14 yo with baby teeth??

[Charcharm]

Dd is 14 and still has a lot of her baby teeth. It’s a complex situation and she’s had to have several teeth pulled over the years as the just won’t fall out on their own.

Her permanent canines are growing in now but one of them is crooked and the dentist wants to pull it - but it’s otherwise healthy. I’ve read that having teeth extracted can really alter your face shape, and I’ve also read that pulling canines is very unusual as they play an important role in smile aesthetics.

Before I seek a second opinion I thought I’d see if anyone else has been in this position. Shouldn’t we try braces? Why hasn’t this been suggested?

Dentists aren’t orthodontists.

You need to see a specialist orthodontist.

Don’t pull anything until your child has had an x-ray of her entire jaw.

Not all dentists have specialist equipment. I had a dentist almost 20 years ago whose scanning equipment took images of the entire jaw and you could see every single tooth and how it was positioned in the jaw as well as my wisdom teeth. It was brand new technology. Since that time no other dentist has used that technology and they all rely on the old school x-rays.

Noone on here knows what the inside of your child’s mouth looks like. Pay for private scans and see an orthodontist for a consult.

I never lost my baby molars...by adulthood, I DID lose them but to cavities. Baby teeth aren't meant to last a lifetime unfortunately. My parents took me to a dentist who just sort of shrugged and said this happens. That was 30 years ago though so hopefully they know more now. Please do go to someone else and try an orthodontist too. I wish my parents had persisted in seeking help.

I’m the ripe old age of 43 and still have a baby tooth (molar) that eventually will be replaced by an implant. I had hypodontia (missing teeth) and ultimately was missing six adult molars.

Totally agree you need to see an orthodontist as pulling adult teeth should be a last resort these days as it changes your bite pattern and the look of your face. The smile after extractions and braces might look great at 21 but I’m finding in my 40s that my not-great bite is causing all sorts of issues. The special scan referred to above is called an OCT scan.

Thanks everyone. Dd was referred to an orthodontist a while ago and they did a 360 x ray of her teeth, and ended up pulling four baby canines to make room for her teeth to grow in - they’re all there waiting to grow in, thankfully. One of the new canines doesn’t have a lot of space so they want to pull that one, which is what I’m wondering about. I know it’s very rare to pull permanent canines and as she has very mild crowding I’m not sure it’s necessary, and I’ve heard extractions can alter the shape of the jaw and/or face at any age and that it’s always the last resort.

was curious if anyone has been in this situation and whether there are alternatives?

I realise it’s a niche concern, was just hoping someone had experience from this type of thing…

They should be able to fit a palate expander to make room. In the US they will fit them at any age (even well into adulthood) but they prefer to do them in late primary school here.

I was in a really similar situation myself! I'm 29 now for context. At 14 I still had a lot of baby teeth. My dentist pulled out 4 of my baby teeth - canines on both sides and the one behind that think it's the first molar/premolar. Leaving me with just four front teeth and big gaps either side to 'more easily allow the big teeth to grow through'.

I had gaps til I was 17. Absolutely hated my teeth. Refused to have photos at my school prom as I had huge gaps.

Teeth eventually came through just fine and very straight, never needed a brace.

My now 8.5 year old DD has only lost 4 teeth while most of her peers seem to have lost loads and have a full mouth of adult teeth, 8 at least at the front.

I think we're just a strong baby teeth family!

Sorry I just re-read the post and realise I misunderstood and this was actually about pulling out one of her big teeth! My apologies. Tired and up feeding the baby for the third time tonight!

I absolutely would get an opinion from an orthodontist. Pulling an adult tooth seems extreme and I’d want a very good reason.

I had an adult canine grow above and in front of a baby one in my mid-teens. There has never been quite enough room for it, and so it sits a little higher than my other teeth, and fractionally overlaps the two teeth either side.

It has never caused any problems in the past 55 years or so apart from the odd idiot calling me Dracula when I was younger. I have always been careful about cleaning, because of the overlap.

I was offered braces for it once it was fully through and I’d had the baby tooth removed, but I was 17 then, and horrified at the idea, and, anyway, I quite like the way it looks.