The boy with the extra set of teeth

Janelle, Cleveland OH — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 05:49:55 GMT

You'd be a pauper if you were my sister's mother. She had 22 teeth pulled, not including her wisdom teeth -- all four of them, too!

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Don, Atlanta, GA — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 14:58:24 GMT

My son, too, is a 'shark boy'. He has had 12 extra teeth removed in the past 8 yrs. Each time that we think that they're all done, another 2 or 3 will appear on the x-ray. He's going to be 18 soon, and they're still coming.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Sharon Smith — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 15:03:42 GMT

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Callie, South Texas — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 15:18:40 GMT

My son was also born with an extra set of teeth. His, however, were not located in the normal locations (the "horseshoe" position you indicated) but were all over the place. Needless to say, He had quite a bit of oral surgery at a very young age and wore braces for many years. In fact, when he went into the navy at age 19 he was still wearing braces. I felt so sorry for him but he ended up with a beautiful mouth. My daughter had 2 extra teeth and when she lost 1, the teeth fell into place by themselves. Funny how that worked. I think it is genetic.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Jodi, Joliet, IL. — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 15:18:59 GMT

I don't think this is as uncommon as one might think. I had a complete extra set of wisdom teeth both on top and on bottom and had to have them surgically removed when I was in 8th grade. My sister also had extra wisdom teeth. My oldest son, who is 9, had an one extra tooth in the front which we found at a routine dental exam. He did end up having to have both his baby and the extra tooth removed by the oral surgeon which really wasn't that bad. He does have braces now because that bugger of a permanent tooth decided that it didn't need to move. He has taken this all in stride and it really has not bothered him as much as one might think. There were a couple other kids in his class who also had to get braces so that made him feel better. Good Luck!

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Ray, Lawrence, KS — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 15:22:47 GMT

I love the word supernumerary! We see this every once in a while here at the dental clinic I work at. Very interesting stuff!

The boy with the extra set of teeth

H Hinson — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 15:28:10 GMT

LEAVE HIS TEETH ALONE. If they don't cause problems, then why put him through the trauma and agony of pulling them?

My permanent teeth grew in when I was five, behind my baby teeth. That was cool, because I was the only kid in my class who never lost their front teeth. My parents and dentist insisted on pulling some of them early, though, which was both excruciating and traumatic. I hate the dentist as a result.

Leave well enough alone, until it's time and you are certain that intervention is needed.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Sacramento, CA — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 15:37:21 GMT

Speaking from personal experience, other than your own discomfort, your child will likely just remember this as a great story.

I had 1 extra front tooth (surgically extracted - growing up instead of down) and 2 extra wisdom teeth for 6 total. No big deal, now just a great story that gets amazed look at work.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Bonnie, Los Osos, California — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 15:38:57 GMT

I remember a boy in our neighborhood when I was growing up, a friend of my brothers, who had the same thing occur. He had 18 teeth pulled over time, braces, the works. He is in his forties now, and has the most gorgeous set of teeth! The silver lining.
Best of luck.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Carmen Cousins, Tucson, AZ — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 15:42:19 GMT

I too am an "oddity" - I was a tongue thruster when swallowing and as a result, when my permanent teeth were coming in, they completely flipped around - so the front of my teeth are actually the back of my teeth! I was 18 when I had my braces put in and my orthodontist made me feel like a freak by having all the other doctors in the complex come and "take a look" at what they had only read about in text books.
Hopefully your son will be too young to remember!

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Roger, Tacoma WA — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 15:46:23 GMT

I am 72 years old and had an extra set of teeth. When I was growing up (in a very poor family), dental surgery was a rare thing, and orthodontics almost non-existent. Luckily, I lived near the University of Texas Dental Branch in Houston, and they took my case as a teaching aid. The second set did start growing in with many of them pointing back and down, so there were several surgeries. I wasn't traumatized at all, and I have no fear of dentists because of the excellent care I received by extraordinary professors and students. They worked on Saturdays and after school so I didn't miss any school time.

I don't have perfectly straight teeth, since my permanent teeth turned out to be too large for my jaws, but wire braces for a couple years put everything back in place. I still have healthy strong teeth, all of them, and people tell me I have a great smile.

Good luck to you and your family. If people need expensive dental care and cannot afford it, contact a teaching college to see if they have programs to assist.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Heather, Delmar, NY — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 15:50:07 GMT

Could be worse. I had my wisdom teeth removed at sixteen, only to be told at twenty nine that I had to have them removed again!

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Abby, Bellingham, WA — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 15:51:37 GMT

It was painful enough to have my wisdom teeth removed. I can't imagine having entire set removed. Well, thank goodness he's young and can recuperate quickly.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Kate, Coral Springs FL — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 15:51:48 GMT

I actually had that! its not as bad as they make it seem though. I guess my "extra" 2 front teeth were above my permanent teeth, so i had to have the oral surgery to get them removed. I was in third grade and had it done on a Friday, took to weekend to recover (although after the initial surgery day i was pretty much fine)and was back at school on Monday. Now at 22 you would have never known.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Jerry, New York City, New York — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 15:52:21 GMT

I remember having supernumerary front teeth as a child. Unfortunatly for my mother, the dentist hadn't caught this fact in advance. I remember losing my baby teeth and having what we thought were permanent teeth grow in soon after. On a family vacation to Disney, one of my front teeth fell out without any real provocation. My mother panicked, having no idea why my permanent teeth were falling out. Thankfully she was quickly put at ease upon our return home by our family dentist. I remember being amused by the situation, including my mothers panick.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Mukul Banbihari, Milpitas, CA — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 16:02:53 GMT

Namaste Kavita,

Don't worry - see the movie "Coneheads". When Beldar goest to Dentist, now that is a problem . . .

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Exeder — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 16:05:03 GMT

Sounds like genetic mutation to me. Must be a pain to brush and floss.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Parris W, Austin, TX — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 16:06:36 GMT

There really is a heredity component to having the extra set of teeth. My brother was born with extra front teeth and he had them in his mouth along with his permanent teeth. We used him as a hole punch as one of the canines was in the middle roof of his mouth and was good for punching holes in paper.

Years later while doing family history research I found a new line to our family about which someone had written a book. In it was a story about a great-great uncle who "amazed townfolk" by being able to lift heavy objects tied to a rope- with his extra set of teeth!

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Susan, Buffalo, MO — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 16:09:51 GMT

My daughter was precocious in that she had all of her baby teeth including the first molar by the time she was one year old. Thankfully, she was a happy baby and teething bothered her very little.
The day after starting Kindergarten, at age 5, she lost her first bottom tooth; the second, a day later. The others fell with prompt regularity. Her permanent teeth came in without a hitch.
She has no wisdom teeth at all. Of course, she gets teased unmercifully for this! But she has the last laugh... No painful surgery for her!

The boy with the extra set of teeth

mnnyslzr@yahoo.com — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 16:16:44 GMT

I'm sure he's a cute baby but that's so weird. I hope it's not the Anti-Christ. I've heard stories about the Anti-Christ having extra teeth or was it one tooth in his near his throat.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Janice Emerson, Bend OR — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 16:18:24 GMT

I had this also. When I was in first grade I had my baby teeth pulled and the extra set. It took more than three years for my permanent teeth to come in and then only with the help of braces. Three years without front teeth was miserable.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Leo, Vancouver, Canada — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 16:18:34 GMT

I had the same front two supernumerary teeth. I needed surgery and then braces. I don't remember it really being a big deal to me when I was a child. I'm sure he will be fine.

As a side note, in an apparent attempt to compensate me for having extra front teeth, I never got one permanent upper first molar. The baby tooth came out when I was 17 and I had to have a bridge put in.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Brooke, In, Ohio — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 16:22:00 GMT

I had the opposite - not enough teeth. I was the kid that always had the retainer with the fake teeth. I was never shy about it - and it was funny to all of my classmates from 3rd Grade on up - I got to be a beaver, a vampire, etc by manipulating the fake teeth.. I had braces numerous times, oral surgery, etc. And, as a bonus, I got to miss school a lot. Your child will be okay - at least if you keep a sense of humor about it.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Eline — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 16:23:40 GMT

Most people are paupers when it comes to dental care these days. So often employers don't have dental plans (or vision, either), and there's no other way to pay for it than through the nose.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Gretchen, Kansas City — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 16:25:36 GMT

This is outta control funny!!!!! Poor baby.....

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Darlene, Jacksonville, FL — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 16:30:18 GMT

I also had a set of "extra" front teeth. My parents were poor and couldn't afford the dental visits required to correct the matter. I've paid a mint to dentists and orthodontists as an adult and the pain of the surgery and orthodontia required has been awful (you think YOU'VE got a fear of the dentist)! Jayan will be lucky to have this corrected as a child when the bones/teeth in his mouth aren't set by puberty.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Melissa, Brunswick GA — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 16:36:19 GMT

For me, I never developed six of my adult teeth and at 31 years old, i still have 4 of my baby teeth. My oldest son, at 5 was diagnosed with the same problem and will need work done to make his baby teeth last.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

vietmom73@yahoo.com — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 16:42:54 GMT

HA HA!! THIS IS YOUR KID!!

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Valerie, Stow, Ohio — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 16:50:30 GMT

My son had an extra tooth & the dentist recommended surgery to remove it, because he thought it would prevent his permanent teeth from coming in. We decided fake teeth would be better than the risks of surgery (sure, surgery for an appendix, but for a tooth??). Anyway, his baby teeth came out just fine. His permanent teeth grew in just fine. No surgery needed.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

2th Doctor, Jacksonville FL — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 16:58:53 GMT

Nice work on a well written and factual article. And yes, in a situation like this patience is a virtue.

In the mean time, something you might consider asking yourself is "Do I want my child to end up with the same phobia that I have?"
From his point of view he won't be going to a "miserable operation" unless someone TELLs him it is going to be miserable. There has been a lot of progress both in Pediatric Dentistry and Oral-Maxillofacial Surgery since your bad experience. There are a lot of places you could go lose the fear.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Freakish as a child but all better now, Detroit — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 17:10:46 GMT

Are you kidding me? What a bunch of drama for nothing.

"Jayan would face a miserable operation of oral maxillofacial surgery to remove the extra teeth." Having had this operation myself to remove an extra set of my two front teeth, I was amazed so many syllables are assigned to such a simple procedure. Pull the baby teeth, let the new ones come in or surgically remove the extras. I had the extras removed, then after one tooth descended and the other didn't, a creative arrangement of braces involving hooks, pulleys and other such contraptions to bring the other one down. Surgery was no biggie (except that I'm allergic to the gas) and I wore the contraption for about 2 weeks.

Another parent eager to gain attention from the HORRIBLE condition her child has to SUFFER THROUGH. For pete's sake, your kid has extra teeth. As you so eloquently reported, so do a large number of his fellow humans. Hard to believe this story made the front page of a news organizations website.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

D. KCMO — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 17:15:31 GMT

I had several extra teeth, multiple surgeries as a child and wore braces for six years. Then they learned the roots of my extra teeth were wrapped around my facial bones. The pain was terrible for many years before they found this. They did not find one and when I was in my 30s, it had grown into a tumor, surrounded by scar tissue. Almost broke my jaw bone. Cut off blood supply to two teeth they worked so hard to save and killed them. Now I have to have most of these teeth pulled. I hate dentists.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

R. Peterson, Washington, D.C. — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 17:20:42 GMT

This is so interesting and makes total sense! As I remember a young man in my junior high school class who had several rows of teeth in the roof of his mouth. We used to wonder why he talked so funny. His speech was muffled like he had paper or something in his mouth or cheeks. One day we were all talking about braces and such. He mentioned to us that the reason his speech was muffled was because he had extra teeth in his mounth. We all looked at each other and sort of said "no way." He volunteered to show us by opening his mouth and allowing us to see the extra rows of teeth in the roof of his mouth. As I remember, he had at least two extra rows up there. I do remember that he talked about all the dental appointments he had had over the years with more to come. For many years I kept wondering if it was just a dream or something I had made up in my youth. But now reading your story - I realize it was true. We never teased him (you just didn't do that sort of thing when I was in school). As far as I know only a few of us knew about his extra teeth. He was a good student and after we graduated I never saw him again. But I just remember him opening his mouth and seeing those extra rows of teeth in the roof of his mouth and being astounded.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Laurie B, San Diego, CA — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 17:30:19 GMT

I had two extra sets of front teeth. When my baby teeth hadn't fallen out by the age of 9, I had oral surgery. The surgeon removed one pair of adult front teeth that were too large to come in, which was causing the problem. After the surgery the second set of adult teeth came down and are perfectly normal. I have had a total of 7 teeth removed since I was a kid. Yet every time I go to the dentist I fall asleep while they are working on me...hee hee!

