ugly duckling stage

ugly duckling stage,

n a stage of dental development preceding the eruption of the permanent canines, in which the lateral incisors may be tipped laterally because of crowding by the unerupted canine crowns. This tipping may cause spacing of the incisor crowns despite the crowding of the roots. The condition may be transitory in an otherwise normal dentition. It occurs during the mixed dentition stage of the dentition.