Child with Oligodontia (More than 6 Missing Permanent Teeth)

I personaly haven't heard of this prob. because I only have one that has never been there but, I am in my twenties and still have it. i was to believe that my prob. wouldn't be a prob. until the baby tooth decides to fall out or isn't, basically cleaned well throughout her life...
I hope that I've helped, good luck, hopefully you'll find out more.

Actually, I have been dealing with this condition with all three of my children. I have spent endless hours collecting research and information regarding this condition for more than the last ten years. My three children are missing 11, 16, and 18 teeth respectively. This is hereditary within my husband's family, and I too was born missing two teeth. As for your child, continue to care for your daughter's teeth by brushing and flossing diligently. Also, find out all of the insurance regulations in your state. It took years of research, fact finding, speaking to everyone I met, and confirming with politicians a small insurance regulation that I am in the process of using in my home state to assist my children. Remember....this is a medical condition! This is not cosmetic. I found a researcher online who is in the process of identifying the mutated genes that cause this condition. Her help was invaluable. Don't rely on your doctors and dentists...they don't know that much. I have walked in with a large binder with all of the data I have collected to educate most of the doctors, dentists, and medical administrators I have met.The good news is that the future doctors entering the profession are now questioned about this condition on their college boards. You are definitely not alone. All of my children are confident, smart, social, and beautiful too. Who could ask for more? This is a treatable condition, but it can't be fully corrected until a child's bones have fully developed. My oldest daughter (now 18) had her dental implants for her senior prom. Since the process to this point is time consuming, we continue to work with our pediatrician, orthodontist, dentist, and several other specialists to create the best plan of action for each of our children. Remember, YOU are your child's advocate! Good luck!

I am 27 now and have 15 missing teeth. I was also an active little kid and knocked out a few of those baby teeth, so keeping those wasn't an option.

I spent my teens in and out of the offices of four dentists: my pediatric dentist who kept me in temporary bridges from age 4 on, my orthodontist, my cosmetic dentist, and my oral surgeon. I got braces off and waited two excruciating days without two of my front teeth while waiting on the flipper, which arrived a day before cheerleading tryouts in front of the entire high school. I lived it, and it's not that bad!

My advice would be to fight your medical insurance companies on this from the get go. My mother fought and fought, and most of my dental implants were covered; because it was oligodontia, they argued it as a medical condition.

Try to plan treatment plans around her extracurriculars, so that she's not missing out on anything because of this condition. I know it can be costly, but if you keep her in partials/flippers (i.e. a retainer with teeth attached), no one will ever know. She will probably be a little self-conscious, but there are SO many ways to conceal it, and you KNOW she's not ever going to lose that retainer!

My doctors started placing my dental implants during my junior year in high school, after my jaw was done growing. Pain-wise, placing a dental implant is much less painful than an extraction. She'll probably have to have several bone grafts, since the bone will be thinner and weaker in areas where missing teeth should be. My mother opted for an oral surgeon to place the implants as opposed to a periodontist; in terms of training, each can do a fabulous job with dental implants, but an oral surgeon will have the added benefit of general anesthesia that is more readily available for procedures. If you are not opposed and the cost isn't prohibitive, general anesthesia makes the procedures less scary. I was awake and lucid for my first procedure, a gum and bone graft, with my new periodontist just last week, and I would have been scared to death at 16 or if I wasn't an old pro at this.

I grew up as a normal kid though, with my false teeth and all. I was very involved in middle school, high school, college, and law school. If your daughter was already taking on leadership roles 3 years ago, she will probably be confident enough to handle this.

Just be financially prepared, find excellent dentists that know what they are doing, and try to minimize disruption of her school life.

Hi Liza,

I'm a 17 year old girl missing 11 of my adult teeth. the only noticeable two are the two lateral incisors. i lost all of my baby teeth when i was around 10, so from then until about 15 i had huge gaps either side of my front teeth. i lost a lot of confidence in changing schools early in high school, as everyone had to have their two cents. before that i was confident, and sounded like your little girl.

i had braces for about two years, but they did not close the gap.

i now have a 'plate' - a dental appliance that hooks over my back molars and covers most of the roof of my mouth. two porcelain teeth are connected to it, filling the gaps. now they look fantastic! i get compliments about my beautiful teeth, and no one would know unless i told them. i have huge amounts of confidence again, and i'm not ashamed that i'm different to everyone else.

in a year or so i am thinking about getting dental implants, the more permanent solution. they are expensive, but worthwhile.

if your daughter does not lose her baby teeth, then i agree with the other repliers - get them capped. then, later on, she can get implants or veneers if the teeth are too small.

to be quite honest, i'm happy to find some other people with a similar condition - my orthodontist made it seem like i was the only one in the world.

hope this helps! :)

I hope this will make you feel a little better. I am 26 and am missing 2 adult teeth. My baby teeth never got loose or fell out so I still have a full set of teeth. My dentist is not concerned at all. So don't lose hope. It is possible that the adult teeth she is missing will always have baby teeth in their place.

