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  • Q&A with Australian Health Practitioners

    Missing back molars

    My 14-year-old daughter had her jaw x-rayed last year and has no evidence of back molars in her lower jaw. At the time of the x-ray, the top 12-year-old molars hadn't come through. However, one of the 12-year-old molars has recently come through, but sideways. It was troubling her because it caused an ulcer on her cheek.

    The dentist we recently met suggested getting an orthodontist's opinion to explore other options or going to a paediatric dentist if the plan was to pull out the tooth. She also a bit of an over-bite. Advice needed?
  • Find a professional to answer your question

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    Thanks

    I am the Principal Dentist at Maven Dental Inner West Sydney. With over 12 years of experience in all forms of general dentistry,I also have … View Profile

    Hello there and thank you for your question.

    An opinion from a dentist interested in orthodontics or an orthodontist is really important at this point to explore options and decide on an overall treatment plan for your daughter. When you say that she had no molars in the lower jaw, do you mean no second molars or no molars at all? 

    If the problem is just not having second molars in the bottom jaw, it would be ok to just have the upper second molars removed. You do not necessarily need a paediatric dentist for this service.

    My suggestion is to start with the orthodontic consultation, with either a dentist interested in orthodontics or an orthodontist, and go from there.

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