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Child's face skewed to one side because of milk teeth

3 replies

Scoopermum88 · 10/05/2011 11:21

My 6 year-old daughter visited the dentist a few days ago and the dentist commented that her milk teeth were not yet falling out (my daughter did not have her milk teeth until she turned 1 year old). She suggested us visiting an orthodontist, which we said we would schedule. My daughter's dentist check-up passed without much incident. But the day after the visit to the dentist, we noticed that our daughter started talking and smiling out of the right side of her mouth. She said it was because her lower jaw hurt. It looked like a person's face or someone who had a stroke and their facial muscles got affected. We thought it was something that had happened to her at the dentist but all the dentist did was clean her teeth. Her speech is still very good, but it is so disconcerting to see her face all skewed to the right side, like Popeye... When we visited the orthodontist today, she said there was nothing to worry about, that the permanent teeth were going to come out within a year, and that her lopsided face was because she was trying to alleviate the discomfort in her jaw. The ortho did not recommend any painkillers. But she could not tell us how long this lopsided face of hers would last. It has been 4 days that my daughter's face has been this way. Short of losing my temper with her at making this face, which my daughter tearfully says is not intentional as her jaw does hurt a bit---I am so worried that she will carry on talking and smiling this way and it will become a habit, and that once her permanent teeth do come out, she will still carry on having this lopsided face. It is really worrying me. Have any mums out there experienced this with their children? Please tell me how long this is going to last? Thanks so much in advance to anyone out there who can share with me their experience, or provide some advice.

OP posts:
Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
scurryfunge · 10/05/2011 11:25

I would get her checked out at the doctors.

sneezecakesmum · 10/05/2011 20:41

provided she can make a normal face for you and there isn't any suggestion of facial paralysis, I think it is just a case of easing her pain with painkillers in the short term and hope the discomfort eases. There is no possibility that this will become a permanent feature, but if she is still in pain after a week or so she will need to go back to the dentist, it is not acceptable for a child to be in pain for any length of time

JemimaMop · 10/05/2011 20:47

I have no experience of the lopsided face, but just wanted to say that it really isn't that unusual for milk teeth not to have started falling out at 6. DS1 was 7.5 before he lost his first milk tooth, he is now nearly 9 and has still only lost two. DS1 is 7 next week and has only lost one.

If she is in pain then you should see a doctor or go back to the dentist.

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