Hi I have Oligodontia and my dental surgeon has root canaled all 9 adult teeth and now they are level with the jaw. I have an overlay denture, the teeth roots were retained as I would loose bone and the ability to retain dentures. I had 9 adult teeth inlcuding one molar and no eye teeth.
I didnt have any work done till I was pregnant and suffered greatly as a child. At 25 i learnt how to smile doesnt sound like much but it was a big deal for me.
If you can try and retain the teeth roots then you should be able to retain an overlay denture.
Nowdays I dont look like a bucky beaver and often smile I am 45 years old. My brother had 11 teeth but hasnt lost teeth like i did in pregnancy.
I had no other symtoms either and did not get a name for this disorder till i was in my mid twenties.
Just give your daughter all the support you can and look for a dental specialist that will try to retain the teeth.
If i can be of any help my email is ____@____.com and i live in Australia.
J.

Dear Liza,

I just found out this week that my 11 year old daughter appear to have the same problem. While we are waiting to send her for further examinations, I wonder how it turned out for your child and if you have any advice.

Like yourself, I am in shock and wonder how to handle this.

Thanks.
J.

Several dentists, throughout my 48 years, have told me this condition is actually pretty common. My understanding is that the baby teeth primarily come out because permanent teeth are there to push them out--if the permanent ones aren't there, there's nothing to push them out. They basically remain as long as they are healthy.

The main way you lose them is through time, as they deteriorate. In my early 40s, one of my baby teeth split, so it was replaced by an implant. But the other two are still going strong as I near 50. So dental care and maintenance are the key to keeping them.

There are lots of techniques dentists use today that help with kids' dental health. Just be attentive to that and she'll be fine. Who knows what will be out there by the time she needs any kind of replacement. But things only keep getting better!

For me personally, I swear by dental implants! I've had an implant and a bridge, to see which I liked best, and I would definitely go with the implant the next time around. It just affects the tooth in question and acts like a real one. You can floss around it and brush it just like normal.

FYI--Dental implants are becoming more common through time. When I got it done, it was expensive, running about $2000 for the entire thing. I've heard that the price is about half of that these days. As time goes on, and it becomes more common, it may even be covered by insurance policies, which will reduce your out-of-pocket expense even further.

So, don't fret. I suspect she'll have fine teeth for many years. And when they go, they will likely go one at a time.

Just make sure to take good care of her baby teeth. Brush every night and after meals or candy.

Hi Liza,

My daugther is missing nine of her permanent teeth, too! She is now 20, and has just gotten her braces off after 8 years. We are now in the process of pursuing either implants for a few of her teeth that are currently missing, or some other prosthetic treatments. We never did find out what may have caused this, as she too, does not have any other symptems. She was a late teether, and seemed to get most of her teeth around 18 months of age, but other than that, she is normal. Although rare, it is something that can be lived with, and hopefully your daughter will not be disaffected by it. Best of luck!!

Stop worrying! I was 18 years old when my orthodontist realized that I still had four of my baby teeth because my adult teeth never pushed them out. Two were lodged in the roof of my mouth and had to be surgically pulled into place (ouch) and the other two never came in. More than likely your daughter will never know (I didn't) and there are beautiful permanent replacements they can put in her mouth when she is older--no one will know the difference. I swear. It is nothing to worry about as long as she is healthy and you don't make a big deal about it! There are worse issues to deal with... D.

Oh....I would soooo love to chat! We found out my oldest (8 years old) was missing 6 teeth plus her wisdom teeth last fall. What a shock! I didn't even know that could happen...I just assumed that baby teeth fell out and adult teeth grew in! We have never had this is either side of our families (that we know about anyway)...it was pretty crazy. Our daughter sounds just like yours...smart, fun, kind, beautiful, etc...we also worry about the impact this will make. I even find myself in bed unable to sleep wondering about my future grandchildren as well...I know that's crazy! Last week we found out that my youngest is missing some teeth as well. Now, we are just reeling...this is just too crazy! My husband and I are extremely well-educated, but never anticipated anything like this...both of us have big smiles and all of our teeth. I hate to even admit this, but I feel kind of depressed about this...it truly makes me so sad. I have handled it really well with the girls, but inside...sigh...it's a different story. I would love to email/chat/etc...to be honest, I don't know anyone else going through something like this. Thanks for sharing your story!!!

