Six-year Old Lost Second Molar???

Updated on April 05, 2010
K.P. asks from Valencia, CA
4 answers

My son just lost his upper left second baby molar today (he just turned 6 in February!!) He never experienced any pain until it came out all at once today. I looked at the tooth, it looks "normal" - hollow in the middle like all his other baby teeth have been, the gum is nice and pink/red, doesn't look infected at all, and I couldn't see any holes through the tooth anywhere. It looks like a regular lost baby tooth... but it's a molar and he's only six!!! Is there a way to tell whether this tooth was "supposed" to come out or was it decay? He never experienced any pain (until today, when it came out) and he only had a check-up back in December where the dentist found five very tiny cavities that weren't urgent to fill.

My son has always had very strange, and very early, tooth eruption patterns. He was born teething and had all his primary teeth by the time he was 15 months old (save for one very late lateral incisor that didn't come in until he was nearly three). His first 8 primary teeth were, in order, two front bottom, two front top, all four first-year molars at once (about 5 months old). He lost his two bottom front incisors at 4.5 and 4.75 years old. By the time he turned six in February he had 10 permanent teeth: the four across the top, two front incisors on the bottom and his four six-year molars. So he's had some pretty unusual teeth eruption patterns and obviously very early for growing teeth. But still... six years old for his first molar?? Is that reasonable even given his weird tooth history?

K.

Additional info: he has a dentist appointment on May 3rd. I'm trying to decide if we need to go in before that. Our dental insurance doesn't start until May 1st, so any visit before then would be out-of-pocket. I can't see that there is anything a dentist could do about it now, and putting in a space-maintainer could wait four weeks, couldn't it???

Additional info: I only listed the first 8 primary teeth because I couldn't remember when the other teeth came in :) I remember them well because they were unusual in order of eruption (central incisors, then molars, THEN lateral incisors) and how soon his first molars erupted (five months old). He had 19 primary teeth by the time he was 15 months old - all the primary teeth (including second-year molars) except for the upper left lateral incisor which didn't come in until he was nearly three. He started losing baby teeth at 4.5 years old and over that first year lost and replaced the two upper front incisors all four lower incisors. His six-year molars came in AFTER he already had six permanent teeth. So I'm used to him being unusual! But losing a second-year molar next?? Seems too unusual, even for him. Is it possible that the incoming six-year molar pushed it out prematurely??

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A.S.

answers from Portland on

i would call the dentists office and ask. seems odd but is probley just normal for his tooth history

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M.F.

answers from Kansas City on

I'm no professional...but I thought I'd tell you what I know. My son (almost 15) just had oral surgery and the teeth he had work on, the Dr.was referring to as his "6 yr molars" and "12 yr molars"... My other son lost his when he was six...I think it's fine!

V.W.

answers from Jacksonville on

Check with your dentist.

But I am a little confused... You said he had all his primary teeth by 15 months except for a lateral incisor that was late, and then you listed 8 primary teeth: 2 front bottom, 2 front top, 4 first year molars. Then, that he had 10 permanent teeth at age six: 4 across top, 2 front incisors on bottom, and the 4 six-yr molars. What about his cuspids and bi-cuspids? Are you certain that the molars you are referring to are not actually the bi-cuspids? Their surfaces are mountainous in appearance like molars... but they are NOT the molars.

Check out the 3rd page on this chart:
http://www.sdcoe.k12.ca.us/smiles/fallout.pdf

According to the chart, the cuspids on the top "usually" don't fall out until age 11 (like the molars), however on the bottom, the cuspids "normally" come out around age 9. My own son's cuspids came out a long time ago... so probably around 7, 8 or 9. He JUST lost his first molar this week... and he will be 12 this summer. He got his first 8 primary teeth pretty quickly too, although not QUITE as soon as your son.

So, if you find that you are actually looking at a bi-cuspid, rather than a molar, you might find it less worrisome, and more in line with his early dental growth patterns.

HTH

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R.J.

answers from San Diego on

What does his dentist say?

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