I am 16 years old. I found out last year that I had all four baby canine teeth. I don’t know why no one has dealt with this before because I always went to the dentist. It wasn’t until we saw this new dentist that anyone really made a big deal about it. They took out the bottom canine teeth last year and the adult teeth came in, but not in the right spots. One is back pretty far and the other is back and to the side. It is very embarrassing for my smile. Now they want to take out the top canine teeth. I’m worried I will have the same problem with the top teeth that I do the bottom. Would getting dental implants when they take them out be a good solution?
Kelli
Dear Kelli,
It seems to me that you are in the unfortunate position of not getting fantastic care. Dentists are taught how to deal with these types of situations in dental school. Believe it or not, they are not uncommon and there is a solution. The first thing to determine is whether or not the adult canine teeth are there and are impacted or if they are congenitally missing teeth.
In the majority of cases, the adult canine teeth are there, just impacted. In those cases, dental implants will not work because there are tooth roots present for the adult teeth. That leaves nowhere for the dental implants to go. The solution in these cases is to have a good set of x-rays done in order to know what position the adult teeth are in, then extract the baby teeth and work with an orthodontist to help erupt the teeth into their proper position.
If there are no adult teeth there to erupt, that would mean you have congenitally missing teeth. While rare for canine teeth, it does happen. In this case, dental implants could work once your jaw is fully developed. Until then, you would use orthodontics to open up the space and make sure there is enough room for the adult teeth. Once everything is in position, you can be provided with a dental flipper or some other type of temporary false teeth until you are ready for the implants themselves.
I’m sorry your pediatric dentist never addressed this and am glad that you are on top of things trying to ensure a healthy, beautiful smile for yourself. That type of initiative is what will help you accomplish great things.
This blog is brought to you by Hilton Head Cosmetic Dentist Dr. Bonnie Rothwell.
