his body, the rudiments of teeth also change. At the same time, their crowns begin to come into contact with the roots of dairy. This is what marks the process of changing teeth.
Due to the displacement, the root begins to dissolve and dissolve. This continues until the temporary tooth manages to stay in the gum. After that, mechanical action causes its loosening and subsequent loss. This frees up space for the growth and eruption of the permanent tooth.
As a rule, the process of changing teeth begins at the age of 5-8 years. Under standard conditions, it lasts up to 12-14 years.
Can adults have baby teeth? If the child does not have the beginnings of permanent ones, and the temporary ones begin to fall out prematurely, then this situation is considered abnormal. If by this time they have not formedrudiments, then milk teeth do not fall out. They are called persistent.
In some cases, the roots of temporary teeth begin to dissolve earlier than expected. This can be influenced by the crown of the adjacent permanent tooth. In this case, the replacement begins much later or, if the rudiment of a permanent tooth is absent, does not occur at all. Then the temporary tooth remains in place for a long time. This is how adult teeth stay on.
Reason for deviations
Specialists in the field of dentistry identify a number of factors due to which there is no change in the bone organs of the jaw row. Among them:
- The impact of adverse factors on the mother's body during her pregnancy. In this case, the unborn child may not begin the process of forming the rudiments of permanent teeth, or this process begins much later than usual.
- Periodontitis (chronic, acute inflammatory processes in the oral cavity).
- Glandular pathology. Violation of metabolic processes in the body, in particular, calcium deficiency.
- Mechanical jaw injuries in childhood.
- Osteomyelitis of the jaw.
- Hereditary predisposition.
Why don't adult baby teeth fall out? In addition to the above reasons, it sometimes happens that the rudiments of permanent teeth are formed, but they can lie deep enough without touching the roots of the milk teeth. This situation occurs due to incorrect position or lack of space.
Possibleproblems
If the rudiments of permanent teeth are present, the following problems may occur:
- Wrong growth direction, abnormal position.
- Excessively deep seated germ of a permanent tooth. In this case, there is no contact between the crown of the permanent tooth and the root of the temporary. Therefore, the replacement process does not start.
Due to the impact of the factors described, people may have one or more temporary teeth. What to do if an adult's milk teeth have not fallen out?
Need for extraction
How big a need for extraction of a milk tooth in adulthood should be determined by a competent dentist who carefully examined the x-ray.
If it is well preserved, and at the same time there is a normally formed rudiment of a permanent tooth, then it is not recommended to remove it. In such cases, the replacement starts later, and therefore the prosthetic service may not be needed in the future.
When a permanent tooth is not properly positioned in the jaw so that it cannot erupt after the extraction of a primary molar tooth in an adult (who is in good condition and has an intact root), dentists also advise delaying the extraction.
Deletion is necessary in the following situations:
- Temporary tooth is damaged, can cause inflammation, injury to the oral cavity, jaw.
- The rudiment of a permanent tooth is developed enough to erupt, but this process is hinderedmilk.
- There is not enough space on the jaw for the adjacent teeth to be correctly positioned (if the bud is missing or deep enough).
- The milk tooth is small and aesthetically unpleasant.
- The temporal tooth is very loose (while it has a 3-4 degree of mobility).
Dimensions and aesthetics in themselves are not an indication for the extraction of a milk tooth, however, dentists take them into account if further prosthetics are expected. This is due to the fact that a simple extraction can cause movement of the entire dentition and subsequent orthodontic problems. If your doctor advised you to remove milk teeth from an adult, what should you do?
If a person is removed a permanent tooth, then he is always recommended a prosthetic procedure, and it is advised not to postpone it. With dairy, the situation is somewhat different. If there is a sufficiently well-developed germ under the temporary tooth, then the elimination of the interference will allow it to erupt on its own without any intervention.
In some cases, patients are advised to wear braces that have a specific design and are designed to stimulate the process of eruption of a permanent tooth. This approach is used, as a rule, if the rudiment has a deep occurrence. When it is completely absent, then the only way out is prosthetics or implantation.
Indications for temporary tooth restoration
Are adult teeth treated? With the advent of lumineers and veneers, aesthetic problems (small size, ugly shape) in adult patients began to be solved with the help of restoration.
If we are talking about chewing molars and premolars, then we can recommend installing a crown. But it is important to understand that the patient himself must make every effort to save such a “special” tooth. He, like everyone else, needs careful hygiene, as well as protection. To protect the enamel from bacteria, you can undergo fluoridation or remineralization.
If a milk tooth has a whole root, and there is no rudiment of a permanent one under it, while it is he althy and strong, then doctors recommend abandoning the removal and resorting to restoration. In this case, the difference between milk teeth in adults and permanent teeth will not be noticeable to others. They can serve long enough.