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Joshua, Indianapolis IN — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 17:30:36 GMT

Can you all please save your pulled teeth so I can make a tooth necklace?

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Barb, Houston — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 17:33:01 GMT

I agree that it must be genetic. I have two extra teeth, my son has one extra, and rumor has it my grandmother had extra. Mine are fully formed and were never pulled because they fell right in line with all the rest without braces. I have to point them out for people to even notice.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Ken B., Newark DE — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 17:33:35 GMT

I had two full sets of baby teeth also - don't really remember it but my mother told me i was spitting teeth out for a while like chicklets - only problem in my case was the adult teeth came out very soft

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Christine, OC, CA — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 17:39:30 GMT

I think that's cool! And wow, $10 from the tooth fairy, lucky kid. When my baby teeth came out, I got nothing. My sister gave me a nickel once. (I'm a product of the 80's so it wasn't like a nickel was a lot of money). Earlier this year when I had my wisdom teeth pulled, I didn't get anything except a dry socket...!

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Kimberly, Tacoma WA — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 17:47:22 GMT

My daughter has the opposite problem. She is MISSING 12 from birth. Her Dad is missing 11. She has braces and will have to have 4+ implants when she's about 18.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Erin W, Bay Area, California — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 17:50:41 GMT

My sister, cousin and I all have an "extra" tooth in the roof of our mouths. My cousin and sister ahd theirs removed, but since mine hasn't grown through yet, it's still there. I also didn't have a permanent tooth to replace one of my front teeth, so I have a baby tooth still...at 29 years old! Good luck and hugs to your brave boy!

The boy with the extra set of teeth

cmi Richmond, KY — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 17:54:09 GMT

Both my boys have had baby teeth pulled to make room for their permanent teeth, and neither of them has been traumatized. Even when our then 6 yo had 12 teeth missing (6 on top, 6 bottom) b/c we were living overseas and had to have all dental work done the 4 weeks were in the US over the summer, it was not traumatic at all. He was too thrilled to get $30 in tooth fairy money to worry about not being able to eat corn on the cob for a while.

He will have to have permanent teeth removed, too, as he has a very small mouth. I had that done as a kid, and it didn't bother me at all. It won't bother him either.

Your son is lucky to have parents that care enough to have him see a dentist. In the state where we live now, very few kids ever see a dentist and they end up with painful absesses. So much better to see a dentist and have it done right.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

amy, Birmingham, AL — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 17:55:10 GMT

My sister had four extra teeth in the roof of her mouth that had to be removed. I remember her recovery was awful to watch. Cutting the roof of your mouth is the most painful thing in the world. She had stitches in her mouth and she bled every time she tried to eat. I wouldn't wish it on anyone.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Shannon, Sugar Land, TX — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 17:57:29 GMT

I had the same thing. Extra teeth all over the place when I was young. I went for two christmases "wanting my two front teeth". The story nevers ends though, I had 6 wisdom teeth pulled when I was 22, now at 32 I have two more coming in. My dentist says it likely will never end...

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Christopher — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 17:57:40 GMT

Dont worry i had 22 baby teeth and 4 permanent teeth pulled, N now i hate dentists(who dont give you pain meds)

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Arleene, El Paso, TX — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 17:59:08 GMT

My husband's two front teeth aren't flat in the back side. They look like they have tiny feet, sort of like molars. It's weird.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

R pacheco , long beach ca — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 18:14:52 GMT

He can better chew his food so what leave him alone.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Ivonne Allen, Portland, OR — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 18:18:38 GMT

I do have an extra set of canine teeth in my upper gums that were discovered over twenty years ago. I'm now in my forties. The dentists I've had through out the years have decided to leave them alone until they star acting out. So far they've remained in the same spot they've always been.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Laura, Lewiston, ID — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 18:22:27 GMT

When my son was 16 and had his wisdom teeth surgically removed, one of them was about the size of three wisdom teeth combined. It ended up being several teeth that grew together (perhaps a tooth bud that split).

The boy with the extra set of teeth

QB, New York — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 18:25:55 GMT

Fascinatingly, an elderly relative of mine grew a whole new set of teeth at age 96, long after she lost her adult teeth!

I'm not sure if that really counts as supernumerary teeth, but it sure seems along the same line!

:-)

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Joann, Hiram, GA — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 18:26:09 GMT

While I don't have supernumerary teeth, mine are deficient in numbers. I was told around the age of 20 that I either never got my 12-yr molars or never got my wisdom teeth. They both look the same and the number of teeth didn't add up. So, I'm 48 yrs old now and periodically get an aching in my right jaw and can feel a tooth coming down. Don't know if it's a molar or a wisdom tooth. Old wives tale: Your life is half over when you get your wisdom teeth in. Since I haven't gotten them in yet, I guess I'll live forever, huh????

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Steve, Fayetteville, AR — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 18:36:46 GMT

I didn't actually have an "extra" tooth, but one of my adult's was actually found in the roof of my mouth toward the back. I was already in braces when they found this tooth, so they cut the roof of my mouth open and attached a bracket to the tooth. Over time of about 1 yr. the tooth had moved to the right position, but just inside the jawbone. Over the course of the next few years the tooth never slid into place. As it loosened, I would hit it with my lowers and it gave me excruciating pain. Drunken one night in college, I just yanked that sob right outta there. I have a bridge in now, but I was darn sure happy to get that out. Nevertheless, my family wasted a lot of money trying to get that fixed.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Sandra, Los Angeles CA — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 18:45:56 GMT

My five your old is scheduled for surgery next month to remove his extra "shark" teeth. I initially freaked out, but now I feel a little better about it. When his baby teeth first began to come out, one came out a little twisted to the side. My pediatrician was adamant that my son had used a pacifier and that was why his tooth was crooked. My son never used a pacifier. Now the oral surgeon and pediatric dentist have both confirmed that his baby front tooth came out that way because of the supernumery teeth inside his palette.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Kim, Spring, TX — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 18:48:40 GMT

Having too many teeth is better than having not enough, Im 26 yrs old and only have 19 teeth with bridges in my mouth, some of which are baby teeth. I never got most of my adult teeth, and had to get a lot of baby teeth pulled, braces and now bridges. Let me tell you all that work wasnt cheap, and my teeth still look bad.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Bee, Wyoming — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 18:50:16 GMT

I also had extra teeth, 3 full sets to be exact. My mother was very worried when I kept losing teeth but there was always another tooth underneath. The tooth fairy was very good to me.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Kim Lewiston, Idaho — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 18:58:26 GMT

I have worked in a dental office before and personally never saw anything like this. Although, the dentist I worked for said that he has heard of teeth growing back after being pulled. I was one that only had three wisdom teeth so did my mom (I was missing one of my top left so was she). After having them pulled years later I had some discomfort where my wisdom teeth had been pulled. The dr. was concerned that a tooth may have grown back there, but thankfully not. There are millions of people in this world there are bound to be all kinds of astonishing things in people.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Trevor, Silver Spring, MD — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 19:01:06 GMT

My mom had supernumerary teeth. I think it's totally awesome! Why take 'em out?

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Natasha, Philadelphia, PA — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 19:02:53 GMT

I had supernumerary teeth - not a big deal. They come in, then you pull them out. Contrary to one bloggers advice to leave them alone - you can't they crowd out your "real" teeth and can be painful and increase the risk of cavities, etc. Plus, they are truly unattractive teeth. They need to come out. You did the right thing.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Suzel, Land O'Lakes, Florida — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 19:10:22 GMT

When I was 9 my dentist said my xrays showed an extra set of bicuspids, or eye teeth. He pulled the permanent ones that had already come in and the 2 extras came down naturally. I don't know if the first or second set were the supernumeraries. My top teeth are now perfectly set. I only wish the case had been the same with the bottom teeth! Let your son enjoy his "specialness". Until reading your article I had not ever know what my "extra" teeth were called. Now at the age of 48, I can say I am proud to be special too! Thanks for sharing his story!

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Karen, North Liberty, IA — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 19:10:41 GMT

my daughter lost both her front bottom teeth at age 5 and both her front bottom and another bottom one by age 6. She turns 7 in Feb and I refer to her as my "toothless wonder". A lot of the kids in her class have lost their teeth also, so I question your age range for losing teeth.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Anne, Florida — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 19:10:44 GMT

It has to be genetic! In may family we have the problem of in vitro roaming supernumerary teeth buds. My mom had a tooth come out of her foot when she was 16 and I am congenitally "missing" two eye teeth. Can't wait to see where those show up one day!

The boy with the extra set of teeth

LMC, Chicago, IL — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 19:45:53 GMT

My father did not have an adult set of teeth. At 64 years old he's a grown man with a mouth full of little baby teeth. He did lose one tooth last year while eating and we joked that at 63 years old he should be getting at least $100 from the tooth fairy!

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Jim, Pennsylvania — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 19:59:12 GMT

I'm almost 41 and I have this. Yes, present tense- have. I have 4 teeth behind my top fron 4. They are each about 3/16" to 1/4" long. I never had dental care as a child. I go to the dentist every 6 months and he has never said anything about this. I thought it was just me. They don't bother me in the least. Odd.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Cindy, San Diego, CA — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 20:03:40 GMT

I had two sets of baby teeth, and lost both sets naturally, my mom saved both sets, when she told my dentist, he didn't believe her til she produced all those teeth

The boy with the extra set of teeth

MJ Murphy — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 20:10:39 GMT

My sister had a third set also. She is Native American, a group which is apparently more inclined to have the extra set.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Diana Pensacola, Florida — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 20:11:01 GMT

I also had 3 sets of teeth- After my baby teeth, I had 2 sets of permanet teeth come in. They came down every which way, so a dentist put me to sleep and cut out 13 teeth. Unfortunately, my teeth were of poor quality so I have grown up in a dentist chair and spent too much $$$$. Best of Luck to your son and family, Happy Thanksgiving!

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Amy, Indiana — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 20:34:43 GMT

At least he has 3 sets! I only have one and needless to say, my "baby" teeth have not held up too well for my whole 24 years. I have a terrible smile...it is really pretty devistating. It's easier and more cost efficient to take out than to add teeth!

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Tonie,Newtn,NH — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 20:36:17 GMT

I had 4 teeth in one place, my right eye tooth. The third one appeared when I was 25 years old and the fourth when I was nearly 40 years old. Both times I had tremdous hormonal changes-when I was 25 I grew 3/4" and when I was 40 I went into premature menopause for the third time. The two extra teeth were exactly like shark teeth, flat and sharp with tiny little teeth. Both of them had to be surgically removed and both were growing backward. Neither dentist had really ever heard of this before but it was in the 70's and early 80's.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Susanna, Rapid City, South Dakota — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 20:38:20 GMT

I, too had extra teeth-38 baby teeth pulled-my tooth fairy was good to me! I had a chest of all of them and no one ever wanted to believe me that so many were pulled. Good luck!

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Ashley Rea California — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 20:44:17 GMT

I love reading these. I am actually on my 8th wisdom tooth soon to be pulled and I have one more coming in. Oh the joy.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Nicholas Gustafson, Orinda, California — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 20:59:23 GMT

I had some extra teeth in the front, they were removed because they prevented my permanent teeth from moving into position

The boy with the extra set of teeth

LS, Monroe, La — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 21:00:48 GMT

That is weird...but somewhat common. I hope he doesn't grow up hating the dentist!!!

