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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

AIBU to be utterly panic stricken over DD lack of teeth! Dentist related

74 replies

MrsTatum1980 · 05/04/2016 10:59

I'll keep it simple and short but desperately hoping someone has had an experience of this!

Just took 8 year old DD to a routine dentist appointment. They did an X-ray as she has only lost 2 baby teeth (front top) and these have been replaced by adult teeth. The X-ray basically showed...she has no fucking teeth!!! Once her baby ones fall out then there are none there to replace them! I lie, she has 3 random teeth waiting in the wings! I'm not exaggerating, I'm devastated! (I know this word is unpopular around these parts but keep imagine my beautiful daughter as a teenager with no bastard teeth!)

Has anyone experienced this? What treatments are available? Will she have to wait until 18? How long can baby teeth last? Any help or advice will be much appreciated especially as our hospital referral though urgent may take several months apparently!

OP posts:
MrsTatum1980 · 06/04/2016 12:11

Great link! A lot of what I have found is American. This clearly gives a range of possible treatments should they be needed. Thank you Cake

OP posts:
Mrsmorton · 06/04/2016 12:16

Did the x Ray go round the outside of her head or did the little films go in her mouth? If the latter, how many were taken?

MrsTatum1980 · 06/04/2016 12:51

She had to place her face towards the X-ray machine, 2 blue 'things' gripped her face to hold it in the right position and she had to bite on to something. I only saw one X-ray film showing one position so I presume it was just the one done but it was done whilst she faced forward. It didn't move around her or take other views nor was she asked to move position. Would you recommend we asked for alternative X-rays?

OP posts:
Witchend · 06/04/2016 13:44

When did she get her baby teeth? I've a friend whose dd was nearly 2yo for any of the milk teeth to come through. She then didn't lose them until she was nearly 10yo. At 8yo she didn't have them.in the gum. At nearly 18yo she has a full set of adult teeth.

Mrsmorton · 06/04/2016 14:04

It's just not clear what sort of x Ray she had and some show more than others. Don't be too pessimistic, there's a lot that can be done for all sorts of problems. Hopefully you'll get seen soon. Does dd have any other issues? I'm assuming she's got collarbones?

MrsTatum1980 · 06/04/2016 14:12

She got her milk teeth at normal times from a few months old up until around 2 if I remember correctly.

She's hasn't got any other problems and is normally fit and well. She's very active and we've not noticed any other concerns with bones.

OP posts:
LiviaDrusillaAugusta · 06/04/2016 14:29

I still have half my baby teeth apparently and I'm 45 - it's never been a problem and the only gaps I have are from extraction of adult teeth

origamiwarrior · 06/04/2016 14:49

Wow, I am so surprised at how many of us with retained baby teeth there are; my dentist always makes out I'm such an oddity!

grannytomine · 06/04/2016 20:45

I know the painful treatment is a worry but she will get through it. My daughter had problems with the shape of her jaw, as well as not looking right it caused crippling migraines. She had years of orthodontic work, from 12 or 13 up to 18 and as her teeth were moved into place it actually made the jaw look worse. The hospital, maxillo facial surgeon and orthodontist were wonderful. The Tuesday after her A levels finished she went in for surgery. Her jaw was broke in several places, wisdom teeth removed, her gums were cut to give access to jaw and she had titanium plates. She looked terrible afterwards, couldn't open her mouth, couldn't eat, the bruising and swelling were terrible. By the weekend she was at a friends 18th birthday party. Her brace was removed the week before she left for uni. The planning was wonderful and I can't praise the NHS enough. It took over a year for the swelling to go down completely, it was weird as her face kept changing.

I don't know but I think implants will be easier, not nice but the thing is it is worth it. My daughter has a lovely smile, the only problem is she hates photos from before the op. Try not to worry about the treatment now, you will both cope when the time comes and I am sure she will end up with a beautiful smile. Good luck.

MrsTatum1980 · 06/04/2016 21:18

Thank you so much for that Granny! That is very much my biggest fear for her. I don't want her 'fun' teenage years being blighted by pain and self consciousness. However, I'm hoping I bring/drag her up to be strong enough to deal with obstacles and get through them.

