Ecotopic Eruption

Ectopic eruption is where a permanent tooth is in an eruptive path that is out of line with the norm. The most common example is that of wisdom teeth. Since there is not very much room for them to come in normally, it is extremely common for the wisdom teeth to be directed in all sorts of directions. The usual corrective procedure for that is removal of the wisdom teeth. A common occurrence of ectopic eruption is when the permanent lower incisors erupt too far on the tongue side. It kind of looks like shark teeth with them in two little rows. I have had many a frantic patient rush their child into my office to show me that problem. I have found that if the baby teeth are extremely mobile, they can be allowed to come out naturally. However, if not, I recommend extracting the offending baby tooth or teeth. By doing that at the proper time, the tongue will push the permanent teeth forward into their natural place without the need for expensive orthodontic treatment.