Hi There,
Firstly, don't fret. She'll be fine. I am an adult with 7 congenitally missing teeth (I still have two baby teeth in front that have caps). My sister has 11, yes, 11 missing teeth. SHe's had a couple caps and implants. From looking at us, you'd never know. We have small mouths and this may be someone's way of making things fit right. I have a brother who also has at least one or two baby teeth, that have bonding.

In the best case, you won't notice and it won't cause her any issues. If she needs, there are so many good cosmetic dental items and procedures out there. She sounds like a "together" little girl already and has a good strong foundation of confidence. She should be fine. Really, no one knew I had missing teeth when I was growing up. Most are in back, but the two on either side of the big teeth in front are both baby teeth and capped. I didn't get the caps til I was an adult. These two teeth were bonded when I was a teenager so no one knew they were baby teeth. I do have two bridges with crowns in between where baby teeth had to be pulled as an adult. Other than that no issues. Sorry for the long-winded answer. I am just hoping to give you some level of comfort and ease your anxiety.

Good luck!

Sorry to disagree with what is being said however my daughter is missing 16 of her permanent teeth and is going to have to have alot of surgeries etc. as she grows. The permanent teeth are a big deal when you are missing alot of them as that helps your jawbone grow and develop. Maybe missing a few is not a big deal but 8 or 9 is a big deal. We have to wait for her to grow more and then she will have to have implants surgeries for her jawbone etc...Her jaw does look small in proportion to the rest of her face and she is a young lady. This is a big deal and I would suggest finding a dentist and a specialist who will deal with this as we had many dentists who said this wasn't a big deal and come to find that it indeed is! Thank god for the specialists who understand and know what they are doing!

My daughter is 10 and is missing 12 permanent teeth. We are going through the same thing you are experiencing. We have seen an orthodontist, but they are saying that our best friend will be the oral surgeon. We are in the process of getting 2nd and 3rd opinions. It is such a rare condition, none of the dentist or orthodontists have seen this many teeth missing.

Hi Liza, my daughter is missing 7 teeth. We went through 4 years of orthodontics and are now going into implants (she is now 18). BUT, she also needs bone gafts as there is not enough bone mass to put the implants in.
We are in Canada and there is a government program called Cleft Lip and Palate Program, through the Hospital for Sick Children. Even though she does not have a cleft, she was still accepted in the program, and they will cover 75% of the costs (which is a God send for us).
As far as emotional and psychological development, she is fine. The orthodontist had a couple of fake teeth hooked on her braces (since her top front incisors are missing) so noone could tell she has big gaps. When the braces came off, they set her up with a retainer with false teeth on it, for the same aestetics reasons.
The only thing I can say is she now notices everyone's teeth and cannot stand to look at crooked teeth.
The one thing that has bothered me all this time and still does is the amount of pain and discomfort she will have gone through during all these years...But there are worse things, I guess.

Good luck, and don't worry, it is fixable...Just hoping you have a good paying job!!

Hi Liza

I am 41 years old and was missing 13 permanent teeth. Luckily the front top and bottom were permanet. I had orthodontic treatment as aa child but only now have the milk teeth started to show end of life signs. I am investigating implants for this. Most people do not know that I have this condition> Hope this is of some help

M.

My son is missing 11 permanent teeth. He is 15. We are in the orthodontic stage. They want to pull 4 teeth to make room for future implants. I am hesitant to allow this. He isn't close to being old enough for implants.
K

Oddly enough, my mother had many of her second teeth missing. Mostly molars, she had the four or six top front second teeth come in , I am not sure about the bottom ones.
She just kept it the way they were until they decayed...I think she was in her late thirties when that happened. She then had them removed and wore dentures. The reason it happened this way was that she spent all dentist monies on her five children and did not tend herself til we were grown and gone.
I have never heard of this happening to anyone else although in a reverse situation my father in law had a third set of teeth, adult sized,imbedded in his gums, under his second adult sized teeth, Peculiar thing to happen , yes?
Mum was fine the way she was for all those years But I do know she was sensitive about the situation. She too, was beautiful, incredibly smart, worked for the government. I dont know that it hampered her confidence. Remember, the child needs to be beautiful on the inside , the outside is a plus.
It sounds like your daughter is pretty well altogether child. Also that you are the one troubled by this not her.
I have a disabled child and my protocol for dealing with disabled children is to treat them as normally as possible. The world they will function in does not much care that they have a problem, yes?
..If you do not treat it like a big deal, it wont be. The more relaxed and the more your attitude is that "stuff happens" and we tend it the less your child will be affected.

