teeth not straight

[Karen Coates]

Baby teeth, when they erupt are often slightly crooked, they do tend to straighten over time, due to the pressure of the lips and the movement of the tongue. However, crooked baby teeth do not automatically mean that the adult teeth will come through in a poor position too.
By the time his adult teeth begin to erupt, around the age of 6 years old, his jaw will have grown to allow these larger teeth to fit in. When he is around 12-13 years old all of his adult teeth (apart from the wisdom teeth) will be through, it is at this time if his mouth is crowded and his teeth are crooked, he can be referred to an orthodontist for tooth alignment with braces.
We normally recommend that you take your child on your regular visits to the dentist to get them used to the sights and smells, they are then usually happy to sit on your knee and allow the dentist to 'count' their teeth. We would recommend that a child should be seen by the dentist at around the age of 2-2.5 years old.
Although no treatment will be offered to straighten baby teeth, the dentist will be able to assess the health of his teeth and offer you advice on how best to look after them by regular cleaning and a good diet.