Is it normal for my kids to have gaps between their baby teeth?

Most parents get anxious when they start noticing gaps between their kid’s baby teeth. Rest assured, having gaps between baby teeth is normal and part of the development of your kid. Most of the gaps between baby teeth in the upper jaw close by itself by age 11.

There are a few factors responsible for those gaps. When baby teeth start coming in around 6 to 9 months, there is a band (called frenum) between those front teeth.  Frenum gets shorter and smaller as kids grow and the gaps finally disappear. The baby teeth are also much smaller than adult teeth that will replace them in the future. Having gaps ensures there is enough room to accommodate eruption of adult teeth. You will notice the difference in the sizes of baby teeth and adult teeth when adult teeth starting coming in. The adult teeth start replacing the baby teeth in the front around age 6-7.

Are there any warning signs I should be looking for when it comes to gaps between baby teeth?

The gaps between baby teeth are usually 2 mm or smaller. If there are gaps bigger than 2 mm between baby teeth, it could usually be a sign of another problem that needs to be checked by your orthodontist. American Association of Orthodontics recommends first orthodontic treatment be done as early as age 7. At iSmile Orthodontics in Redmond, Dr. Sepi offers a free orthodontic exam. At that appointment, Dr. Sepi will do an extensive exam of your kid’s teeth and will take some X-rays to determine if any early intervention is required.  Sometimes no intervention is required and Dr. Sepi will keep seeing you on a regular basis to make sure all the teeth are erupting the way they should.

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