best wishes and God bless
Grandmother Lowell

My son is twelve now and he only has baby teeth along with only 6 permanent teeth. the two front top ones, and one on each side top and bottom right at the back. He has never had any fillings so yeah its sad because the roots on his baby teeth are resorbing back into gum (not very big). so they will fall out eventually! Cant do anything until the jaw stops growing 18yrs - 22 yrs. he will have to have a hip bone transplant if the jaw doesnt grow properly ( jaw usually grows with adult teeth so they may develop a concave jaw shape. Everything has to be done in stages its not a short process. He is very normal with no conditions of any kind. I worry about him having no teeth through out college, and how it will effect his emotional growth and also speech. We just have wait and see. I properly dwell on it more than him lol. and yes it was a shock. good luck they are the same age! :-) ____@____.com

My dayghter has oligodontia. Basically most of her permanent teeth are missing. I know what you are going thru. It's devastating for a mom to be faced with this. I just want to encourage you. My daughter is in her 30s now and living well. It's going to work out.
We found some great dentists and they worked with us and her. She wore a retainer in middle and high school that had extra teeth in it so that she looked normal. In college she got implants and a bridge that worked just fine and look great. It's not an issue. Looking back, I can say now that I should have been more positive and optimistic about the whole process because kids can pick up on your anxiety. If you just focus on the positive and let them know that this is just life and things happen sometime, then the whole process will go smoother.
Take care.

It has been years since you wrote this. Did you ever get insurance to cover this?

Updated

It has been years since you wrote this. Did you ever get insurance to cover this?

Hello Liza,

I just came across this tonight as I'm researching my daughter's oligodontia. She is also missing 9 permanent teeth. We have known about this for several years and have been through some treatment. She's 11-years-old and we have years of treatment left.

We are at a very frustrating point in the process which is why I'm doing some research tonight. I haven't met or spoken with anyone else in this situation so I was intrigued to read that you are experiencing the same thing.

My daughter's situation is quite extreme and does affect the way she looks and will for a long time, at least until we can get implants in but that will be another 10 years or so. Since it's been a year since you wrote this, I hope for your sake and your daughter's sake that you're on a path that is satisfactory for you both.

I just wanted to let you know that I completely understand your concerns and your fears. If you're interested, I would love to talk more about it off this forum.

HI Lisa- My husband and his sister were both born with out their 2 bottom front permanent teeth. He had the baby teeth pulled out when he was 12 and the orthodontist made a retainer that had 2 fake teeth. So, when he smiled it looked like he had all his teeth. Also, my dentist pulled my 2nd year molars and left my wisdom teeth in. So the pt is there are a lot of options for her. When she gets older she will probably have to deal with a more permanent solution. Until then, dont make a big deal about it. She has no idea this is an issue. The only person bothered by it is you. TRy not to give your daughter the insecurity so many woman have!

Hi, I just saw your post while I was googling oligodontia. In my anatomy class I learned that adults generally have 32 teeth. I went home and counted my teeth: 24. I counted many times over and over with a mirror to make sure that I wasn't missing any, but still...24! I remember when I was little, my teeth were really crowded and I had a bunch of teeth pulled and braces at an early age. I also remember being told that some of my "adult" teeth would not come in. The dentists told me that I had a small mouth which is why I have less teeth. I have a normally functioning mouth and a normal smile. While I'm not sure if just having six less teeth means I have oligodontia, it was weird to think that I had that many less teeth than an average adult. As a kid, I had buck teeth for a while and was one of the first in my class to get braces (with the buck teeth!), and while its awkward, every kid is going through these funky stages throughout their lives. I just want you to know things worked out, and my mouth (and dentists) seemed to accomodate for having a small mouth and not enough teeth. I think with all of the new medical technology out there, your daughter will be able to have her teeth shifted, and new ones added if necessary to keep her as confident as she is now! Just keep telling her how beautiful she is. Some of the most beautiful women in the world have large spaces in their front teeth. While I know its not the same, it just shows that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. The best of luck to you and your daughter!