The end result, like you say, could be a beautiful smile. I am already leaning towards implants when she's at a suitable age as it's a long term solution. I have to stop getting ahead of myself though as everything is very unknown at the minute. Your daughter sounds like she's coped admirably and I'm glad that all has come well for her in the long run. Previous NHS experiences for other things and family members so I still have a lot of faith in them, reassuring your experiences were great in that aspect too!

Thank you for your experiences Smile

OP posts:
grannytomine · 06/04/2016 21:38

Glad it helped. I think the people you will be dealing with are aware of how important appearance is at this age and they are really sensitive about it. I am sure she will be like my daughter and cope well, she will focus on how she is going to look and it will get her through.

To be honest the fact that my daughter had to cope with braces for such a long time was worse than the final operation although for anyone looking at her it would be the op that would worry them.

I so know how you feel, I wanted to rush at the problems but there is no rushing I'm afraid as they really need to let the jaw grow. As mothers we just have to learn to roll with the punches and keep smiling even if we are screaming inside. Wonderful being a mum isn't it, we would rather go through it than watch them but really they are every bit as strong as we are.

I hope the appointment comes through quickly, maybe you will come back and let us know how it goes. I will be thinking of you both.

MrsTatum1980 · 06/04/2016 22:05

I'm quite sure there will be many more frantic posts before this is all over but I will of course update all the helpful posters who have offered me reassurances, or just kindly let me know their baby teeth are hanging on in there Grin

It'll be a long road but after yesterday's tears, it could be far, far worse so we have to be thankful it's something that can be fixed. Fingers crossed our referral goes through sooner rather than later.

OP posts:
Vintage45 · 06/04/2016 22:12

Insist on a referral to a dental hospital. They deal with this type of thing all the time. They will also not let her go without teeth.

grannytomine · 07/04/2016 10:18

We don't have a dental hospital within hundreds of miles but the specialist department at our general hospital is great.

contrary13 · 07/04/2016 10:57

As others have said, it can be/is a genetic condition. I still have all but four of my milk teeth, one of my cousins has all of her milk teeth (she's blonde, by the by, whilst my hair has natural auburn streaks in it), and my daughter (another blonde) only lost half her milk teeth. I'm 40, my cousin is 34 (and was written up in a dentistry text book as an example of the condition), my daughter is 19. My son (11 and with auburn streaked hair, too) is also looking to hang onto his milk teeth as he's only lost 3 teeth... although that might change.

I'm surprised that your DD was X-rayed, though. I was under the impression that dentists don't like to expose children to jaw X-rays until they're 16 - for any reason. My DD wasn't X-rayed until she was 16, despite this being a known genetic possibility, and my DS hasn't had one done at all to determine if he's going the same way (although, as he's closer to 12 than he is to 11, it's probable that he'll hang onto his milk teeth...)

There is a thought, though, OP, that the lack of adult teeth to follow the milk teeth is because the adult teeth have already been cut (ie, your DD may not have had milk teeth after all, but cut the adult teeth first). Certainly that's what my family dentist believes to have happened with mine and my DD's teeth. We also don't have 'wisdom teeth'. At all. My dentist explained that it means we're probably part of the evolution chain... because humans no longer need the 'wisdom' molars at all, so we're slowly starting - as a species - to not have them (my cousin and I were also born without tonsils!)

How old was your DD when she cut her first tooth? I was 13 months old before I cut my first tooth, and my grandmother was apparently looking to see if any dentist would make dentures for a toddler... There may be a correlation, though.

To cut a long tale short, OP, I'd not worry. Your DD won't be left without teeth, one way or another. Flowers

Mrsmorton · 07/04/2016 12:08

The x ray thing is rubbish contrary whenever an x Ray is taken, we look at the risk of taking it (tiny) vs the benefit of having the information. How can you treat people correctly if you don't have all the information you need?

It's really important to know where teeth are if they don't appear within normal age limits. That way early intervention can prevent extended and difficult treatment later on.

MrsTatum1980 · 07/04/2016 14:19

I have to admit I'm glad that she had an X-ray as then we know what we are dealing with. The X-ray clearly showed her teeth with just 3 adult ones waiting underneath on the bottom row. She has already lost her two front top milk teeth and fortunately her adult teeth have already come through here. She has no other top adult teeth! The dentist decided to X-ray as she wanted to see if there was a reason she wasn't losing her milk teeth...obviously she was correct and there was.

