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Is It Weird for Shiloh to Lose a Tooth at Age 3?

Fri., Sep. 25, 2009 4:00 PM PDT by Leslie Gornstein

Flynetonline.com

Why is little Shiloh losing her teeth when she's only 3? I can see why Pax is, but not Shiloh.
—MamaMe, via the Answer B!tch inbox

Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt have not—shocker!—issued a press release answering questions raised by photos of their daughter Shiloh Nouvel's gappy smile this week. But according to pediatricians, the front tooth loss experienced by 5-year-old Pax is within the scope of normal, but 3-year-olds? Not so much, I'm told.

It is explainable, just not common. So what's going on inside the Jolie-Pitt household? Read on, and decide for yourself...

Atlanta pediatrician Jennifer Shu tells me she does occasionally see tooth loss in children Shiloh's age, but it usually isn't from natural causes.

"Usually it's trauma," she says, such as an innocent, accidental fall. "They fall and bonk their tooth on a table, or the child is on a tricycle and they have a crash."

However, there is also such a thing as kids getting too much milk and too much sugar.

"As a pediatrician, I have never seen a kid lose a tooth as young as age 3 except for trauma or severe tooth decay—very, very severe," Shu says.

For example, if the child is given a sippy cup or bottle full of milk or juice too often, that can cause her front teeth to pop out early. ("Suri [Cruise] was on a bottle for the longest time," Shu observes. "Britney Spears' kids, too.")

Or maybe Shiloh eats a bowl of Skittles for breakfast and then doesn't brush her teeth? Who knows.

But given who her parents are, I'm guessing the tooth fairy breaks out some serious cash when she visits Shiloh's pillow.

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Shiloh's not the only cute kid in Hollywood, just look at this Cutest Celebrity Kids gallery