I am 29 years old and have 10 permanent teeth, 10 of my baby teeth and two fake teeth on a retainer (my two front bottom teeth). Although some of my baby teeth are cracking now and getting quite stained, I was lucky that the adult teeth I did get happened to be in the front. It is a tricky situation. I cant get bridges bc they cant anchor to my baby teeth as most of them have little or no root left. My dentist simple told me that the only thing we can do is to get implants as each tooth falls out. I have not lost a baby tooth in MANY years and have not had to do anything. I know in the future I will have to think about this a little more seriuosly, but for now, it isnt impacting my life at all. Dont worry, she will pull through it. A weird little fact though, after having my son I found out that his father also has the same condition as me. What are the chances???? We are hoping that my son doesnt have the same problem, but it is very likely. My sister, got too many teeth and had to have 6 removed as they were cramping her mouth. We used to joke that God made a mistake and gave my sister all my teeth.

I am having the same issue. I have three children...both of my girls have 22 of their permanant teeth missing and my son has 18 missing. They have seen a geneticist but as of now there's nothing much they can do other then continue to monitor them. For the most part my children are fairly healthy and we have no other concerns.

Hi Liza, I am a general dentist and the mother of 8 year old triplets and I too just found out that 2 of the 3 are missing multiple teeth. They were premature, although I don't think this has anything to do with the missing teeth. I think it is genetic.

I don't know how to help your daughter medically, but I can give some supportive advise.

I am 29 and still can't get a straight answer from professionals as to how to help my situation. I only had 12 permanent teeth develop. So I am missing 20too teeth.
I regret feeling helpless and alone and not having any professional brave enough to keep me as a patient. After the first appointment which includes the X-ray and cleaning not a single professional wanted to help me. They wouldn't even do a filling. I suggest even if there isn't an action plan yet as to how to fix the missing teeth problem. DON'T LET HER STOP GOING TO A REGULAR DENTIST TO KEEP WHAT SHE HAS HEALTHY. TEETH CAN RECEAD OR GUM TISSUE CAN GROW OVER TEETH, TEETH CAN ROTATE OR "TRAVEL", BONE DENSITY CAN BE LESS WHERE TEETH ARE MISSING AND CAN DECREASE OVER TIME DUE TO PRESSURE. FIND SOMEONE TO KEEP HER MOUTH HEALTHY!
Yes, never having a photo smile or learning how to talk without moving your lips alot, wondering when you meet new people if they are judging you can be hard.

Remind her it is not her fault. That she is a stronger person than most and that this is a gift to learn to be humble instead of vain. She is not valued by what is on the outside. People don't notice as much as you might think. I have worked at two different jobs both for 5you years and most have no idea I only have 12 teeth and most are side teeth not frontal.

HANG IN THERE AND BE SUPPORTIVE. :0)

Hi Liza
I was searching Oligodontia on the web and found your posting from awhile ago. Not sure if you will get this message or not. We just found out that our little girl (who sounds a lot like yours!) has 18 permanent missing teeth. She has all but one baby tooth and only 10 permanent teeth. She is 5 years old and also very outgoing and beautiful. Did you find out more about the situation with your daughter? I am very concerned and would love some advice.
Thanks! M.

Hey Liza,
I am actually going through exactly what your child is going through! I only have 9 permanent teeth in my mouth and for my whole life I have been struggling with this. They have made me wait until now that I am 18 to be able to even CONSIDER oral surgery/implants to correct the problem. After endless cavities/fillings/today having my first root canal I have realized that I wished I would have started researching so much earlier before the real issues started! You need to come up with a 'game plan' for your child when the time comes for them to get the problem corrected. Insurance is very sticky when it comes to covering anything dental as we all know, but stating that this is a GENETIC condition and cannot be dealt with through mere proper hygiene maintanence is what will be the key in getting your insurance to cover this. I am battling with tricare as of right now, and plan on submitting my full package of my issues to them as soon as I have my primary care doctor document that it is actually a diagnosed genetic condition. That is the key to solving this problem! I wish you the best.

Hi Liza-
I have actually never heard of this before! I think that if you see an ortodontist on a regular occassion and your dentist and your healthcare practitioner, they will all work together to help your daughter deal with this situation. I am sure there are ways that they can help her cosmetically achieve a beautiful smile. Have you researched it online to see what your options are? Maybe by the time she is in her early teens and all her adult teeth have come in, she can have permanent teeth placed in her gums. Sounds grosss but they do that. My mom had oral cancer and had to have all her teeth removed. They then did a surgical procedure where they put screws into her gums that false teeth screw onto and you never know that they are fakes. It was a lengthy process, but the end results was beautiful and did so much for her confidence. Research and find out as much inof as you can on teh topic, get opinions from dentists, oral surgeons and MD's. By the time she is old enough to have to worry about this issue, you will have all the answers. :-)
L. N.