Mamelons are the tiny scalloped bumps along the edge of a brand-new front tooth.

In kid words

"Look really close at your new grown-up tooth. See those tiny little bumps along the edge? Those are called mamelons, and almost every kid gets them when a new front tooth first comes in." They aren't sharp and they don't hurt a bit. Most of the time they smooth out on their own after some regular chewing and biting, just from everyday use.

The parent version

Mamelons are the three small, rounded bumps sometimes visible along the biting edge of a newly erupted permanent front tooth, left over from the separate sections of tooth that fused together while it was forming. They show up most often on the lower incisors, though the upper ones can have them too, and mainstream dental sources describe them as a completely normal part of a new tooth's appearance rather than anything unusual.

For most children, mamelons wear down naturally through ordinary biting and chewing within the first year or so after the tooth comes in, leaving a smooth, straight edge behind. If they seem to be sticking around much longer than that, or something about a new tooth's edge looks different to you, ask your pediatric dentist at your child's next visit.

Where you might hear it at our office

Mamelons tend to come up as a happy little side note during a routine cleaning and exam, right around the time a new permanent front tooth is finishing its growth check. Our team is used to pointing them out to curious kids and parents alike, since a bumpy new edge is one of the more fun discoveries of a routine visit rather than anything to be concerned about.

If you ever want a second opinion on whether an edge looks the way it should, that's an easy thing to ask about at a checkup. More fun facts and plain explanations are waiting in the rest of the Kids' Dental Dictionary.

Related words

Incisor. Eruption. Enamel.