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Original poster

Missing adult teeth on dental x ray

37 replies

elliejjtiny · 26/01/2023 08:21

Finally managed to get dc a long overdue dental appointment yesterday. Dc aged 12 still has some baby teeth so dentist did an x Ray which showed some of his adult teeth are completely missing which is why his baby teeth are still there. I've googled this and it says it can be caused by trauma, infection or genetic problems. Ds hasn't had any trauma or infection. He had the cgh microarray genetic test done when he was a baby which came back "a variation of normal" whatever that means. He also has a 9 year old brother who has a cleft lip/palate, not sure if that is genetically relevant or not. Anyone had any experience of this?

OP posts:

Iwantabloodypizza · 26/01/2023 08:29

I still have 2 baby teeth at the age of 43.

They are the first molars. No adult teeth underneath.

I wasn’t taken to the dentist as a child so
had no idea until I went myself in my 20s and a dentist pointed it out (and immediately said I need them taken out and expensive crowns put in. It was very important that it was i’d e right away apparently. Subsequent dentists have laughed and said that was rubbish, just leave them. 20 odd years later, they are still there and healthy!)

EveryoneButSam · 26/01/2023 08:34

I am missing two adult upper incisors and ds is missing one of them (so I guess probably genetic - my parents have a full complement of teeth!). In our case the baby teeth did fall out, I had to have braces as I had a lopsided gap, think ds will too.

Braces came off at 15, I'm now in my 40s and the lack of teeth has caused me no problems whatsoever. New dentists are never surprised so I think it must he quite common.

wineandsun · 26/01/2023 08:35

I'm 42 and one baby tooth still. I've moved house a few times so been to a number of different dentists, some say the same,I need it removed and an implant. The last dentist said I didn't. I'm actually off to a new dentist today (another house move) so wondering what they'll say. It's never caused me any issues at all.

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12 year olds 9 year olds Children's health Dental health

Fuckingfuckssake · 26/01/2023 08:37

My sister still has a couple of baby teeth at 46! Never caused any problems.

RNBrie · 26/01/2023 08:42

My brother and I both have missing adult teeth. His are still in (he's 37) and my two loosened when I was pregnant and I had them replaced with implants (when I was early 30s)

My dentist said its very common to be missing a couple and generally nowadays they take out the baby ones and let the gaps fill as the adult teeth come in rather than waiting till they come out in your 40s or 50s. But it will depend on how many he has missing.

MistyRock · 26/01/2023 08:44

I had 2 missing, luckily it was a helpful thing as I needed a brace, so the orthodontist removed the baby teeth and used the space to move my teeth along. I don't recall trauma etc and I had plenty of dental appointments in my youth.

ifonly4 · 26/01/2023 08:51

Interesting what you say about genetic problems and cleft palate in the family. DH's DM and DB had/have cleft palates and DD also has a baby tooth in her upper palate, which no adult tooth behind. She's now 21 and recently been advised her baby tooth will probably come out in next couple of years.

She also had two adult teeth in her upper palate which grew up the wrong way (was having orthodontic treatment at time, so teeth exposed under surgery, after healing attached to brace and slow twisted in right direction). DH has two missing teeth in the same place as hers that has been twisted, so I've always thought that was genetic.

MistyRock · 26/01/2023 08:59

Actually thinking about it, my mum had most of her teeth removed in her teens (has top and bottom dentures), my sister had lots of teeth removed for braces as her jaw is small, my brothers didn't need braces and my dad has amazing teeth for his age. So it's obviously a female thing in my family.

20viona · 26/01/2023 09:08

Hypodontia is completely normal. Lots of options nowadays to disguise and look completely normal.

MargaretRiver · 26/01/2023 09:10

Yes, there is a genetic relationship between cleft lip & palate and missing adult teeth (hypodontia)
The treatment varies, depends on how many missing teeth / where they are / whether mouth otherwise crowded / status of baby teeth etc

UnicorseTime · 26/01/2023 09:13

It's really common to have a few teeth missing.

What's not so usual is to have a huge number of missing -Ectodermal Dysplasia is a rare condition where children may have most of all of their second teeth missing.

HandfulOfFlowers · 26/01/2023 09:15

The condition is called hypodontia, and can sometimes be associated with other conditions such as cleft palate. My son has severe hypodontia, he is 13. He is missing ten adult teeth. The good news is that if they are missing more than a couple of teeth, they qualify for corrective treatament on the NHS. My son is receiving excellent care at the specialist unit of our local hospital. At the moment we are on braces to set up the gaps correctly and after that they will retain the gaps until age 18, when his jaw stops growing. At that point he will be able to have restoritive treatment, which will be a combination of bridges and implants. His brother also has hypodontia but is only missing four adult teeth.

barbrahunter · 26/01/2023 09:19

I still have a baby tooth in my mouth and I'm the wrong side of 65 years old! Apparently I have an adult tooth behind it in my gum but it grew horizontally instead of diagonally. I was told by a dentist that the other teeth are keeping it in place.