The boy with the extra set of teeth

goldenwren Wichita, Kansas — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 21:01:12 GMT

I never had the extra teeth, but when the adult teeth came in, they were smaller than most person's baby teeth. eventually I had to have all of them pulled in a hospital. My trouble now is getting dentists to make my dentures small enough because my mouth is small. I can't wear adult dentures.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

d doe — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 21:04:44 GMT

Maybe his jaw is too small

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Nick, Fort Collins, CO — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 21:07:09 GMT

Sharon, good thought, though evolution isn't a reactive science. I want to fly, but that doesn't mean I'll evolve wings by the time I'm 50.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Theron Clarkston WA — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 21:10:11 GMT

do you have any pictures.My daughter has extra teeth like that.This way we could show her that other people have these extra chompers too.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

gina_marshall2000@yahoo.com — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 21:14:34 GMT

WHen my son was 4 I noticed his gums above his front baby teeth were protruding out and immediately set an appt. up with his dentist. He had an extra set of front teeth. He did have the oral surgery and the front baby teeth and extra set were removed. He is now 17 with a beautiful set of chompers and has absolutely no recollection of the surgery. I think it was more painful on his father and I. We cried like babies during his surgery and worried about how it would affect him!
Gina, Vanc, WA

The boy with the extra set of teeth

momosan,reseda,ca — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 21:16:03 GMT

H. Hansin asked why the parents don't leave the kids' teeth alone and then mentions she had two sets in her mouth. Well, first of all it looks nasty when people allow their children to have two sets of teeth in their mouth. Also it causes crowding which results in teeth growing crooked and some of the teeth stay impacted in the gums which means more pain and invasive surgery versus pulling early and sometimes being able to avoid surgery. I would hope most parents would choose less pain in the present and pulling baby teeth early rather than wait and have a child go through more pain at a later date.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Mellissa — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 21:16:59 GMT

Wow, I thought I was the only one who had "shark teeth" However I actually had both sets of teeth out at the same time. My baby teeth in front and my permenent teeth grew in behind them and the dentist foud another set underneath. They removed the baby teeth in front and sucked out the other set. I had four holes in my gums for the longest time.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

lori, pittsburgh, pa — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 21:19:50 GMT

extra teeth run in my family too. but none have shown up in a long time.. so i hope my kiddos (2 and 4)are spared. but hey... way back when they really couldn't do much about it. so lets all be happy dentistry has advance so much from the 1940s, right?! :)

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Kim, Irvine, CA — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 21:27:30 GMT

Be careful with pulling your childs teeth to early. I had a condition like this when younger (I was a sr in high school & still had baby teeth). When I had the teeth pulled, the oral surgeon hit a nerve and i have had a facial paralysis ever since! I have been told byu several dr's this is more common than people think and its dangerous to pull baby teeth.

My son is now experiencing same problem of to many teeth but he still has several baby teeth (he is 10) and every modern day dds said dont remove them until ALL of his baby teeth fall out - then if still a problem oral surgery might need to be done but there is NO REASON to ever have to pull a baby tooth. Oral surgeons are in business of pulling teeth. I recommend seeing a few dds first to get their opinion as they are in business of saving and not removing teeth.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Mike. Spokane, Wash — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 21:36:52 GMT

To the person (Sharon Smith) who guessed it was a sign of living longer and attributed it to evolution. Wrong. It's fewer teeth not more! Both my daughter and myself were born without wisdom teeth. Scientist have stated, that as we evolve, we need fewer teeth due to our diet, and less hair. I have no wisdom teeth and not a whole lot of hair; as a result, the implication is that I am higher evolved the most. :)

The boy with the extra set of teeth

melissa, lexington — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 21:38:21 GMT

my mom had a couple molars grow in behind her front teeth when she was a kid. she got them pulled but i never thought it was weird. i didn't have any extra teeth (that i know of?? now i'm wondering!) but mine came in all funny...i had 4 of my bottom teeth pulled at once when i was about 12 and it didn't slow me down at all...they also said i was going to have to have oral surgery because two of my canines were pointing the wrong way and wouldn't grow in but apparently they flipped themselves around. your kid will be fine. just make sure he gets a milkshake or ice cream whenever he gets dental work done, that's what my mom always did, and none of us are scared of the dentist. just one of those things you have to do.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

A. Springer, Livermore, CA — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 21:39:31 GMT

My daughter had a molar that grew from the back of her mouth to the front and starting coming in on the roof of her mouth behind her front teeth. She complained about a bump and when we took her in the dentist was started to see a molar with a 3" long root.

She had it surgically removed and has had no problems since.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

J. Rogal, Brockton, MT — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 21:39:36 GMT

I have 4 shark children. We did NOTHING about them unless they were clearly problematic, the worst case of which was a supernumery that didn't want to leave even though the permanant one was pushing up under it. None of my grand children has this though and there are 3 of them.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Jill Hirt, Boulder, Colorado. — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 21:46:22 GMT

Very common situation and NOT a big deal!!! I have worked in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery for fifteen years and we remove supernumerary (extra) teeth all the time. I find it irresponsible of you to say your child could face a miserable operation of oral maxillofacial surgery to remove the extra teeth. Most children are up and about the very same day, requiring nothing more than over the counter childrens Tylenol or Motrin. Shame on you for creating fear in others just because you have issues with Dentistry. I really hope your article doesn't scare anyone into not seeking treatment for thier children or themselves!!!

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Alexis Smith, Joplin, Missouri — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 21:51:36 GMT

Hey, as a positive your son won't be needing his two front teeth for Christmas!! I was one of those people with the opposite problem...Just think of the big man in the sky "averaging" things out amongst all of us. And keep good humor, I found out about my problem when I was third grade. There have been more then enough jokes about my teeth. But when I was in the retainer stage with fake teeth, I was the only one that could wiggle their teeth. Its better then wiggling ears!!!

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Kim, Nebraska City, Ne — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 21:53:31 GMT

My mom and I both have an extra set of wisdom teeth on the top. I went to dental assisting school and it was a fun thing for all of the other students to look at. I still have mine but my mom had hers pulled. Mine are very small; kind of like mini molars

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Kim, Nebraska City, Ne — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 21:53:32 GMT

The boy with the extra set of teeth

sabrina, cheyenne wy — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 21:57:42 GMT

The antichrist? Did someone really write that? I bet comments like that sure make his parents feel better.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Khaila, Imperial, CA — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 21:59:10 GMT

I am starting to wonder if I should worry. My 6 year old son. (Just turned six a month ago) has had to have 4 of his baby teeth extracted because 2 (what we assume to be permanent teeth) started to grow in behind his front bottom teeth. Now I am wondering if they really are permanents and not extra teeth. The baby teeth that they pulled weren't even loose yet. Any suggestions? Should I worry?

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Dan, Maui, HI — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 22:05:51 GMT

I had two rows of teeth on both my upper and lower jaws, except for my two front teeth. Had to have 21 teeth pulled on two different visits. Needed a lot of braces after tthat, but that kept me out of Viet Nam as they didn't want to draft me only to send me to the only place they had Army orthodontists-- Hawaii!!

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Tracy, Salt Lake City, UT — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 22:15:50 GMT

I never had extra teeth but when I was little the formula my mom had to give me ate the enamel off my teeth. When I was 5 I had most of my baby teeth pulled using oral surgery. All I remember is the elevator ride in the hospital. I thought that was the coolest thing ever and my brother and sisters didn't get to come. The rest of my teeth has silver caps on them and I had metal spacers on my teeth to insure my adult teeth could grow in properly. I don't remember ever being in pain.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Mindy Hufferd, Reedley, CA — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 22:19:18 GMT

I had an extra set of permanent teeth come in after they removed the first set when I was 10 years old. It is hereditery in my family. Also, I did get the 4 wisdom teeth and use one as a part of my regular teeth instead of a molar. I went in every weekend to get 4 or 5 pulled with local numbing and two Anacin aspirin tablets. It wasn't too bad. That was 47 years ago and I survived.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Kay P., Phoenix, AZ — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 22:26:28 GMT

I never realized that this was so common... I had lost all of my baby teeth before I was half way through 1st grade and in 4th grade I had extra teeth (the K-9's on top) and a couple of others that had to be pulled. They had grown in but above where teeth normally come in- so it looked like they were fangs coming out towards the top of my gums overlapping my other teeth. Kids used to tease saying I was a vampire or something. And then afterwards I wore braces until midway through highschool. Even now I still have a "bridge" or pernament retainer on the back of my bottom teeth to keep them straight since the over crowding was so bad, that if I would remove it, my teeth would go back to being crooked.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Nikki, Byron Center, MI — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 22:29:00 GMT

I too am an oddity, though I never knew they had a name for it! I had an extra top set of front teeth (my parents each had one extra tooth so I got two!). I had a total of 5 teeth surgically removed when I was in 2nd grade (three baby teeth and the two "spares". No trama for me and it's a great "Name one unique thing about yourself..." icebreaker item. One of my permanent front teeth came in at a 90 degree angle, but with a little orthodontics, it was straightened out.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

bryna, champlain, new york — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 22:41:12 GMT

Don't you think you are over-reacting just a bit? Phobia's and inferiority complexes are brought about when so called "common" people can't deal with one who stands out as different in some degree. I would think that YOU as a Mom, wouldn't expose her child to such things. Perhaps there are many more than you are aware of who are not in line so to speak as "Norm". Although your son's situation is quite different, once course of completion, it sounds as if no one would ever know unless you force him to FEEL different. Extra doesn't always resemble bad. It doesn't even always stand out as strange! I have five teeth in front on the bottom. baby teeth, and adult teeth later on. look perfectly normal in size and structure. (perfectly straight too). It's the dentist who acts as though this is freaky somehow. My grand-daughter was born with teeth. It really changed no more in her life than mine did in having five in front instead of ONLY the four most have. So unless ones makes the one different feel he's a freak because he's different...I suppose he may actually be normal, but uniquely different.
It is refreshing to not be so common...after all, it's what makes us...us.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

anonymous in CT — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 22:41:55 GMT

I happened to lose a few of my teeth twice. The first were my baby teeth, the second I thought were my adult teeth, but after a couple years they also fell out, and I grew new teeth.

Thank goodness I'm old enough to not have had my teeth "discovered" by an oral surgeon or dentist. I was fortunate enough to have them grow in and lose them "normally" twice wihtout the need for painful expesive surgery. Oh, and btw I have my wisdom teeth also, and have never regretted not getting them removed.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Richard Kilmon, The Villages, FL — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 22:44:09 GMT

Wouldn't it be great if at 40 or 50, all your teeth fell out and a nice new set grew in. ready for the next couple of decades of good eating.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Marie, Indianapolis, IN — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 22:45:14 GMT

I believe it is genetic, as my brother, first cousin, uncle, and myself all have had at least one "extra" tooth.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Dee Dee, Rangely, Co — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 22:50:57 GMT

Hold tight you are doing your best and all will work it's self out. My son was born with no enamel on his front teeth and his molar's didn't close right...youlive and learn. Five years later my nephew was born with the same problem and because we were aware of what to look for we caought it early. My son at age 3 wanted to be a Dentist...at age 16 is looking for a college that has a dental program and what thier requirments are. Kids are only afraid of what we make them afraid of.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

BV, Joliet IL — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 22:53:40 GMT

I started losing my teeth at age 5, probably due to being hit in the mouth with a baseball bat. I also have an extra wisdom tooth on my bottom right that doesn't have to be removed as of yet
(I have three of my four regular wisdom teeth).

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Allison, Tampa, FL — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 22:56:52 GMT

I had three extra teeth that were pulled just last year. Two extra canines and one extra moler. I'm still waiting for my second set of braces... but at least they don't call me 'shark girl' anymore!

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Kitty, Buffalo NY — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 22:59:13 GMT

NO, he is not the freakin' Anti-Christ! Call your psychiatrist, your meds are not working.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Robin Diviney, Ft Scott, KS — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 23:06:07 GMT

One of my Aunts, my oldest brother, and one of my daughters had three sets of teeth, and I had extra 'canine'.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Shelly, Virginia — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 23:11:13 GMT

My daughter's front 2 teeth became decayed at the age of one. We took her to the dentist who informed us they had abcessed and would need to be removed. Two week later (to the day) A new front tooth popped through. The dentist didn't believe me, he thought it was probably a bone fragment. I took her in and sure enough it was a tooth. It never showed on the original x-ray and no more have shown since. I have my fngers crossed that it was just this one.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Larry Philp Inglis FL. — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 23:16:22 GMT

I was born with 12 extra upper teeth, had surgically removed. And yes others in my family also suffer this condition.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

people are mean — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 23:28:34 GMT

I think that Freakish as a child but all better now, out of Detroit is a big meanie. Do you even have kids? You probably do, and enjoy causing them pain, Some parents actually feel bad for their kids when they have to go through painful surgeries. Try some sympathy blockhead.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

MamaD — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 23:33:32 GMT

I'm also missing my wisdom teeth, but my older daughter says I'm just more evolved than most people ;-)

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Karen H., Lewisburg, PA — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 23:39:46 GMT

Hey, my kid is missing some adult teeth! Better to have extra teeth then not enough. He will need major dental work, the good thing is that the work shouldn't be done until he is 25 or so, that lets me off the hook of footing the bill!!

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Karen H., Lewisburg, PA — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 23:39:46 GMT

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Omar, Tucson AZ — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 23:43:36 GMT

Supernumerary... I had forgotten the term. I experienced this when I was a child. I believe I had 12 of them taken out and my dentist was always like, c'mon... again? :-) He always told me that this is not very common, and that he had seen children with one here, or two there. But 12 was not common. I underwent 3 maxilofacial surgeries, and 7 years of braces, but I have to say that it was worth it as I have been complimented on my great smile. If you don't take care of these if they come out they can mess up your normal set of teeth and that is worse. I even had one in the roof of my mouth!

