There can be several reasons to premature tooth loss, however the primary reasons for premature loss of a child’s baby tooth is typically due to tooth decay, injury or lack of jaw space. When tooth loss happen before the permanent teeth emerge, nearby teeth can tip or shift into the space now unoccupied.

Therefore when the permanent tooth does try to emerge into it place there may not be enough room. The new tooth may emerge tilted, crooked, or misaligned, which can cause a new range of problems from interfering with proper chewing to causing TMJ issues. If your child loses a tooth prematurely see a dentist right away. Your dentist may advise a space maintainer which will hold open the space left by the missing tooth.