Missing Adult Teeth

I have a friend that is missing one adult tooth. He is in his 50's and still has his baby tooth. It just never fell out.

A question similar to this came up about a year ago. I want to say it was on here but could be wrong. I think someone had commented that she had to have implants where the teeth never developed. I also looked into this because I got curious when I read a news story about teen having a lot of teeth removed because he had about 3 times as many. I was also surprised that though rare, it is not unheard of.

Just as a mom, I would ask about age related treatments. He is 7. How would this be handled now, in 2 years, teen years etc. What can happen as he grows to adulthood and depending on where the teeth are, how would it affect the wisdom teeth etc. What do you need to watch out for.

Apparently hypodontia or congenitally missing teeth is more common than I thought.
Implants are used to fill in the places where teeth need to be.

http://www.deardoctor.com/inside-the-magazine/issue-17/wh...

Wow. Good for you for trusting your gut.

One of my children was missing (entirely) a baby tooth. It just never came in. We had to wait (and wait it seemed) until we knew if there would be an adult tooth. Sure enough, it did come in.

I can't remember why we didn't just X-ray - maybe she was too young. Anyhow, our dentist told us that they can do implants and other things if it never came in. It was right in the front.

A friend of mine has abnormally tiny teeth for adult teeth. They look like baby teeth. So as an adult, it looked like she was missing a whole whack of teeth. In the end, they did something where they added a bit to each tooth to fill it in somewhat. Worked wonders.

Just to say - that there are things they can do in if needs be so that it won't be noticeable. But no, never heard of that. Two of my kids though did not lose their baby teeth until starting at around age 7.

So, you're saying that his X-Rays show that he has no teeth underneath 9 of his baby teeth? They just aren't there?

I would say that the orthodontist will set up a plan to move his existing adult teeth to the most advantageous positions...meaning they'd move them to places where partial dentures can be hooked in. They might even discuss implants so that his false teeth would look more natural too.

We all have dental issues so it's not a big deal in the big picture. I think that an orthodontist will simply be the planner for all future dental work.

My own dentist does it all though. He does braces, dentures, partials, and regular dental work. That might be something you consider.

Do you have a medical school in your area? One that has a dental college? You might benefit from having ALL the docs in one space where they are overseen by one professor that is in charge of your child's plan. That way you wouldn't need a dentist for this cavity and an oral surgeon to do something over there and then the orthodontist doing something else entirely. You'd have an appointment with whatever doc it was that day but it would be in the same place AND that professor that was overseeing the whole process would be there on hand to make sure the plan was being followed.

We have OU Health Science Center in OKC and they have a dental college in addition to their regular medical school. I have friends that have gone down with major issues and in about 6-9 months they had everything fixed and partials/plates/braces and more done. It was easy because they got to know the staff and where to go, how long to plan for, and it was just easier going to the same place each time.

I can't specifically answer, but only want to reassure you that the number of adult teeth a person has is more fluid than you might think. I know a child who didn't go to the orthodontist until it was too late to do a palate expander and had 8 adult teeth pulled because he didn't have enough space. You would never know - his smile looks natural.

I guess with that in mind, you might ask about the size of his jaw, and if he will actually need implants for all 9, or if his jaw is smaller, maybe only some of them.

Don't stress too much, many kids have to have some of their adult teeth pulled to create room, both of my kids had 4 adult teeth pulled even with palette expanders. There is also a chance that some of his baby teeth may not fall out since the root is usually damaged and dissolved by the encroaching adult tooth. If there are any gaps when it is all said and done they can easily install false ones in those spaces. The Ortho will of course have a lot more information, but try not to stress before you talk to them and know the whole deal of what might need to happen. :)

My friend's son has a very similar situation. He didn't get all of his baby teeth and many of his adult teeth have not developed and aren't visible on x-rays (he is 9). His dentist said there is still a chance they will develop at some point but he will still be missing several.

When he is over 18, they can look into doing a full set of implants. In the meantime, the orthodontist will likely do work to pull the teeth he does have together in the middle, rather than having huge gaps between them where his adult teeth aren't developing.

Ask the orthodontist for a full treatment plan - not just the next few years but when he is an adult too. Also ask how they prevent the teeth from moving back, since he will have a lot of empty space toward the back of his mouth. Finally, have them check to make sure the teeth he does have are strong and if there is anything you should do to protect them.

Wow~! One of my kids had two extra teeth that grew where they weren't supposed to and my other kid grew one... they all had to be surgically removed.

If your child's dentist is a pediatric orthodontist, he or she should be able to refer you to one. I would meet and have an assessment done and find out what kind of plan they suggest. You might also consider having a second opinion so that you can make sure you are comfortable with what is said to you.

Some children's mouths are too small for all of their teeth. They used to pull teeth before putting braces on. A lot of dentists don't do that now - they use expanders to make the mouth fit the teeth. (I assume that works - I didn't have that with my kids.) Maybe your child doesn't have a big mouth - that would work in his favor. Hopefully 4 of the 9 that are missing are the wisdom teeth - and that would be good...

Best of luck!