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Nicole, Philadelphia — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 23:58:34 GMT

When I read the part about the kid being the only one in his kindergarden class who had lost teeth, I laughed. I had my adult teeth by 8 and my wisdom teeth by 13. My dentist had never seen anything like it... I love weird teeth stories.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Alexandria, VA — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 00:00:55 GMT

I had same type of teeth problem when I was a baby. What my parents told me to do was, push those two extra teeth so that the front two teeth will losen and then when those front teeth fell off, I can then push (by tongue) the back two teeth. Which helped to level it out. Now I have perfect teeth shape. You will not believe that I was born like that :)

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Judy Samsal, Midwest City, OK — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 00:08:34 GMT

I am retired, well over 21, I've had supernumeraries showing on x-ray since I started dentist visits. Only one ever grew and we pulled it out. My daughter also had supernumeraries and had to have wisdom teeth removed twice. My brother had them also, and had them removed by surgery when they started to grow. They are only a problem if they grow, which they don't always.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

LW, Colorado Springs, CO — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 00:11:07 GMT

Hmmm, I guess I have the opposite problem. Several years ago a dentist told me that I didn't have any wisdom teeth, they just didn't exist! Fine, by me, I've heard WAY too many wisdom tooth extraction horror stories!

The boy with the extra set of teeth

dawn, little rock, ar — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 00:18:02 GMT

I can't believe some of these comments. Really, it's not that uncommon and is hereditary. I had the extra row of teeth on the bottom as a child and they fell out and my permanents moved into place on their own. One of my 5 kids is going through it now.
The only warning I can give is this..earlier this year I had a knot show up behind my right ear and the doc had to cut it out. He was amazed (after sending it out to find out what it was)that it was basically a mass of tooth material. Behind my ear.
So..while we don't really know what causes it..we do know it's not an alien gene and doesn't change anything about who your son grows up to be.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Dianna, Chesapeake, VA — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 00:19:02 GMT

It's not uncommon, my hubby's grandmother had three sets of front teeth. My co-worker's eight year old son had an extra tooth that they had to pull because it was growing in front of his permanent tooth. And my daughter was born with no upper lateral teeth, which I've since come in in contact with other peopole with the same situation. It's not uncommon, just the way they were made. She's in her second set of braces and will eventually have to have implants put in.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Katie, Oxford, OH — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 00:22:37 GMT

Hey, I had extra front teeth too. I can remember in one week losing around 5 or 6 baby teeth within the course of two days.
I had to get teeth pulled as well.
This article is a bit melodramatic - I survived, and after a couple years of braces I have an awesome set of teeth. All I can say is good luck with your orthodontic adventures.
=)

The boy with the extra set of teeth

yup, Oregon — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 00:24:03 GMT

Freakish as a child but all better now, Detroit: you are not a nice person. Have some sympathy for petes sake. This mom is allowed to to her feelings! Knowing that your child is going to be caused pain is hard. Freakish.....maybe you should not comment on other people lives....you're an a**

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Cathy, Athens, PA — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 00:35:20 GMT

That's funny about fate stepping in and loosening his teeth. My son was just getting ready to get braces and he knocked out some teeth in a bicycle accident. It was quite traumatic - two teeth came all the way out (couldn't believe the roots on those things!) and two others were broken and had to be pulled, plus he had stitches in his chin - but he got false teeth that were straight and didn't have to wear braces!

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Dude, Phx — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 00:52:43 GMT

My wife still has some of her baby teeth!

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Elle, Williamsburg, VA — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 00:54:23 GMT

My oldest son had one extra that came down in the roof of his mouth. We had it cut out, and he had no problems. He also had a "talon tooth", where one extra baby tooth was fused to another normal tooth. This fell out with no problems. My younger son is four. He has one extra baby tooth, and an xray done when he hit his mouth shows two extra incisors as well. The dentist has warned us to expect more when he has a full set of xrays. No biggie- take it in stride, and the kids will be fine. I think it's kind of fascinating, and my older son loved getting out of school for a day when we had his removed. He was at Chick Fil A about two hours later and polished off a box of nuggets and fries. It's no big deal if you don't make it one.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

ANNIE GREEN @ YAHOO.COM — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 00:57:53 GMT

GEE. I WOULD LOVE TO GROW A SECOND SET OF TEETH! wILL MIRACLE GROW HELP?!! HA .

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Sue Atkins — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 01:20:37 GMT

Very, very interesting to learn about so many potential anomalies. Thank you all for writing.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Kale T, Beorne, Texas — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 01:32:05 GMT

In response to Sharon Smith's theory that it is evolution that is taking place because of our increasingly long lifespans, I would like to say the evolution is the term for changes in a species after centuries or millennia of natural selection, which is where creatures with certain traits live longer to produce offspring or are better able to do the same. With that said, I believe that evolution has nothing to do with it. Evolution is not a cognizant being that decides that since humans now live longer, they should have an extra set of teeth. The extra set of teeth would have to somehow give the possessor an edge over the rest of the population when it comes to reproduction so that their trait would be spread, and since in present day society these extra teeth dont give anyone that edge, evolution is not the culprit.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Susie, San Francisco, CA — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 01:36:08 GMT

I thought there would be pictures.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

John Doe, Montgomery, AL — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 01:38:07 GMT

How many of these mothers were over 30?
I wonder...

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Tensy Decatur, GA — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 01:49:56 GMT

My son also had an extra front tooth. After taking him to 2 different dentist I finally was able to get it pulled. He was 6 at the the time. His front teeth had already come out and the first tooth came in at a very sharp point. I had never seen anything like it before. He kept the tooth that was pulled which was a little over an inch long.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Adam, New Rochelle, NY — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 01:58:45 GMT

Just curious, do you think MSNBC should be calling your son a shark? I think its time to yank the article and let MSNBC know that your son is not a freak or a shark

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Judith — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 02:10:25 GMT

When my father joined the service in WWII they pulled all of his teeth (they were crumbly) and they gave him dentures. Within a year they had ALL grown back. Out came the dentures. 10 years later he had to have them removed again (they were also crumbly). He is 88 and is still waiting to see if his teeth willl come in again. My Husband also had an extra row of front teeth that had to be removed. I didn't have enough. I was missing a first molar and two wisdom teeth. So far the only thing my children or grandchildren have inherited is the pointed tooth that my mother,sister, and daughter had.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Jen Lawrenceville, NJ — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 02:31:27 GMT

Two weeks ago, I noticed my "just turned" 3 year old son had two loose teeth on the top. I thought he had some kind of injury, so I took him to the dentist. They took x-rays and brought the dentist in to tell me that he is getting his permanent teeth inalready and they were on the x-rays. Now, I'm wondering if they are an extra set of teeth. None of my other children got teeth so early.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Debbie Al-Harbi chelmsford,ma — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 02:37:59 GMT

my son has the opposite problem he was born without most of his adult teeth and in his twenties he will lose his baby teeth and then they are going to use braces again and put permanent fake teeth in.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Kacky of Maine — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 02:41:53 GMT

All this drama over a few extra teeth? What would you do if he was discovered to have mental illness or became ill with a life threatening disease? My goodness, count your blessings.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

kittie-va — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 02:47:40 GMT

Are any of you of French decent? I was told that Huguenot French decent people are more likely to have supernumerary. I had no idea that I had French ancestry until I checked into it.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Rick, Memphis TN — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 02:50:04 GMT

Don't feel too bad; Tom Cruise I believe may be missing at least one front tooth too.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

JAWS, Wichita, KS — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 02:57:02 GMT

Proud owner of shark teeth here!
My third set was discovered through a x-ray in 7th grade, however there were only four (canines apparently) of the third set that showed. Out of four, two actually developed-- one is stuck in my gum plate as the tooth will not fall out to let it come in place. The other tooth has long since came out in high school allowing the third to take its place. The two on my bottom teeth have mysteriously vanished.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Rick, Memphis TN — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 03:26:57 GMT

I have an extra laterial on each side next to each of my upper eye teeth. You would never know just by looking, unless you counted the 6 teeth (all straight thank goodness). The insurance company has a fit when they get a bill for work on 7a and 7b from the dental chart :-) My mom had 1 extra laterial so I am sure it is genetic.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Abby smith — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 03:28:58 GMT

I TO HAD AN EXTRA SET OF TEETH FOUR ACTUALLY AND AS ONE MIGHT SAY JUST LEAVE THEM ALONE THEY WILL FALL OUT AND I WORE BRACES FOR 6 YEARS BUT HEs ONLY 5 AND HE HAS ALOT OF TIME TO LOSE THOSE TEETH SO MY SISTER HAD TO GET ALL HER TEETH REMOVED AT JUST 6 YEARS OLD SO JUST ENCOURAGE HIM IF HE GETS A LOSE TOOTH TELL HIM THAT THE TOOTH FAIRY WILL GIVE HIM SOMTHING FOR HIS TOOTH AND HE WILL BE VERY HAPPY!

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Marion, Albuq., NM — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 04:03:29 GMT

I am a Dental Hygienist. Supernumerary teeth are common. It is NO big deal to have to remove them. An orthodontist is often brought in to bring in the permanent teeth. Congenitally missing teeth are also common, and more of a problem than the former. As for older people getting teeth after they think they have had all of their teeth removed, the "extra" tooth is usually a wisdom tooth that was buried and decided to finally erupt now that the other teeth are removed. It is not a sign of youthfulness, although we would all like to think that it is. I agree that the LESS you make of this the better for your child, and you really need to start coming in for cleanings and checkups to save YOUR teeth, as well as to promote health for your whole body. Pathogens in the mouth are now known to contribute to heart disease, strokes, diabetes, and even premature births. (Ask your friendly Dental Hygienist!)

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Einstein, Area 51, NM — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 04:12:17 GMT

Y'all should move away from the nuclear reactors!

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Kate, Calgary AB — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 04:18:21 GMT

Here's an article that is accessible without a subscription (I think) that describes some of the processes that lead to dental anomalies in mammals, including humans. If the link doesn't work, then the article is by Tucker and Sharpe in the journal Nature Reviews Genetics (July 2004). The title is: The cutting-edge of mammalian development; how the embryo makes teeth.: http://www.nature.com/nrg/journal/v5/n7/full/nrg1380.html

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Kris, Boston, MA — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 05:22:01 GMT

I met a woman at a party once who showed off her double set of teeth(her Molars were all double and evenly lined up). She said it was hereditary from her Native American ancestry.
Just curious if any f the respondents here have native American or some other indigenous people's roots?

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Mich E Gainesville, FL — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 05:36:31 GMT

i unfortunately had to have all my upper teeth pulled due to an accident, after getting upper dentures i found out i too had 2 super's (what i call them) it has been 4 yrs since i found out & they never once bothered me, not until about a yr ago, the only reason they bother me now is because they are trying to come thru under my dentures which makes it hurt when i bite down on food...i too hate going to the dentist but know i really need to have them removd. onday i will, but for now i just deal with it

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Lisa, Santa Barbara, Ca — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 05:55:51 GMT

Instead of having extra teeth, I have "5 missing." I am missing a permanent molar tooth and all of my wisdom teeth. I am glad I don't have my wisdom teeth, I already have a small mouth. So luckily, I do not have to deal with them when they suppose to grow in! Of course I had braces to fix the gap in between my non-existing molar tooth.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

didi — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 06:08:27 GMT

my oldest daughter 9 and my younger son 4, both of them lost their front teeth at the age of 3. now they both are have beautiful teeth(at least my daughter).

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Leah, Tempe, Arizona — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 06:25:28 GMT

Man i kinda wish i had this kid's problem. See i've got the opposite problem; i'm actually MISSING permanent teeth. The result: 2 fake teeth and a crapload of cosmetic dental work for them. Seems like there are all sorts of dental problems lol

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Sheena, Kapolei, HI — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 06:30:04 GMT

I am laughing so hard at Steve's story about ripping his own tooth out!

So I had an extra tooth in the center of the bottom row of my mouth that ended up being extracted so that it wouldn't cause the row to be crooked any more (it woudn't break through, it just stayed under my gumline), that same day they took out 3 other teeth in the back that "shouldn't have been there". I don't recall being traumatized at all, just glad to be one more step in the direction of having my braces taken off!

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Bridget, Austin, TX — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 06:35:48 GMT

I have the opposite situation. I had x-rays in my early twenties, and the dentist asked me when I had had my wisdom teeth removed. I told her that I had never had any wisdom teeth, much less oral surgery. She laughed and said that I was just "evolved" then, since I had no wisdom teeth anywhere in my mouth or in my head. (Most people have them either in their mouths or hidden away - but few people have none at all.)

