Kids who lose teeth late and slowly - concerns?

[Raifta]

In general I've heard that it's better for your kids to lose their teeth later as then their jaws have a chance to grow bigger and they have more room for the incoming adult teeth.

 

Just wondering though if there are any downsides to kids who seem to lose their teeth quite late and very slowly.

 

DS will be 9 1/2 years in less than a month.  He has lost 4 teeth so far, with the latest being last week.  He lost his first tooth just before he turned 8.  He has one 'loose' tooth but they seem to be loose for about 6 months before they come out.  He's also lost them in a weird pattern - a lower central incisor, followed by the two upper central incisors and now a lower lateral incisor.  His teeth weren't late coming in;  they were pretty much bang on average.  And he has an extra tooth up top. 

 

He doesn't seem to have any adult teeth coming in behind the baby teeth and the dentist has done an x-ray (a year ago? maybe more) and didn't note anything unusual.

 

I guess I'm just trying to gauge whether he's just on the far end of normal and there's nothing to worry about or if there is any reason to follow this a bit more closely.  All the other kids his age seem to have lost 10 - 12 teeth so he's a bit self-conscious about it as well.

[Tammi K]

Several of my kids were really late in losing teeth.  My oldest didn't lose her first tooth until she was 8 and the youngest also didn't lose his first until just a few days before he turned 8.  That was it until he turned 9 that  he lost more.

 

My daughter had to wait to get braces because she didn't have her 12 year molars...at 15.    Both of the above kids wore/are wearing braces but the adjustments  are minor.

 

Ironically, the two kids that lost teeth far more early had a mouth full of snarled, twisted teeth.  They both also have far weaker enamel and had root canals on adult teeth -the youngest at 10 when a molar had what looked like a tiny cavity in a crevice actually had a major 'explosion' inside.

 

So, late never seemed to cause a major problem. 

Edited April 9, 2017 by Tammi K

[Pawz4me]

DS18 was late losing teeth. It was never a huge concern to his dentist, although the dentist did recommend pulling a few of them. I forget the reasoning now, but IIRC it boiled down to the adult teeth being ready to come in but the baby teeth not being the least bit loose yet. But my memory could be faulty. He didn't get braces until he was 15 and didn't get them off until he was almost 18, so he was late in that regard and had braces long after most kids were done with theirs. I don't think it bothered him, though.

Edited April 9, 2017 by Pawz4me

[bettyandbob]

My boys were late losing teeth. I was late losing teeth. I lost my last baby tooth at 14. My mother was 20 when she lost her last baby tooth. So slow teeth is pretty genetic with us.

[Hobbes]

That's pretty much the way my kids seem to be. My 9yo just lost one on Friday and I think it was only her 5th. It had been loose since October, which was driving me nuts.

 

I was always late with teeth too. My dentist used to say that late teeth were strong teeth and I've definitely found that to be true.

[ikslo]

We were just talking today about calling the dentist tomorrow. DS 10 has two adult teeth coming in through the skin in front above his baby teeth, only one of which has started to loosen even a little. Thinking the baby teeth will need to be pulled. But who knows? Maybe the dentist won't be concerned?

[Tanaqui]

I think there are some weird genetic conditions that involve baby teeth falling out at a strange rate - but that's really the least of the symptoms there. If you haven't noticed anything else you're actually worried about, I certainly wouldn't worry about this.

[Donna]

I didn't lose my first tooth until I was 12 years old. I lost most of my teeth in high school. My last three baby teeth had to be pulled and the adult teeth pulled down by chains when I had braces at 30 years old.

 

I've never had a cavity. Don't know if that and losing my teeth late are related in any way.

[lailasmum]

My kids are slow losing teeth. My eldest had one pulled because it hadn't come out in a timely manner. My kids have both had adult teeth come in in front of baby teeth. The baby teeth do sort themselves out in our experience.

[kbutton]

We are late here too. My brother and I were very late to loose teeth, and neither of us ended up needing braces. My older one won't need braces. My younger one is late to lose teeth, but he'll need an expander/braces due to a genetic mutation that causes crowding and a narrow, high palate. We really need to go back to the orthodontist for another estimate on "when." He told us to come back when his two front teeth came out, lol!. That was 2.5 years ago. He's lost four teeth on the bottom, and that is it.

 

[Ausmumof3]

My kids are late with teeth. They get baby teeth late as babies so I assume their adult teeth are just late too.

[prairiewindmomma]

If your kid needs braces, it's generally better to place them after 12 year molars are in.  In our experience, we had to be proactive in helping them out and in removing impacted wisdom teeth so that 12 year molars could come in.

[Raifta]

Well, sounds like it generally isn't a problem or just something to keep an eye on in case any baby ones need to be pulled.  I was hoping that was the case but my IRL circle of mothers with older kids have never had this experience so it was hard to tell!

 

Thanks for the reassurance.

[rebbyribs]

One of my daughters has been slow to lose teeth, and the panoramic X-ray at the dentist this time around showed that her adult lower canines are heading sideways towards the roots of her front teeth, rather than upwards. So a visit to an orthodontist is in order.  

 

I was slow to lose my baby teeth, and things were mostly okay.  One set of baby teeth didn't have adult replacements and I hung onto those into my 30s. 

[LucyStoner]

In my family teeth come in late and baby teeth stay late.

 

We have had a few of my son's teeth removed to help the adult ones come in. He didn't wiggle loose teeth much so he needs the help. My 8 year old has lost 5 teeth total. My older son didn't lose his first tooth until he was close to 9. The older son didn't get his first teeth until he was almost 16 months old. My younger son got his first tooth sometime around his first birthday.

[SKL]

I have heard that later is better.  The later kids get their permanent teeth, the later the teeth can start decaying etc., and the more likely it is that the kid has decent hygiene habits by the time the teeth come in.

 

My family gets teeth later.  No problems.