I’m sixteen years old and still had four baby teeth. The top two canine teeth and the bottom. I had the bottom teeth taken out last year, but it left two gaps in my smile because the baby teeth were far behind it. One of them has sort of moved into the right spot, but the other is mostly behind the tooth next to it. I know the two top canine teeth will need to come out, but I am worried about having those same big gaps, especially because it is my top teeth. I’ll have senior pictures at the beginning of next year and I don’t want to look like a hillbilly. If I take those teeth out, can I get dental implants to make my smile look okay?
Kelly
Dear Kelly,
My first question for you is what has your dentist been doing all these years? This is something he should have addressed with you and planned for, instead of leaving you to flounder on your own. It shows remarkable maturity that you are taking this on and trying to get accurate information for yourself.
The first thing that will have to be addressed is whether or not you have any adult canine teeth to begin with. Though some people are born with congenitally missing teeth, it is rare for that to happen with canine teeth. The most common are lateral incisors, molars, and wisdom teeth. Though, it is not unheard of for someone to not have an adult canine tooth.
The most common reason for them not to erupt, however, is that they are impacted. Some diagnostic x-rays can tell your dentist that, which he should have been doing regularly anyway. If there are impacted canine teeth there, dental implants will not be a good solution for you. As you can see from the image above, a dental implant takes the place of your missing natural tooth that is missing. If there is a tooth there, that leaves no space for the prosthetic root to be placed.
Instead, the solution would be to open up the area to encourage the canine to erupt. If it is still uncooperative or there is not enough space for it to come in, an orthodontist can help guide it in while also opening up the space.
The bottom line is you need a better dentist than you currently have to get this done right and in a timely manner for your senior year. Show your parents this post and they can contact us if they have any further questions.
This blog is brought to you by Lexington Cosmetic Dentist Dr. Fred Arnold.