I'm glad I never had any wisdom teeth. My sister had hers pulled, and she was in misery for a while afterward. Anyway, I have no room left in my mouth for more teeth.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Casie Feight Waco, Texas cfeight@hot.rr.com — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 06:43:04 GMT

Please read: it appears your son may have ccd (cleidocranial dysplasia or cleidocranial disorder). My son who is 10 years old was diagnosed with this and only x-rays on the entire body will verify if this is the case. Many people are also missing part of their clavicles. With the teeth, they usually have an extra set top and bottom and continue to grow teeth even after adulthood. The baby teeth NEVER fall out. And the permanent teeth will not come down without being forced down. A common mistake is for the dentist to remove the baby teeth later to find the permanent ones will not come down. With my son the dentist has placed braces on his baby teeth and will use brackets on the permanent ones in the gums to pull these down. And yes the extra teeth should be removed when he is apprx 8 to 10 yrs old. Consult a craniofacial specialist, to be certain what his actual genetic diagnosis might be and seek treatment from an expert.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Stacy, Monterey, California — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 07:22:13 GMT

I have a similar story. When I was about 12 or 13, I'm 24 now, I was in the process of getting braces and had to have routine x-rays taken. They showed that there was an extra tooth in the roof of my mouth. I went through surgey to have it taken out. Roof of my mouth was cut open and rolled back and they expected to find the tooth there. It wasn't. It was actually up behind my nose, so they had to drill up to get to it. I woke up in the middle of it because it took longer then they expected. So basically, if I didn't have to have braces the tooth would have never been found and would have kept on travelling either into my eyes or into my brain. And yes, it wasn't a normal looking tooth. It was long and thin and spiral shaped. My mom actually saved it. Isn't that what mothers are for? haha

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Kimberly, Valparaiso,IN — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 07:41:58 GMT

My son has extra teeth too. He's had 2 removed from his nasal cavity above the hard palet that required surgery in the hospital(those were freaky enormous rabbit-like teeth!) and 6 from down where his regular teeth are. They have pulled all his baby teeth too and he now wears permanent dental appliances on the top and bottom to keep enough room for when the adult teeth come in. His dentist says he has at least 4 more extra teeth that will need to come out over the next year or so.I feel so bad for him. He is only eight and has Asperger's Syndrome too. He is a real trooper and so brave. I wish somehow I could make it all better for him though.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Peter Gould, Ashford, Kent UK — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 07:55:54 GMT

This has reminded me of a fellow work mate from the 1970's who had complained of a pain in the small of his back. He insisted that when he sought medical attention they discovered that a tooth was growing there. He was off work for a week having it removed and I'm still not sure if it was genuine medical condition or a rather ellaborate story for 'time off'?? Can anyone out there shed any light?

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Heather Stephenson, Alkmaar, The Netherlands — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 08:10:00 GMT

I was missing teeth and as a result had to have a lot of dental work and braces to move all the other teeth together to fill in the spaces. For this, I had to have 8 teeth pulled by the dentist. I sure wish I had your tooth fairy - mine proclaimed that when you have to pay to have the tooth pulled, it no longer qualifies! Oh well, I agree with the other posts - make sure you have good humor about it and it will be fun for all - not to mention the added bonus of missing school for all the dental appointments!

The boy with the extra set of teeth

TH, San Francisco, CA — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 08:17:56 GMT

I had the extra teeth too. I had surgery to remove them from the roof of my mouth. My nephew also had them behind his front teeth for which he also had surgery. We are both doing fine now, and not traumatized.

The dentist who slapped me as a kid...now that traumatized me. He was later shut down for abusing kids.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

XenaFury — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 09:02:41 GMT

Don't forget that King Tut died early at his young age, many said because of deformity of his teeth maybe infection (unless he was murdered as rumors said..) at least your boy got decent dentist otherwise would suffer great pain later in adult life.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

ralph newton san francisco ca. — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 09:07:50 GMT

"VIETMOM73@YAHOO",could use a little help in the human being department.Usually when others suffer we try to put ourselves in their shoes,so we can better understand what their suffering thru.Ill pray that God gives you a heart,good luck

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Karen, Springfield, IL — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 09:13:30 GMT

I have heard of this, but I personally don't know anyone who's had it, but Jayan's parents are right on top of things- take care of it now, don't wait for things to get worse and more painful for Jayan, and possibly more difficult in his later years. I needed braces when I was 8, but the dentist my parents took me to didn't believe in putting braces on kids teeth, he said it wouldn't work for me, and my parents believed him! Now, I have to have 14 teeth pulled, all at once, and get very expensive dental implants put in, not just one or two, but a full set top and bottom with a price tag of a new car $35,000. Get Jayan's tooth problems taken care of while he's young, he'll thank you for it later. And so will your bank account. Wished I had gotten braces then, cause now I have to refinance the mortgage on my house to pay for my dental implants- not fun!

The boy with the extra set of teeth

jeanne los angeles california — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 09:24:48 GMT

extra teeth is a problem that can be difficult to deal with but I think I would rather deal with that than my poor daughter who is missing 7 teeth and will have to get implants at the age of 16 or 17(when her jaw is fully developed) and years of ortho work prior to the implants.She has major ortho problems also. She is 11 now and has a long road ahead of her. She just had 2 teeth pulled last week.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

D. V. Cade, Mauldin, SC — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 09:33:21 GMT

I don't know about the 'evolution' theory Sharon Smith was talking about... Thx, for the article. It was interesting since I have a 5 soon-to-be 6 yr old who just lost his third tooth and is working on a 4th one. He hasn't lost his front teeth yet!

The boy with the extra set of teeth

D. V. Cade, Mauldin, SC — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 09:35:17 GMT

By the way, Janelle what part of Cleveland do you live. I used to live in Cleveland over 20 yrs ago! Went to Holy Trinity on 131st Street.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Melissa, Altanta, Georgia — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 09:57:49 GMT

After reading this, I did a lot of research on supernumerary teeth... I hope your son gets better. It seems so painful. :(

The boy with the extra set of teeth

annakeyes, Clinton, Miss — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 10:00:43 GMT

one of my children had extra teeth but, not in the horseshoe his problems were small compared to my other litle boy. my youngest son never stopped moving therefore accident prone, one night at a party when he was about 15 months he fell and hit his mouth just right on a little toy truck and knocked his front tooth out. i called the dentist he said have my husband reinsert it and it should take root. it did just about the time it was getting a good grip we were at church he decided he could fly and took a flying leap into the church pew right in front of him. poor thing then had to go to the dentist and have that little tooth extracted. in that chair he just cried please mommy please. it was horrible. but all ened well he grew up with a beautiful smile and when people look at his baby picture he loves to tell his war story. he didn't even grow to be afraid of dentist thank goodnesss.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

cmdw, Atlanta, GA — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 11:14:59 GMT

I wish I had extra teeth! I've been dealing with my lack of teeth for 13 years. Hopefully I am in my last year of restorative work. I will still be missing teeth. People need to remember there are far worse things to go through than extractions-- try bone grafting.

And I don't mind going to the dentist. I think it's all in how your parents handle the situation and the practice of your dentist... Mine were always very thorough in explaining what needed to be done and if something was going to hurt they would describe the pain ahead of time so I knew what to expect ("This novacaine shot is going to feel like a misquito bite for about 5 seconds.")

One panoramic x-ray every five years isn't enough... And I wish my insurance company would rethink that in their coverage. It's also important to listen to the dentist, and if you don't think something is quite right get a second opinion.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Dr. Rustim Moosa - Prosthodontist-Cape Town, South Africa. — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 12:00:45 GMT

multiple or "extra" teeth are not uncommon. two definitons are commonly used-supernumery and supplemental. certain hereditary or congenital conditions have "extra teeth" as a key feature. these conditions should be identified early by a specialist pediatric dentist, geneticist or prosthodontist or orthodontist to determine the most appropriate treatment. syndromes with "missing" teeth also exist and may pose a greater problem to manage!

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Kathi, Glen NH — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 12:04:24 GMT

My husband was born with two extra teeth and his brother (his only sibling) was born with 2 few teeth - weird!

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Hank — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 12:26:47 GMT

Better than not having enough permanent teeth! As a child, xrays showed that I was missing my permanent first lower molar on one side. Pull and bridge the baby tooth? Leave it? The decision was made to leave it. Eventually my upper teeth grew downward to meet the shorter remaining baby tooth. Which led to TMJ problems. Then the baby tooth gave out anyway when I was in my 20s.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

J. Schu.....Lexington, Ky — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 12:33:20 GMT

You are lucky to have too many....I still have one baby tooth (I am 43) and my 12 year old daughter is missing 5 permanent teeth (they simply did not form) and is now in braces to move what teeth she has around....and will need 2 or 3 implants.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Christine, Killeen, TX — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 12:43:35 GMT

My daughter had two sets of teeth. My brother also has two sets. My brother and I were raised in the rural south and there was no money for dentist. He has to go through life with the extra teeth. My daughters teeth were pulled and she wore braces. I refused to subject my daughter to the labeling and taunting my brother had to endure. She still has more work to be done, but she is on her way to a beautiful smile. Your son is is not alone. My daughter is 18 and very happy with what has been done so far.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Daniel — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 13:08:23 GMT

I had nothing but trouble time and again....At 44 I had all of my teeth pulled, everyone of them as the pain spread out just sucked. I am currently pending surgery for the last time, to install permanent dentures...no more dental pain for me, no more pulling a tooth here and a tooth there as they decide to move in, nope I'm done with it.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Tracy, houston, tx — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 14:02:27 GMT

Cool. I had 6 wisdom teeth and now I find out I am not alone! I never knew there was a name for it even!

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Prince Juno Extravarta, Toledo, Ohio — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 14:21:10 GMT

I'm with "Freakish as a Child but all better now." Too much drama. I'm also disappointed in the writer's repeated references to yelling at and concealing information from her husband, as if this is supposed to elicit a humorous response from her readers. Look for her in divorce court within a few years, it won't be so funny then.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

laura in Oregon — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 14:29:26 GMT

I've learned to question the experts. Your body does amazing things and can often correct 'imperfections'. My daughter broke off and and cracked front 3 baby teeth early. We left things alone and let nature figure things out. 2 1/2 yrs later the 1/2 tooth was removed but the ones the dentist said needed to be removed came out naturally....Im so glad we didn't have to go 2 yrs without those teeth! So at least get 2nd opinon and if things aren't miserable don't be in a hurry. Bones harden and slow up the natural process if you pull baby teeth.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Lauranette Lewellen, Clarksville, Tennessee, llewellen@realtymortgage.com — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 14:31:21 GMT

My son, Robert Wells, had 5 extra teeth. One was growing up instead of down between his top front teeth. It had to be removed with oral surgery; the others were just pulled. He now has a beautiful smile and is serving our country on his 4th tour in Iraq with the US Army.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Carolyn, Frederick, Md. — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 14:55:24 GMT

"...only to find on xray that they were growing extra teeth. I believe this is possibly evolution in action,as a response to our increasingly longer life span."

evolution doesn't work by creating more teeth to meet a need. if teeth are beneficial to an organisms survival and reproduction, then nature will select for this trait because organisms with better survival traits mate more frequently and leave more offspring. thus, more teeth producing organisms appear in the population and lesser teeth producing organisms eventually die off because they mate less frequently and produce less offspring. that's not even the case here. in fact wisdom teeth are considered vestigial organs-organs that we still have which have lost their function through evolution. it would seem, for now at least, that nature is already selecting against certain teeth. those with extra teeth may have a genetic mutation. if this trait is beneficial to human survival, we would expect to see more of it in the population.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Stan Levsky; Sarasota, FL — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 15:01:09 GMT

The needle Arnold used was far smaller than the one used to draw blood for analysis.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

liz omps, msn, rn, cs, fnp-c — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 15:04:28 GMT

In 1970 Panorex films had just arrived on the dental scene and I was 14. I had almost a full set of supernumaries. I too, required major surgery that summer which removed the anomalous teeth. The next summer I required a second surgery to perform the apicoectomies. Because of the destruction of gum tissue, THEN we were told I'd need gum flaps. We could no afford THAT next step so at age 30 I had lost eight lower teeth and I was then a military officer who had the Navy dentists make two partial bridges for the lost permanent teeth. I often wondered what would have happened if it was all left alone? But my parents did what the oral surgeon said was necessary in 1970 and the past is the past. I have logged hundreds of hours in the dental operatory and tell my kids (both in orthodontial) that they must consider each tooth in their head as a 3 carat diamond.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Sarah, Chicago, Illinois — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 15:24:34 GMT

Some funny stories. I myself was born with extra eye teeth--although they were completely normal and no one knew until I had them pulled to make room and set #3 came in. Also, I have no wisdom teeth. My brother is missing 2 permanent teeth, is 28 with 2 baby teeth still in his mouth. It's all fun, and in this day of dental wonders, not really anything to worry about.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

sherry dahmen — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 15:41:58 GMT

As a child I had three sets of teeth. My mother
thought I was pulling my teeth so that I could get money from the tooth fairy!!!! As an adult I was left with a space in between my front teeth
(like madonna)!! My parents will be glad to read this site, as they think to this day that I'm wierd.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Teresa, Tallahassee FL — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 15:51:07 GMT

I have extra teeth pop up every now and then. They usually reabsorb before they become a problem. Not to mention I have only had two wisdom teeth, neither of which are a problem. However, when the first extra showed the dentist pulled an adult tooth to make way for it and when it was a no show, he just shrugged. Now I am missing a tooth.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Kay, Quincy, IL — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 16:10:09 GMT

I am the opposite of your son: I still have several baby teeth and no wisdom teeth whatsoever. While my classmates were suffering through having their wisdom teeth pulled in high school, I simply never got any. As for the baby teeth, they are one molar that has long since broken to look more like a canine in front, and a couple of canines. I have never had perfect teeth anyway, so this does not particularly surprise me or bother me. It isn't bad and they all function quite well; there were simply no permanent teeth beneath them to push them out. I have no pain and do not require surgery, although braces might have been good!

