Could My Child be Missing Some Teeth?

If you are doing all the right things by your little children – a healthy, non-sugared diet and with daily tooth cleaning and flossing – you may wonder if it’s really necessary to bring them for a regular check-up with us at your Epping Dentist.

Well, yes, it is still a very good idea for your child to have a regular dental check-up, so we can monitor the general dental condition of your child’s mouth, teeth and jaws and keep an eye out for any anomalies.

This sort of regular monitoring is even more important if you know that someone in your family has hypodontia or any other dental condition.

In hypodontia, some of the permanent teeth do not erupt – and never do – the most common ones being the third molars (wisdom teeth), followed by the second premolars (second behind the canines) and the lateral incisors (canines).

When these teeth are missing, a person’s bite is interfered with, the risk of damage to other teeth and soft tissues in the mouth increases and the person may not feel as free to smile.

Sometimes, the non-eruption of these permanent teeth is not even initially noticed as the equivalent baby tooth is retained. Sometimes it was foreshadowed by the early eruption of an atypical baby tooth.

Hypodontia is rare particularly considering that it covers missing only one or two teeth through to missing many, which is much less common.

Early detection of hypodontia is possible using a special dental X-ray called an OPG, an Orthopantomogram. Early detection is invaluable as it allows us at your Epping Dentist to manage the condition, so it has the least functional and aesthetic impact.

So please, for the sake of your child’s long-term oral health, do continue to be vigilant about your child’s diet and tooth cleaning & flossing habits – and do bring the child to your Epping Dentist for regular check-ups!