We are often contacted by parents who are concerned about the appearance of their children’s adult teeth as they erupt. Many parents see a series of bumps, on the edges of their children’s teeth and the teeth and are concerned.
I am often asked are these ridges on the edge of the adult teeth ok? Has the tooth chipped, didit form ok before it erupted? My hastily constructed sketch highlights the type of thing that you might see, for a picture of the exact type of thing that we mean take a look here. The good news is that these ridges
are completely normal. .They are so common we have a name for them. They are called Mamelon ridges and are commonly seen on adult teeth as they erupt. In most cases you will first notice them on the lower 2 front teeth. This is partly because these are the first ones to erupt for most children and partly because not every tooth will form mamelon ridges.
What will happen to them over time?
In most cases the ridges will wear off through daily use leaving a surface that is more or less even and straight. This is what we as adults are used to seeing. There ridges will wear away over time on most teeth. That is why you rarely see these ridges on adult teeth, so it is little wonder that we worry about them when we notice them in our kids teeth. Hopefully this short post can set your mind at rest, as ever if you are concerned speak to a dentist direct. One less thing to worry about!!