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Mike G st. louis — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 16:19:18 GMT

My Father had 2 sets of teeth in the back on each side. He said he could crush jawbreakers as a kid. Then he went in the army, When the dentist saw them he told him the extra set had to come out. My dad protested and was told the army only issues you ONE set of teeth. He still resents losing his extra teeth.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

asdf — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 16:22:16 GMT

This happens to a lot of kids. This article is waaaay too dramatic about it, for example, saying a childhood is over because of teeth.
Overprotective neurotic mother.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Krystin, Omaha, Nebraska — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 16:38:00 GMT

Janelle, I know how she feels! I've had 33 teeth pulled, not including wisdom teeth, and I've only lost two naturally. I have a condition that makes my jaw smaller than normal and we had to make room for my teeth - so out they came!

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Jerry, Sioux Falls,SD jlaw@aissf.net — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 16:38:34 GMT

I had a cousin who had 3 sets of natural teeth, yet her first born; a boy, has never lost his baby teeth.It was weird, because he looked like a pumpkin. I've heard that he has had them capped.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

D. Fortner, Stockbridge, GA — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 16:39:00 GMT

When I was 18, I had to have my wisdom teeth removed. I found out that I had 6 instead of the normal 4, and all 6 needed to be removed. The oral surgeon thought he was going to have to cut the corners of my mouth and break my jaw to extract the teeth, but once I was under the gas I was relaxed enough where that wasn't neccessary. I guess it is a hereditary thing, because my mother had 7 wisdom teeth but she only had 5 removed.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Elizabeth, Coronado, CA — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 16:39:57 GMT

Supernumerary
• Botany & Zoology denoting a structure or organ occurring in addition to the normal ones : a pair of supernumerary teats.

Supernumeries can occur in any organ. There can be breast buds along the skin of the abdomen in the human, in the same pattern as you would see them in other mammalians.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Mura — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 16:45:07 GMT

"I watched Arnold stick a huge needle in my son’s mouth to numb it, and then pull out both teeth."

It was likely a 30 gauge, short needle. Tiny. It's pretentious people like this mother that nurture and propagate dental fears and assure that following generations follow in her paranoid nature. I pity the dentist who has to describe this simple and routine procedure to this fanatical woman.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

RoseCityNative, Seattle, WA — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 17:01:25 GMT

I am missing 4 permanent molars, 2 top and 2 bottom. I also only had upper wisdom teeth. They had to be removed at 40, because they never moved down at all and were causing sinus inflammation. At least one cousin also is missing permanent teeth.
The fear of the dentist is not from painful dental work but I think from parental reaction. I had an accident when I was 10 and as a result I had to have both front teeth pulled. They had abscessed and the Novocain did not work. In addition they were capped. First they pulled the cap then went back for the tooth. I clearly remember every bit of it. As a result I have a very high pain tolerance. Your kids will not be afraid of the dentist if you don't make a big deal out of going.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

j.santa barbara — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 17:14:32 GMT

Wow, my daughter age 4 (5 yrs old in 2 weeks)is about to have an extra tooth pulled out. I was very surprised when she lost her first tooth right when she turned 4. When her permanent tooth started to come out, i was a bit concerned because it looked different. Come to find out it was an extra tooth!!! wow I do believe its hereditary!!! Her half sister also has alot of extra teeth.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Coni — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 17:23:14 GMT

My brother had a full set of four extra in the horsehoe of his mouth...The were removed surgically when he was around 12 and they removed the "ball" from inbetween his two front teath at the same time. I found out years later as an adult that I myself had two extra teeth...One was in my lower front jaw bewtween my insisor? and cuspid? and the other was another wisdom tooth for a total of 5. I had them all surgically removed at once.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

MW, ny, NY — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 17:56:13 GMT

After reading this article and being in the dental profession, I can honestly say that ANY dental concerns for yourself or your children should be addressed by a licensed professional. Whether it be a general practitioner, pediatric dentist, or an orthodontist...professional advice is the only way to go when it comes to supernumerary or congenitally missing teeth. While both situations are neither rare nor prevalent, they are different for EACH individual. While one person may need extraction of permanent or baby teeth (crowding in the dental arches), another may need no intervention at all (as is the case with congenitally missing wisdom teeth). A specific diagnosis and treatment plan needs to be made that considers which teeth, how many (extra or missing), and how they are positioned in their respective jaw bones. Between proper diagnosis (clinical, radiographic, etc.) intervention timing, orthodontics, and restorative procedures (dental implants, crowns, bridges, veneers, etc.)...there is no reason to fear the diagnosis of these conditions nor their subsequent reparative needs. Find a knowledgable dental professional you are comfortable with(sometimes more than one...pedodontist, orthodontist, oral surgeon, etc.) and follow their professional advice.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Dennis T, Reno, NV. — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 18:08:09 GMT

Ah childhood memories I was one of those childern in the fifties and they didn't do a whole then. My front teeth are a little crowded because both my canine teeth are third teeth. I was a lucky one I guess no surgeries and no complications other than a little crowding

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Mr. Z — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 18:12:38 GMT

In actuality, I have a full set of 31 teeth. I am missing a square tooth on the left side of my upper jaw. I have only met one other gent with a set like mine in 33 years.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Candice, Calgary, Canada — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 18:39:27 GMT

I don't think its that uncommon. It was a running joke in our family that I made the tooth fairy broke as I continually lost teeth. The downside is when my permanent teeth did come in they were all rotated to one side and I required braces...twice.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Sara, Des Moines, IA — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 18:40:15 GMT

I myself had extra teeth that were seen when I first got braces. I had the surgery to remove the extra three, then when I had my wisdom teeth examined and pulled out, I had gotten four more in.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Christina M, Tacoma, WA — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 18:50:06 GMT

I'm a 26 year old with supernumerary teeth. My father and one grandparent also had them. Here's the cool bit; None of us required surgery for them. In my case most have moved on pretty much normally, as a second set of baby teeth. I've always had trouble loosing the old tooth, so one did split the prior tooth length wise, but the parts fell out on their own. Having supernumerary teeth is not an automatic sentence to years of expensive dental work.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Lorraine, Brooklyn, NY — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 19:06:00 GMT

My father nicknamed me "Jaws" back in the 70's because I grew a 2nd row of teeth.

The proper care will correct your son's dental dilemma-it did for me!
Tell your son it will be alright.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Kye, Wantagh, NY — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 19:07:51 GMT

I had three sets of my upper canines, so when my first "permanents" fell out with the next ones peeking out, I said, "Wow, guess I was meant to be a meat-eater." What's fun about the third set is that these bad boys were long and tapered like fangs - after I had braces put on and off, my mother had the orthodontist file them quite a bit; they're still a bit pointy so tearing into a nice steak is still easy and fun :)

The boy with the extra set of teeth

kd, NY, NY — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 19:17:17 GMT

This would all be covered under universal health care and no one would go broke.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

el-kevo — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 19:26:46 GMT

...or it could have been all the hormone infested food you ate during pregnancy

The boy with the extra set of teeth

leaf — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 19:30:14 GMT

I too had an extra tooth. It grew in where my two front teeth were, it looked like a spike, my dad had a habit of calling me snaggle-puss. When the dentist pulled it to allow adult teeth to come in, it looked like a sofe serve ice cream, meaning the cone part was what was showing and then the root was kind of like a spiral if white. I had saved it for years but have no idea where it is now.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Racheal — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 19:36:15 GMT

I don't want to see threads like this whonews.,

The boy with the extra set of teeth

reed, new orleans, la — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 19:53:33 GMT

when i had my wisdom teeth removed it was an all at once thing. the part that sucked about that was that my jaw has enough room for them, but one was impacted and after 2 years of braces i wasn't going have my bottom teeth moved. throw in the fact that i had to have a root canal at 15 because of an extra tooth growing behind one of my permanent ones and the wisdom tooth thing was really aggravating. the funny part was the eroot canal was no big deal(i thought, then, that adults are wimps) and after i came to after the wisdom teeth surgery i was singing to the dental nurse.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Robin, Phoenix, AZ — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 20:19:32 GMT

I never knew this was a condition. I thought I was a little abnormal...My father never had dental so we just never went when I was a kid. But I remember when I was a teenager, one of my adult molars was loose so I kept stiking my tongue in the whole and discovered that there was another one coming in, pushing it out. So I pulled the loose one since I knew there was another one coming in. Glad to hear that is isnt so "abnormal" after all.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Emily, Des Moines, IA — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 20:27:31 GMT

I have one extra permanent tooth in the front, on my lower jaw. I remember a baby tooth in that area falling out and being puzzled by two teeth coming in. It alarmed my mother at the time, but the came in straight and fine, and I didn't need braces.

Each time I go to a new dentist, I wait for the hygenist to count my teeth. They usually stop counting, look puzzled for a second, then start over. That's when I know they've found the extra tooth.

I'm waiting to see if my five-year-old son has any extras. As far as I know, I'm the only one in my family who has one.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

joy guppy peoria,illinois — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 20:28:18 GMT

my brother was born with 2 teeth that the dr.removed shortly after birth.he had his wisdom teeth removed in late teens and then again in his late 20's.i had my wisdom teeth removed twice also and a baby tooth in the canine position but sideways removed.my son got his brand new permanent front tooth elbow bumped out at 7 but within 10 days another xlarge one started dropping into place.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Lynsey, England — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 20:41:49 GMT

I have three sets of teeth as well; a baby and two adult sets. My dad's the same, so I guess I got it from him. Caused me a lot of trouble when I was little, because the first adult set decided to come through before my baby teeth were ready to fall out. Nearly every dentist visit involved having teeth pulled out. Joy.

But on the bright side, it means when I start to lose my teeth when I'm older, I'll have another set to keep me going!

The boy with the extra set of teeth

proud momma of 3 1/2, Brevard, NC — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 21:01:44 GMT

I too had extra teeth. Only the two front ones. I hurt so bad all the time, but waited until I couldn't stand it to tell my mother. When she looked in my mouth her jaw dropped and scared me to death, I didn't know what was so horrible. Anyway, my dentist pulled the one's that were in and the two new one's moved in without an issue. Now my daughter has the opposite problem. She is short two teeth, one on each side, causing her to have an open bite because of how the other teeth came in. She will require tounge thrust therapy, then oral surgery, and eventually braces. It mainly just affects the way she eats, it takes her a LONG time to eat.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Tom McLean, Yakima Wa — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 21:07:37 GMT

Has the dentist ruled out Cleidocranial dysostosis? This comes with extra teeth as my wife and daughter have it.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

jphawk — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 21:11:31 GMT

If this is strange to you, what about a baby being born with two sets of ribs. My greatgrandsons has these. They think he might was suppose to be a twin.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Peggy, Aurora, CO — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 22:25:02 GMT

I lucked out and didn't have any wisdom teeth. :-)

The boy with the extra set of teeth

WRW - Nebraska — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 22:27:33 GMT

I had an extra set of teeth and had to endure 6 oral surgeries. I feel for the child because it is not a pleasant experience. A lot of stitches,blood and pain.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Paul — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 22:34:01 GMT

I laughed at the mother lamenting her child had to "grow up unfairly fast" because of the addition / subtraction of teeth.

Honey, if THAT worries you, you're in for rough motherhood!