She cut her first milk teeth around 7-8 months if I remember correctly and suffered no problems. She had regularly attended the dentist since she got her first teeth through.

The fact that she has 3 random adult teeth means she is likely to lose some bottom milk teeth and then will need work here to hide gaps. We're much more positive about it though and I'm confident in the NHS. We don't have a specialist dental hospital remotely near us but we have a specialist clinic with a paediatric consultant which is where our referral is to. From that appt I imagine I'll learn more.

OP posts:
contrary13 · 07/04/2016 14:47

Mrsmorton - I did say that I was under the impression. Not that it was out of the norm, or dangerous, or anything like that. I can only go on my family dental practice's preferred methods of treatment, where I've been receiving treatment since I cut my first tooth, at 13 months, and where my entire family go. So. Without the realm of having visited every single dentist practice in the country, I will not comment on other dentists preferred X-ray ages. Only my own. And they don't like doing it to patients under 16. Although I'm sure that if they deemed it necessary - they'd make an exception. They don't for my family, because - thanks to myself and my cousin - they know the family dental history intimately in records kept on file there since 1977.

Part of my work involves aging skeletons from their bones, and teeth do play an important factor in that. We look at the teeth left in the mandible (if, indeed, any) and determine whether or not they happen to be milk or permanent, and - along with several other factors - work out a potential age from that. However, speaking from my own family's experience, I also know that it is possible for the permanent teeth, wisdom teeth and other random bits (tonsils in mine/my cousin's case) to simply not be there. It happens. Nature can be quirky in that way.

OP, you will learn more from the experts. If it's any consolation, myself, my cousin, my DD and potentially my son have all managed perfectly well with the teeth we first cut. As other, wiser people than me, have told you - it can be done. You just have to keep encouraging her to look after them properly, I guess.

Flowers
FreddieBoswellsHair · 07/04/2016 15:16

DD2 is currently sporting top braces to move her teeth and allow space for a maryland bridge to replace her lateral incisor which is still a baby tooth. The dentist picked it up when he saw her about 12 months ago and asked if he could xray her as he thought she was missing an adult tooth and lo and behold the baby one was there (and a little bit wobbly) and there was no big tooth to come down.
We were referred to an orthodontist who said we could either remove the baby tooth and use a brace to shunt all her teeth over to fill the gap, build up the baby tooth with some sort of crown or opt for a brace and a maryland bridge.
DD2 knows she will probably have to have an implant in the long term but she is happy with what is happening now. They have left the baby tooth in for now as the teeth are moved to create the gap and the brace is not attached to it.

Orangeday · 09/11/2020 09:09

I wondered if the OP was still around how your daughter is getting on? My son has been told he has no adult teeth at all in his bottom jaw and I am sick with nerves about what this means. His baby teeth are almost worn away to nothing. I’d like to hear other people’s experiences. His jaw is already looking a bit small in relation to the rest of his head.

Realii · 09/11/2020 09:14

In the meantime if the OP isn’t back, I’m missing 5 adult teeth at the bottom, I’m past 40 and have my baby teeth. My mum is 65 and has a baby tooth and my Nan died with two.

ittakes2 · 09/11/2020 09:38

If it helps my son has baby teeth fused into his jaw bone. The dentist explained that the chemical process for a jaw bone letting teeth go and fusing them in is similar and sometimes the body gets confused. He has to have some of his baby teeth surgically removed as his adult teeth are not pushing them put. Sorry to hear about your daughter but she needs adult teeth to push out her baby teeth so she will keep these. I second going to a private dentist - choose one who also works at your local nhs and they can refer you back to themselves on the nhs.

TwoShades1 · 09/11/2020 10:11

If there are no adult teeth they are likely to hang around a lot longer. I only have one tooth where there was no adult tooth and I have still have the baby tooth there (I’m 30 now). It’s ever so slightly loose but has been for years. I have adapted to avoiding chewing/biting with it too much to lessen the chances of it coming out. Ultimately I will most likely get an implant done.

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