We see so many more patients now who are congenitally missing teeth; sometimes just one, but frequently more than one. If you remember your 8th grade science class, missing teeth is an autosomal dominant trait which means only one parent has to have the gene for it to be passed down. We see more and more missing teeth with each generation. There is an old wives’ tale that missing teeth skip a generation; meaning if your mom was missing a tooth, you might not be but your child might. Those old wives were smarter than we give them credit for because this is exactly what I see in my office.
The most important thing to do if your child has missing teeth is to see an orthodontist early. We will probably not start braces early, but we do need to come up with a plan for how to take care of the missing teeth. There are several options available from replacing the teeth with an implant to shifting other teeth into the space so you don’t have to get any implants or crowns. There are advantages and disadvantages to each choice so it is good to understand the different treatment options early on. Frequently we will remove some baby teeth so that the permanent teeth will shift into the spaces we need them. If you wait too long to begin, you won’t have as many choices and may be disappointed. So if you have any missing permanent teeth or your dentist says your child has missing teeth, call us right away so we can come up with the best plan for you.