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Dave S, Springfield, Mo — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 22:43:49 GMT

Are you crazy? In this day and age the teeth (if pulling is necessary) should be PRESERVED for stem cells! I'm an MD and those teeth are a huge, ethically non-problematic bonus because they are his own tissue! Hopefully your child will never need any form of transplant or organ regrown, but some of that is possible NOW, with more-complex organs maybe a decade away. If you have the money, store those teeth as little treasures for possible use in the future. Dave S.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Paula, LB, Ca — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 00:03:14 GMT

My mother had an extra set of teeth extracted as a teen and another when she was 26! They removed 13 the first time and 9 came back.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

inspired orb, Grover bch, CA — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 00:08:43 GMT

No one seems to wonder if these extra sets of teeth are an indication of a "phantom twin". I can't remember what the correct term for this is, but sometimes two eggs are fertilized but the twin gets resorbed somehow and is only visible sometimes in little "extra things". Genetic examination can reveal that the individual actually has 2 (or mostly 2) sets of genetic material.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Tom Hebert, Pendleton Oregon — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 01:02:04 GMT

This discussion deals with a long family question. My grandfather, thought by many to be fey (otherworldly, clairvoyant and able to see the future), saw the Great Depression coming and sold his business to my father. Oops. Anyway, as dad told it, before his death he would walk the floor at night, teething. Now we know he wasn't at least magical in this.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

jdoe@msn.com — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 01:24:35 GMT

My son had 2 extra feet and 3 thumbs!

Sorry... extra teeth doesn't beat that.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Joe Hornick, Columbia,SC — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 01:57:25 GMT

This is wierd

The boy with the extra set of teeth

carla, peoria, il — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 02:04:27 GMT

At least he has extra teeth. I was born without 7 of my permanent teeth, something I apparently inherited from my mother and grandfather. One of my 3 kids also had 'missing' permanent teeth. We all ended up with dentures and partial plates except for my mother , who at 72 still has 2 perfect baby teeth!

The boy with the extra set of teeth

joy — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 02:54:40 GMT

I too have been told I have several teeth. As a teenager I had my wisdom teeth pulled, but more came down. My dentist said I have still more in my head! Also, I had my tonsils out at 19 because they were enlarged and swollen, now I have a new pair of large tonsils. I guess I'll keep them

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Jeni, rural Iowa — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 02:55:34 GMT

Is there such a thing as extra gums? I have the normal number of teeth... my gums are just going away and I'd really prefer they didn't as I'm starting to look like a Halloween witch mask when I smile great big, especially now that I also have "over-40 eyes" and can't see well enough to pluck out the quite robust black chin hairs I'm recently sprouting, sort of like the ladies on "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" except I'm not even Greek. Receding gums, they call it. Why can't it be receding bums? Receding bums would work great.

I had no idea there were so many people out there with extra teeth. That's kind of interesting. Though I admit I actually clicked on the link to this story hoping to see pictures of the shark boy. Drat, just words. And big ones at that.

My dad was once going to be a dentist and had several wall charts with dental information and diagrams on his den walls, so this article was full of a lot of words I learned as a five-year-old. Talk about trauma. Try to get over the comprehensive dismissal you get from the rest of the Kindergarten class when you start singing "All I Want For Christmas is my Two Upper Central Incisors." He said they would think it was clever. Uh, right.

Thanks, Dad.

OK, so let me know on the gums thing. And best of luck with the shark boy.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Benjamin Dover, Horizon, Uranus — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 02:56:39 GMT

Eye new some1 who had an extra 2th two.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

bill dumass — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 03:19:50 GMT

I've had all my teeth pulled 3 times!! Eat that,sharkboy

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Mary Jarboe — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 03:58:16 GMT

Is the point too many teeth or how you handle it? When my child was 3, the dentist told us he would never have room for his regular teeth he had such a small, narrow bridge. We started with a retainer when he was 5. When his permanent teeth started to come in they only wedged the baby teeth tighter. Eventually the baby teeth had to be pulled as they had lengthy roots and would not loosen. He had extra permanent teeth, including one way down in his jaw. It came through the floor of his mouth when he was 21, and surgery was required. After several sets of braces and retainers, he will continue to wear his retainer for years. He has seen several dentists who all agree all he went through was necessary, and we agree. We are thankful they knew what they were doing and he has a great smile. He loves the dentist, as well as all his doctors (because he had some odd problems). We always were matter-of-fact about each problem, no dramatics or panic, and never had a fear or problem from him during it all.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Sandy, Arnold, MD — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 04:04:35 GMT

My older brother was born with his two front teeth already in position. My Mom said she never dreaded breastfeeding any of her six children until Ben was born. They remained in this position until his permanent teeth came in and then they fell out like they normally would have done. He ultimately had a uncomplicated dental "life" but an amazingly beautiful smile.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Bob Klyn, El Paso, Texas — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 04:33:36 GMT

Teeth are like fingers Extras ROCK!!!!!

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Sally Uber, Forks, Washington — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 04:36:52 GMT

Shark Boy!!! Where the heck is lave girl???? Hmmmn these are the questions that haunt me....

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Dennis, Phoenix, AZ — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 05:13:31 GMT

My neighbor had 2 extra pairs wisdom teeth. Her mouth was perfectly and she had nice teeth, but later it was discovered that she had peridontitis of the jawbone and she had to have all of her teeth removed at age 25. She got specially made dentures that looked like her old teeth, she still wears them and shes 58 now, her teeth are so cool, I want to get all mine pulled out just to spare myself the pain of having to deal with pulling my whole life.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Terry, Palm Coast, FL — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 06:05:37 GMT

Has to be genetic, my brother had an extra front tooth that was pulled after he lost his baby tooth, we called him 'Fang' for a couple of years until the permanent tooth came in. My grandson also had this same problem. Another grandson was born with two front teeth that doctors pulled after his birth, his other baby teeth came in fine, and permanent ones are fine also. I never knew so many other people had this problem. I have an extra vertebra in my back and I thought that was strange until I read where people have several rows of teeth. At least they have teeth, a valuable thing to keep and take care of.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

B. Jensen, Boise, Id. — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 06:32:03 GMT

My "extra" tooth was in the roof of my mouth. I used to spend alot of time playing with my extra canine tooth with my tongue, quite missed it with it was extracted at age 6.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Kath, Fort Worth, TX — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 06:34:46 GMT

I didn't have extra teeth but I did have all four of my front teeth pulled by the dentist. I also wore a retainer for several years. I am 38 now and do not have any fillings. I did have my wisdom teeth surgically removed. I also had to have one tooth removed because it had a cavity too close to the gum line to be filled or to have a root canal done.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Aunt Millie — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 06:38:26 GMT

that is so common for piss sakes but if not addressed soon the results are not good. As soon as the kid can deal with some oral surgery and more than some othodonics as much as 15 or so years,that includes several years of braces and retainers. The results will be state of the art. But keep your wallet out.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Charles, Lansing MI — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 07:24:00 GMT

I knew a guy in high school who had two complete sets of upper teeth that grew in, all the way across the front of his mouth to the first molar on each side (8 extra teeth total). He had a minor lisp from it, but other than that, you wouldn't have been able to tell if you didn't know.

His family was somewhat poor, so they weren't able to have it fixed at the time, but it never seemed to bother him. He just had to occasionally pick his teeth when he got something caught between the sets.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Allison R. Clark , Oakdale, Ca — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 09:19:58 GMT

I had so many extra teeth as a child that they were coming out in the roof of my mouth, the bottom well of my mouth and even trapped under the top bone. I remember having to have surgery to chip away at the bone to get to those extra teeth. It was brutal !! I too had a playground accident,having fallen off the top of a swing set
... face first, popping out my two front teeth. I had to wear those early type of braces, big, silver and chunky for nearly (3) years to reconstruct my mouth. I spent a great deal of my childhood in a dentist's chair with a huge cost to my parents. Today, at the age of 62, I wish I had those extra teeth because my gums suffered with all the stress on my mouth, I came down with a bad case of gum disease and lost a good many of my teeth to bone loss and decay.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

varma48@msn.com — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 09:31:18 GMT

I am Jayan's Grandma. I agree with all those who say " leave those teeth alone"! With luck, his teeth might re arrange themselves needing minimal intervention. In the meantime he is trying to figure out how to whistle sans his front teeth.
Usha, Seattle, WA

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Carol, Victoria,B.C. — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 10:26:31 GMT

Actually, both my daughters had extra teeth. My oldest daughter had one in the roof of her mouth like a railroad spike. I think this more common than is thought. Both of my siblings had extra teeth as well.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Mark, Phoenix, AZ — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 12:36:13 GMT

I too had a complete double set of teeth. I am now 54 and never had braces, but have the most wonderful set of teeth you could ever see. The dentist pulled some in the frount and also some in the back of my regular teeth . All of the teeth lined them selves up , just like magic !
Mark, Phoenix AZ

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Alexandra, Leipzig, Germany — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 12:38:22 GMT

I have an extra set of teeth. It's not common, but totally possible. (And all my extra teeth are still there, helps in munching =D)

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Stephen Termine — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 12:44:46 GMT

I have two extra teeth behind my two front ones on the roof of my mouth and they are real sharp like vampire teeth.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Jim Leach, Georgetown, Kentucky — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 13:21:55 GMT

I'm 57-years old and did not know that I had any extra teeth until last year. Apparently they formed above my incisors, but never broke the gum line... afterwards found out that my daughter has the same thing. No big deal as they never gave either of us any problems. I have heard that this is common with native Americans and was noted in the remains of Paleo-Indians. Any ideas?

The boy with the extra set of teeth

DC DDS, Minneapolis, Minn — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 13:32:06 GMT

Many maxillo-facial abnormalities cannot be solved with braces alone. Some arch-size tooth- size discrepancies can only be corrected surgically. Unfortunately, some cases are misdiagnosed. Consultations with both Orthodontist and Pedodontist are wise.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Karla, Johnstown CO — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 13:38:25 GMT

I had two supernumerary front teeth myself. The found them when I fell off my brother's shoulders (playing horsie) and into the hallway mirror. I'm glad my mom didn't respond with tears and weirdness like you.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

JGR, San Antonio, Texas — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 13:48:35 GMT

Exta set of teeth? Shark? Sounds like he will grow up to be a good lawyer!

The boy with the extra set of teeth

M.Fuentes Etwoah, NC — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 14:04:54 GMT

My daughter had the same thing and we weren't sure what to do. So many people said to leave it alone, so we did (for a while). When the teeth force her mouth to close differently for so long the jaw began to reshape to make it easier to close. Unfortunatley, it started causing her to have terrible miagrain headaches due to the misalignment of her jaws. It took a while to connect the headaches with her teeth problems. Now I wish I hadn't listened to all those people who told me to leave it alone, she'd be fine. At 10 years old she is suffering way more than she would have from a few teeth being pulled then and still had to have them pulled.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Laura, Lake Jackson, TX — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 14:26:29 GMT

My son's dentist told us that he had a supernumerary front tooth and that the baby tooth in front of it just had to come out "right now," so that the extra didn't grow out of the gum line at an angle or some other horror. THREE years later, my poor baby (who's now 7) STILL has a supernumerary gap in his smile, with no signs of any tooth, supernumerary or otherwise, making an appearance any time soon! Needless to say, I'm furious at the moneygrubbing dentist who insisted on the surgery, and I'm really hoping that someday my son's tooth makes it's grand entrance so he doesn't look like a snaggle tooth forever!

The boy with the extra set of teeth

art andreatta ennis mt. — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 14:33:38 GMT

ok I have you all beat I allso had extra eyeteeth and I had to think I was a Vampire or something do to my california ocean surfing I started growing bones in my years my future would bring surgery to remove them . yet more keep growing I had hudge roots on my back teeth I allways had head and ear aches untill a unlucky car crash worsened my condition after trying to save my fangs. I had more pain and opted for geting dentures and a great thing happened my head pain was gone. I figure the next thing is to remove the bone growths from both ears not a comfortable experiance.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Steve, NJ — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 14:47:04 GMT

I agree that there seems to be a genetic component, since three of my seven children had to have extra teeth removed.

My oldest son had a supernumary that never descended from the palate, and was revealed only by x-ray. It had to be surgically extracted.

My 3rd son had "shark teeth", an extra row of three teeth that were surgically removed, as in the article.

And my daughter had what we called a "fang", which was a single tooth growing just above and in the center of her upper row of teeth. Also an oral surgery.

After braces, they all have great-looking teeth now.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

J.D. — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 14:51:43 GMT

my husband had an extra tooth that had grown in in the same spot as his mother...I remeber the 1st time I saw it he was lying on my bed when we were still dating and I saw it in this mouth..he used to get embarrassed about it and threaten to pull it but generally no pain or discomfort...it was just there!!