UnicorseTime · 26/01/2023 09:21

Waves at Handful Yes both my children should be on track for similar treatment. What age did the braces start? My eldest should be there but our hospital isn't local and we've list time with covid.

Has yours got any of the wispy hair/small nails/ asthma/excema/temperature issues that can go with ectodermal dysplasia?

SardineStitches · 26/01/2023 09:27

One of my kids has a missing tooth and her baby tooth is on its last legs. She will need an implant or plate to fill the gap when the time comes for it to be removed.
She's now 19 though and it was discovered years ago.

HandfulOfFlowers · 26/01/2023 10:01

UnicorseTime · 26/01/2023 09:21

Has yours got any of the wispy hair/small nails/ asthma/excema/temperature issues that can go with ectodermal dysplasia?

Hi there Unicorse. The braces only started at age 13. We too were delayed by covid, but the hospital said they probably wouldn't have started before age 13, because the restorative treatment can't start til 18 anyway. My 13 year old also has microdontia of his incisors, plus had severe eczema when he was younger
He doesn't have any of the other associated conditions though. My other son is 11, with four missing teeth and no other conditions at all. We are still waiting for his treatment appointment - he is further down the priority list because he is less severe so it might be a while.

Sahara123 · 26/01/2023 10:34

64 here and still hanging on to my baby tooth ! No problem, my dentist uses me as an example to a young patient with similar. I have a sister who has several, and my brother too I think . I never really thought about causes , just one of those things . Doesn’t make any difference anyway

desperadodogface · 26/01/2023 10:56

I was missing two adult molars. Baby teeth still there

HouseHistoryHunter · 26/01/2023 11:01

I have this, I’m missing 5 ( and absent wisdom teeth) and my brother 7 our teeth are undersized too. My dentist said it was highly hereditary but luckily our DDs have normal teeth.

I’m going through multiple implant placement now, which I have to pay for, because of poor management when I was younger- so make sure you get your DC into a local specialist unit if you can.

Monkeytapper · 26/01/2023 11:08

Yes, my 12 year old DD has a missing tooth at the front (not middle front) where only the baby tooth grew with no adult tooth underneath, she is just starting orthodontic treatment. We had the choice of a brace that moves the teeth together so doesn't look obvious or braces to make the space slighter bigger to enable a bridge to replace the missing one. We are going with the latter as will look better in the long run. She may choose to have an implant when she is older.

I have a very, very small adult front tooth which I have had a crown put on, the Dentist and Ortho said it can be hereditary.

Original poster

elliejjtiny · 26/01/2023 11:42

Thankyou. I'd never heard of it before so it was a bit alarming. With 5 dc and lots of extended family I've heard of it experienced most common children's illnesses so it's a bit of a shock to find out my child has a problem I don't know about already.

OP posts:

roughtyping · 26/01/2023 12:23

I have missing adult teeth (still have 4 baby teeth on the wrong side of 35!) and my eldest son was missing one adult tooth, his was more obvious though and the orthodontist used braces to make a space for a false tooth. My youngest possibly has missing adult teeth, not sure yet. He does have a genetic condition (a chromosome deletion) but none of the rest of the family have it.

IbizaToTheNorfolkBroads · 26/01/2023 12:29

I have no wisdom teeth, and a molar that never cave through. It's never been much of a problem. I'm in my 50s. The "baby molar" has been extracted, as I broke it in a sporting accident in my teens - it was then filled, but I was so sick when pregnant, I damaged so much that it needed extracting. Same for the neighbouring tooth, although that was an adult tooth. (Smashed my jaw on the lip around in edge of a swimming pool, pushing myself out).

DS (14) also has a missing molar on his x rays. Dentist isn't concerned, and it never crossed my mind to be!

AnotherNameChangeYes · 26/01/2023 13:01

I have no wisdom teeth and one other molar that just isn’t there. To be honest I’m really glad I don’t have any wisdom teeth.

ArnoldBee · 26/01/2023 13:07

Yes I inherited from mu grandma who still had baby teeth at 85! I've traced some distant cousins and they have it too. Lots of work with the Orthodontist and my youngest son is now embarking on the same journey.

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