Are there any dentists on here?! I have a question. Surely a dentist should know this?!

[DontBiteTheBoobThatFeedsYou]

Went to the dentist recently, she wasn't our usual one.

My 9, nearly 10 year old hasn't lost a tooth for bloody AGES.
One molar is awks and the adult tooth is 50% through.

The dentist said that the awkward baby tooth would come out soon and it was his last milk tooth.
All the rest were adult teeth.

I said, are you sure?! I've never known him to lose a molar??

She said he probably swallowed the others.

3 fricking molars swallowed and we didn't notice?!

Anyway, put it down to crazy covid times and maybe he lost them all and life was so mad that we didn't remember??

Now his molars are falling out and there's adult teeth right there.
Is it that difficult to distinguish between baby molars and adult molars?! I really believed the bloody dentist. I thought she MUST know the difference?! I was questioning my memory.

AIBU to think that a dentist should know the difference on sight?

Yes we do know the difference between deciduous and adult teeth on sight. It's quite obvious to us so I wouldn't worry if I were you.

FWIW I don't care that much, I guess it's MN and I should have put a lighthearted disclaimer at the start.

@Sparkleandshine1

Yes we do know the difference between deciduous and adult teeth on sight. It's quite obvious to us so I wouldn't worry if I were you.

Exactly! So why did she tell me that the baby teeth were adult teeth?

And tell me I was wrong and that he lost all his baby teeth bar one?

And that he must have swallowed the others?

But they were still quite clearly present like I told her they were

Time to swap dentists? 😬

Any other dentists? Or experiences?

My ds swallowed his molars too, it's common!

Yeah, don’t think that’s quite what OP asking...

Op swap dentists. Your one obviously doesn't know what they are doing. Bit worrying.......

The back baby molar can look very similar to the first adult molar

Baby molars are replaced with premolars, so yes they look different. I wouldn't really expect a 9 year old to be missing all their baby teeth

Sometimes maybe a baby canine and an adult canine can be more difficult to distinguish, but it sounds a bit bizarre to say a 9 year old has lost all their baby teeth.

I do know the difference between deciduous molars and permanent molars. Even my second year dental students should- it’s first year tooth morphology.
Very very rarely if the 6 (first permanent molar) is late or missing and other teeth have been extracted or missing it would be possible to mistake an E (second deciduous molar) for a 6. If an x eat is taken then it is obvious what’s what.
However the number of parents who come in confused about this type of thing is very high! Are you sure you understood correctly?

X eat should say x Ray!

Yes we know the difference!! I think you should change dentists!!