When to worry about Adult Teeth not growing in??

[3boymthr]

Youngest DS is 8 and still has all his baby teeth. They're not even loose. Our DDS says not to worry, but I can't help it my other kids lost their front teeth top and bottom between 5 and 6. Am I wrong to worry?

 

[mjkacmom]

You should be thrilled! The longer they keep their baby teeth, the healthier the adult teeth will be. Dd14 was in the second half of second grade when she lost her first tooth, and lost her last one last year, at the age of 13! Ds12 still has plenty.

 

[RUDisney]

See my tag? I lost my last baby tooth when I was 19. Don't worry about it. I'll be 44 next week and I am growing in one of my wisdom teeth.

However, if the DDS has taken xrays and your DS doesn't have adult teeth under the baby teeth, you still don't have to worry, you just have to plan ahead.

My brother, one of my cousins and my brother's DD were born without some of their adult teeth. It is a genetic thing. In my brother and neice's case, they had/have braces to make room for a replacement tooth. My brother had a fixed bridge but is in the process, at 41, of having permanent replacements implanted in his gums. My neice will have the implants when she's finished with her braces.

The worst part of this is the embarassment that the child feels. My neice is 13 and is embarassed when people notice that she has teeth missing.

The end result is that my brother has beautiful teeth.

If this is the worst problem you face with your DS, you'll look back on it and feel very lucky.

 

[Acklander]

DS26 took forever to lose his baby teeth. I remember in first grade they had a graph that showed how many teeth each kid had lost and for the year he had an empty graph. They did eventually come out and he ended up with the most beautiful teeth and has never had a cavity. He even took a baseball in the mouth hard enough to need stitches but didn't lose a tooth.
DS10 lost his teeth in a more timely manner, and his teeth arent' anywhere near as strong, and he's already had 3 cavities.

 

[golfgal]

You should be thrilled! The longer they keep their baby teeth, the healthier the adult teeth will be. Dd14 was in the second half of second grade when she lost her first tooth, and lost her last one last year, at the age of 13! Ds12 still has plenty.

I agree, our dentist was thrilled when our kids lost their teeth late-they were all in at least 2nd grade before they lost their first tooth. THEY wanted them to be gone earlier because all of their friends had but we were ok with that. When people lived to be 40, 50, 60 years old their adult teeth were up to the job but now people are living into their 90's and 100's and those teeth need to last longer (or you live longer with dentures).

 

[live4christp1]

DS was in 3rd or 4th grade before he lost his first one. He thought those teeth were never going to come out. The dentist wasn't concerned at all. He said they were just holding on a little longer.

 

[Hollywoodhaha]

I lost my last one at age..uhm..13. The last 2 probably would have been around forever if my dentist wouldn't have made me try to get them out and gave me 2 months. I didn't get them out so he pulled them.
It was necessary for me to get braces.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Youngest DS is 8 and still has all his baby teeth. They're not even loose. Our DDS says not to worry, but I can't help it my other kids lost their front teeth top and bottom between 5 and 6. Am I wrong to worry?

Well, maybe not "worry" however losing teeth late can be problem and something to keep an eye on.

For example most of my molars came in rotten and needed to be capped. In fact they are still not "in" all the way.

My 13yodd is getting braces next month. They had to pull 2 baby teeth because they were not going to come loose. The roots were too strong and the permanent teeth were coming in behind the baby teeth. That is the thing you need to look for really.

She also is missing 2 teeth and we are going for the implants (if possible). The ortho did warn me that she might have to go the bridge route if the roots are blocking the space in the gum.

Just keep tabs on the adult teeth and you should be good.

 

[pansmermaidzlagoon]

you are taking them to the dentist by now, right? That is the best person to ask and to address your concerns.

as others have stated this is good from the stand point of less exposure = cavities.

My DD's (13) baby and adult teeth were late. She just this year had some out, so the braces can go on.

 

[Deb Quen of Colorado]

I wouldn't worry, but be aware. My sons 2 last baby teeth never budged and now the adult teeth are growing into the roots of his top front teeth. At 18 and a senior, he has to have braces.

 

[RitaZ.]

Has the dentist told you if his permanent teeth are missing?

 

[Cinerbelle]

I am 38 (almost 39 ) and I still have two baby teeth. The adult teeth are in the roof of my mouth and can be seen on x-ray, but they never came down.

 

[3boymthr]

We do go to the dentist regularly (every 6 months), and I like my dentist for the work he does - I've never had any problems that way - but he is an older man (probably @ 70) and definitely does not win any points for his "chair"side manner. (And the hygenist who does most of our work is great )

When I ask him if it's normal that they haven't come in yet the only answer he'll give is that "he's fine". No explanations - nothing more and when I try to get details he just gives me the same answer - he's fine he's fine. Ironically, that old expression - it's like pulling teeth to get an answer - actually applies here.

Thank you for reassuring me everyone.

 

[minkydog]

Timely topic. I've been concerned about Christian's teeth. He's 15-1/2 and has yet to lose some of his 6yr molars. He still has ALL his back molars and they show no signs of going anywhere anytime soon. He lost his canines at age 3 and still hasn't gotten all of them in. When he was 7 he lost all his front teeth in one year and had NO TEETH in front until he was 9. He looked like a little old man

THe one thing I'm dreading is wisdom teeth. My other two had impacted wisdoms by age 16 and had to have them cut out. I don't know how in the world we'd manage that with Christian.

DH just took him to the dentist last week. I don't think Christian has had xrays for about 2-3 years. It's very hard for him to comply with that. I think I'm going to call the dentist next week and ask.

 

[PatsGirl]

This is a very timely post for me Took DD13 to the dentist this morning for a cleaning and they did a full set of xrays. I've been concerned about her not losing all her teeth and it turns out that on two of them she doesn't have any permanent/adult teeth coming in. On both these teeth she has new cavities too

The hygenist told me today that she'll be most likely needing either bridgework or implants in the future but it could be many, many years...

Appointment with the dentist the first week of October for the filling and to get details.

 

[pansmermaidzlagoon]

We do go to the dentist regularly (every 6 months), and I like my dentist for the work he does - I've never had any problems that way - but he is an older man (probably @ 70) and definitely does not win any points for his "chair"side manner. (And the hygenist who does most of our work is great )

When I ask him if it's normal that they haven't come in yet the only answer he'll give is that "he's fine". No explanations - nothing more and when I try to get details he just gives me the same answer - he's fine he's fine. Ironically, that old expression - it's like pulling teeth to get an answer - actually applies here.

Thank you for reassuring me everyone.

ah, I see! I don't blame you for seeking info elsewhere! Our dentist is getting up there in age too, but he and his staff are so nice that I hate to leave. He is good with answering questions and concerns though. Hopefully, you r dentist would let you know if he saw anything that would be a concern down the road!