DD1's wonky teeth

Jo_R_2

Hi all

DD1 is 6 and as tends to happen, has had the tooth fairy visiting a fair few times recently - I think she has had 5 or so teeth fall out and new ones growing in the past months, plus another that fell out last week.

The thing that worries me is that every single one of her "big" teeth that has grown through has grown through wonky. Not just a bit wonky, but at least a 45 degree angle away from being straight if that makes sense?

She has noticed herself but trying to be reassuring, I have explained that it happens to nearly everybody and not to worry as they'll sort themselves out.

I myself had wonky teeth and around the age of 11ish I had fixed braces upper and lower for a good year and a half, had to have 4 molars out prior to that as there wasn't room in my mouth for them and a plastic brace, plus retainers afterwards. Thing is, IMO mine were nowhere near as wonky as DD1's are and as mums do, I'm fretting terribly because she's only 6.

I suppose I want to know if this sort of thing is hereditary in any way (just out of interest) and what sort of treatment she could be looking at and at what age - and cost - as I think things have changed a lot since I was younger.

peachyprice

As you say, she's only 6!

Her jaw will grow and her teeth will straighten out to some extent. My DD between the age of 6-8 had three rows of teeth at the front where they were so wonky, she's 9 now and they've spread out to one row, although I'm sure she'll need a brace at some stage to get them perfectly straight.

Your dentist should refer her to an orthodontist if they're still wonky by the time her second teeth start coming through and she will be monitored by them until all her baby teeth have fallen out. Of my two eldest, onlyone needed braces, the other's teeth straightened by themselves and are now perfect.

Braces are usually fitted around the age of 13-14 or whenever all the baby teeth have fallen out and are free on the NHS as long as they are necessary.

You have a long time, and your DD has alot of growing, before you need to start worrying.

Toothsmith

What she said ^^^^^^^^

Don't worry about it yet. Adult teeth are adult sized, which always looks strange in a child sized mouth.

There is some hereditry factor to jaw shape & size (She has her father's mouth etc!) which means that if a parent needed ortho treatment, then the child might well too. But it's still far too early to worry about it.

Maybe mention it to the dentist at the next check-up if you want further reassurance, but don't panic.

The mixed dentition phase (When both baby and adult teeth are in the mouth) is called "The ugly duckling phase"!

miss_independent

It was when I was around 7 that it became apparent that I would need braces as when my teeth came through they were buck, wonky and huge - I got called goofy and pictures of me at 8 and 9 make me absolutely cringe! I got my first retainer at 11 and fixed braces at 13 for a year and a half, then another retainer which I still wear every night so my teeth don't move. My teeth are straight apart from one bottom tooth and all of my dentists say I have text book perfect teeth now so it is all worth it in the end!

Does she mouth-breathe? The reason I ask is I was, until a few months ago, a mouth-breather and never got any help for it. As a result, I have a long face, short upper lip, flat cheekbones and consider my facial structure to be very ugly. I recently found out just how dangerous and deforming mouth-breathing can be and often wonder if I would have been pretty had someone tried to get me to stop mouth breathing as a child. Mouth breathing also causes teeth to protrude as they are exposed to the air for long periods of time. With me, it was noted as a child of 5 or 6 that I was a mouth breather by a doctor but he never did anything but shout at me. I couldn't breath normally because my tonsils were huge but once they were removed (age 6) I should have been given therapy to retrain me how to breathe properly. I wasn't and growing up, as well as the ugliness, I experienced TMJ pain and locking, allergies and poor concentration. My only option is surgery if I want to look normal but my dentist and the Maxillo Facial surgeon say my bite/jaw are normal and don't seem to think there is a problem and also I am not sure I want to put myself through surgery for vanity's sake. Anyway, if your daughter is a mouth-breather, the time to sort it out is now as the facial bones are still growing. She will still need braces but she won't end up having "Long face syndrome" or "adenoidal face". If she is a mouth breather, a) seek advice from your GP and dentist and if they do nothing about it, do what I do and research mouth breathing on the internet. Best of luck to you both!

heretolearn_2

It may be hereditary in some way, me and 2 of my siblings have wonky teeth in the same way, but lucky me I got the worst case.

My parents didn't believe in braces and no kid on earth is going to ask for them. It's a huge regret to me that I am now stuck with awful looking teeth (did look into braces as an adult, was going to cost me over £3000, can't do it) so even if she does need a brace see it as a positive thing and not a bad thing. It may be miserable having to wear them for a couple of years as a kid, but it's nothing on having crappy looking teeth for 70 odd years!

welshdent

I cant see how "mouth breathing" would cause all that miss_I. Mouth breathing can cause some issues with your gums but thats about it to my knowledge. The mouth breathing is more a sign of an underlying skeletal base issue hence the surgery. Mouth breathing in itself isnt the cause; its largely the way you are put together. As far as the OP is concerned though ... realy try not to worry. As has already been said, your child had adult teeth in a childs body. She will grow around them. 6 is way to early to predict any long term problems

miss_independent

I get what you are saying WelshDent and I appreciate that you will know a heck of alot more than me but my facial structure completely altered (also doesn't look anything like the rest of my family) and not through normal growth, it grew abnormally through the mouth breathing and I've seen pictures of how children with adenoid face can be trained to breathe normally and the massive effects it has on restoring their facial features to normal. With me my main issue was allergies and enlarged tonsils but I was never taught not to breathe through my mouth.

Some links;

http://www.showmesmiles.com/mouthbreathing.asp

http://www.dentalgentlecare.com/kid,_tonsils,_adenoid,_allergies.htm
(the girl at the top and bottom is the same person and her face at the top is similar to mine)

http://www.agd.org/publications/articles/?ArtID=6850

(The first girl shown in the pictures at age 6 and 9, at six looks like I did before I got tonsilitis).

http://www.memphistmj.com/MouthBreathing.html

Even, if the issues of looks aren't a problem, the other health-related issues are ones you don't have to put up with when there is an easy solution.

welshdent

One thing to be careful of is reading a practice website that is promoting their treatment .... I can honestly say that I have never heard of mouth breathing causing a skeletal problem such as this. Maybe the other dentists here have seen more? To me mouth breathing is not a cause it would be a symptom of a severe skeletal problem prventing the formation of a resting oral seal thus mouth breathing. The pictures shown illustrate a diminutive mandible in relation to the maxilla giving rise to a class II skeletal base IIRC. with the best will in the world, no amount of mouth breathing wont stop your mandible growing more. Now being trained to breathe normally could simply conicide with a compensatory growth spurt. My cousin had a load of ortho dontics done when she was in her early teens. She was absoutely fine then all of a sudden at the age of 16 she had another growth spurt and went from what we call a class I occlusion ("normal") to a class III (desperate dan).

Buttonmoons

Wait what? Breathing air in through your mouth rather than your nose gives you a bunch of problems?

I had awful teeth when mine came in, I grew too many and had to have a bunch of them removed at age 8 - all back ones, as the rest of mine were squint because there was no room. One front tooth stuck forward and the other went back. Anyhoo, I had a retainer from age 8 - 12 and then tracks until 16. My teeth aren't perfect, one tooth has went back slightly but then I never slept with the retainer in (he didn't fit it right and then chucked me off his books)

Anyways, I have breathed through my mouth all my life, got my adenoids removed etc. I don't have anything wrong my face I don't think? What are flat cheekbones?!

Buttonmoons

Oh and Jo, seriously my teeth were dreadful as a kid, looked like a bunch of hooligans had been let loose in a graveyard and kicked over all the headstones - my teeth.

I can understand why you worry though, my DD is 4 and one of her front teeth overlaps the other and is twisted slightly, maybe because of the dummy she had, she had an open bite because of it, but her teeth and mouth "fixed" itself, and I suppose they just rearranged themselves like that.

Her dad had bad teeth as a kid, if she grows extra back teeth like me, bless her, she will be stuck in braces for quite a while

Im wondering about this mouth breathing thing still! *examines face*

xbrenx

heretolearn wrote: »

My parents didn't believe in braces and no kid on earth is going to ask for them.

Kids nowadays are very proud to have braces :T