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Pam, Edinboro, PA — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 15:26:16 GMT

I had and esxtra set of teeth too. the dentist pulled the baby teeth and did oral surgeryt o remove the other ones which were coming down like stalatites from the roof of my mouth. I was the only kid in in school with upper dentures until my permanents came in. Celebrity status!

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Pam, Edinboro, PA — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 15:27:40 GMT

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Lydia Chappel, Madison, AL. — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 15:41:22 GMT

Wow. I was born with really straight teeth. I had a gap between my two front teeth though, even after I lost them. One dentist that I saw a few years ago that was really filling in for my real dentist wanted to pull some large number of permanent teeth that I can't even remember! My mom knew that it couldn't be right so she asked my real dentist and he said that there was nothing wrong with them! Now, is the time when all of my friends are getting braces. I might just be the only one that won't!

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Sylvie, Montreal, Qc — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 15:44:13 GMT

I had the same problem as you Steve I had my an adult tooth found in the roof of my mouth towards the back and I had to get braces and surgery. It took four years with braces, couple of pulled teeth and surgery to fix my mouth. I never had a problem with this and I had the best care in the world. I have a beautiful mouth now and people tell me this all the time. It's because of the good service I had that i'm studying dentistry.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

DeDe, Des Moines, Ia — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 16:03:51 GMT

I lost a tooth at 9 and again at 11 and always thought it was weird. But my cousins husband has had his baby teeth all his life and no permanant teeth ever grow in and they are strong and cavity free. They are just kind of small on a grown mans mouth.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Susan, Syacuse, NY — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 16:07:53 GMT

I have the opposite problem. My adult teeth came in and I am missing one twelve year molar and never got my wisdom teeth. I also had my first molars pulled for braces. My youngest brother never got the teeth on either side of the top front teeth. My stepdaughter on the other hand has 6 wisdom teeth which will be pulled during christmas vacation. The dentist said the extra tooth is up near her sinuses. I'm wondering, could this be part of the problem with her allergies?

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Elizabeth Hecht, Baltimore Maryland USA — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 16:27:46 GMT

I didn't find out I had a supernumerary tooth until I was in my thirties. As a kid I always wondered why I had a bump just below and to the left of my nose. I never asked and my orthodontist in Wollongong never mentioned it.When I was growing up in Aus My dentist here in the US who casually mentioned its existence.
Apparently it is surrounded by calcification and since it had never been a problem he left it alone. I wonder if the condition is much more common than statistics indicate and many people don't know they have supernumeraaries either.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

spiritwarriorone @hotmail.msn.com Tom tecumseh, Mi. — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 16:42:00 GMT

Yada-yada-yada....
Some sound good and others a bit too far fetched
to be true. I'll give you the benefit of the
doubt folks. But hey! some of us may have been
born in the dark, but we weren't born last night!
Have some of you tried news of the wierd? that
may be your best venue. I remember going to the
State fair and seeing freaky things as you walk
through a big semi trailer. Some seem kind of real and one can usually tell it's a lot of
artistry by a makeup person(s)....and life goes on!

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Vicki Bailie , Glyndon, Mn — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 16:45:58 GMT

Sharon Smith commented on evolution in this case due to "longer life spans". I beg to differ, do we forget people before Noahs flood lived up to 969 yrs? We aren't living longer, just thought I would point this out.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Faye, Seward, NE — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 16:50:44 GMT

How interesting. Your sons condition will be expensive to say the least--and painful for awhile. He may be fortunate in that he will not remember the pain. The bright side is that you know you're not alone. As I read these messages, I realize there are any number of people that share your problem in one way or another. We too have dental anomolies. I'm 62 and still have 8 of my baby teeth. My permanent teeth never came into those places. I did get my wisdom teeth and had to have each one extracted through oral surgery because they had wrapped themselves aroung the jawbone. Two of my children have an even more unusual situation in that they inherited my jaw line, but their fathers big teeth. The both have had to have several of their permanent teeth pulled to make room. Just know that you're not alone. My prayers are with you.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Brigitte, Toronto, Ontario — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 17:04:07 GMT

"I'm sure he's a cute baby but that's so weird. I hope it's not the Anti-Christ. I've heard stories about the Anti-Christ having extra teeth or was it one tooth in his near his throat.
mnnyslzr@yahoo.com (Wednesday, November 26, 2008 11:16 AM)"

WTF?? this comment made me laugh so hard i had to post it again. Some ppl really don't think b4 they type...lol.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

M. Loy, Goldendale, WA — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 17:17:13 GMT

My husband had an uncle who had a terrible speech impediment, we could rarely understand what he said. A really nice guy, but so hard to understand. We were never told why he spoke like that. When his oldest daughter started talking, she talked like he did,the same thing. The problem was a complete extra set of teeth, right behind the adult teeth. The family had no dental insurance and very limited money, so nothing was done. When she turned 13, and came to baby sit for our children, we discovered she had the same thing her Dad had, an entire second set of teeth right behind her permanent teeth. We contacted our dentist, and over a years time, those extra teeth were removed, and she could speak properly. We felt badly that she had gone through all those years of being made fun of at school because she couldn't talk like the others. But High School was great for her, and she did well. Money and Dental Insurance can make a big difference in a life. Or a very understand dentist who let us make payments for the year.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Brittany, OH — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 17:26:09 GMT

I went to the dentist for a routine cleaning and they told me that I had 12 baby teeth that had never came out. So, I had to get all of them removed in 1 day. The doctor said he'd never seen anyone with my case.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

bill h, annapolis, md. — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 17:37:26 GMT

when i was that age, in the dark ages of the early 1950's, the tooth fairy left a quarter. ah, to be young again.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

st.maarten,phillipsburg — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 17:43:57 GMT

i recomend you mis, to leave the child teeth alone. And when he's old enough to think on he's own. He can deside if i want to go a head and pull them or stay with them. But for now leave him enjoy his youth leave him play around like a small child that he is..dont leave him go trough the pain every time!! because that's not fear for him. And im sure he don't like it ether!!

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Virginia I. Adin, CA — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 17:52:11 GMT

I have never had any extra teeth, but never had any wisdom teeth. Does anyone have a reason for this??

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Lex, Sacramento, CA — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 17:52:35 GMT

Well, it's good to know I'm not the only one!
I had one extra tooth that grew in the center of my mouth, and over time it's moved to the front. However, because of this tooth I now have crowding and will probably require braces. I also never got my wisdom teeth!

The boy with the extra set of teeth

K Premschetz, Buffalo NY — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 17:54:45 GMT

I was actually the opposite. I had 2 missing front bottom permanent teeth. My mom had the same problem so it must be genetic. I had to have the baby teeth pulled when I was in highschool because without the permanent teeth behind them to push them out, the never loosened up. Once they were pulled, the orthodontist used braces to pull the bottom teeth together to remove the space. I, like many of you who have responded above, was not traumatized. Most people are interested in my story and dont believe me until I count my teeth for them!

The boy with the extra set of teeth

dsgsdfg — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 18:03:50 GMT

He is from France, a conehead !

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Jennifer, South Carolina — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 18:11:36 GMT

Two of my kids have had extra teeth. The extra tooth caused one of my daughter's permanent teeth to come in slightly mishapen and we had to have it capped.
My children also each have a fused tooth, two teeth that are fused at the root but split into 2 teeth past the gumline.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

J.P.,Denver, CO — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 18:17:58 GMT

Perhaps we are slowly evolving into a species with shark teeth? No longer will we have to rely on dangerous and pesky cutting utensils! Gives a whole new meaning to the phrase: "why are you biting my head off?!" PEACE AND LOVE.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Callen5, Irving, TX — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 18:44:20 GMT

QB-New York: Now that's really something!

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Risa, NY, NY — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 18:57:33 GMT

The tooth fairy nearly went bankrupt at our house before finding out that my brother had three full sets of baby teeth before his 'permanent' teeth started coming in. He's in his mid 40's now and still has teeth falling out and new ones coming in. At one point, a dentist ordered panoramic x-rays and found his facial bones were just loaded with extra teeth. To this day, I don't think he's ever had a filling, only because his teeth fall out within 5 years. I don't know if I should feel sorry for him, or be envious. I've had a total of 17 teeth pulled (12 wisdom teeth, 4 incisors, and 1 primary)and still have all but one of my permanent teeth. I had a baby tooth until I was 25. There never was a permanent tooth in that space. By the time my dentist realized it, the extra tooth next to the primary had been pulled, otherwise it could have been manipulated into the empty space and reshaped to match my bite. To this day I still fall asleep in the dental chair. I'm told that other patients in the office think my snoring is fake until it continues for half an hour. I've always been comfortable in the dentist's chair. I know I'm lucky.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Jennifer, Pittsburgh, PA — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 19:03:45 GMT

Agreed, your making it a horrible situation and transfering your fears to your innocent child will be how he bocomes afraid of the dentist.
I didn't loose my first tooth until I was well past eight years old, needless to say I was a laughing stock in junior high school, the only one with a mouth filled with baby teeth. I had them pulled just before my fifteenth birthday, before senior high school. My left "canine" is the youngest tooth I have. It is now worn flat from grinding. I wish I had extra teeth. I have never had a cavity and never wore braces, and I'm grinding away my now pretty teeth. Guards just don't work for me.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Terry Sacramento, California — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 19:16:15 GMT

my cousin had a full double set of permanent teeth. We always thought it was caused by the fact that his grandparents were actually first cousins.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Carol Walsh,Jerseyville,IL — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 19:19:00 GMT

I'm 73 years old and have never had any wisdon teeth.I had to have all of my other teeth pulled a few years ago.Would't it be wonderful if I could grow a new set of teeth now.I can not eat with these false ones and they gag me when I wear them.The lowers are even worse.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

John, Ft. Dix, New Jersey — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 19:30:07 GMT

I am a soldier and I recently met another soldier with the supernumerary issue. I thought that some sort of trauma had happened to her, but now it makes sense.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

David, Poughkeepsie NY — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 19:36:40 GMT

I was born with a full set of supernumery top teeth, and a few teeth beginning a 4th row. The ones on top were pulled, but the second row never came down. After the second row was brought down surgically, they never fell out, and they had to be removed. My two front teeth are actually from different rows. After 6 operations, I have beautiful teeth, and have had only one cavity, and that was when I was about 35.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

SINthia, Vancouver, WA — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 19:38:18 GMT

I did not have extra teeth but did have a catheral pallet and had number of surgeries, and braces and the whole 9 yards. FINALLY got the retainer off at 23, two years later my 4 front teeth fell out. Sometimes those dentists do not know what is best.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

KeeKee, North Carolina — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 19:41:23 GMT

Well my brothers two front teeth were connected at the roots. We had no idea until his front teeth came out together. God makes us all unique and I guess just some more than others.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Mike, — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 19:41:41 GMT

I had oral surgery for extra teeth as a kid. Still ended up with two extra behind one of my incisors. I liked them cause I could gross people out by showing them my "shark" teeth.

My dentist finally took them out last year (I'm 57). I didn't want to remove them but she insisted - I still miss them.

Mike, Ewa Beach, HI

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Jill, Woonsocket, RI — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 19:52:03 GMT

I know just what you are going through! I'm 21 years old, and never had some of my baby teeth, my dentist when I was young pulled 2 back teeth thinking they were baby teeth, and they have never grown back!! Well, now I have room for 2 wisdom teeth. Also I have two extra canine teeth in the front, my 'fangs'. I dont have the income to have these fixed, but when I've saved up enought I would LOVE to have them removed, if only to bring my self confidence up.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Lance Haines Nanaimo BC Canada — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 20:11:37 GMT

No fair! I only sprouted three center teeth along the bottom where there should be four. My grandfather had all but one tooth right up into his eighties without ever brushing his teeth, only using toothpicks. In his story telling days I never once smelled bad breath. My theory on this is that maybe the cavemen were onto something.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Lucy — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 20:14:04 GMT

I agree with the poster abobe, this is not so uncommon. I work for a multi doctor oral surgery practice and we see about 50 patients a day, I would say there is one case of supernumerary teeth atleast every day, sometimes even two!

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Lucy, NH — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 20:15:07 GMT

I agree with the poster above, this is not so uncommon. I work for a multi doctor oral surgery practice and we see about 50 patients a day, I would say there is one case of supernumerary teeth atleast every day, sometimes even two!

The boy with the extra set of teeth

ANN, KAYMAR,MARYLAND — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 20:25:16 GMT

MY DAUGHTER HAS BEEN BLESSED WITH EXTRA TEETH. SHE HAS HAD THE SURGERY AND IS NOW SPORTING BRACES ON THE FRONT TOP OF HER MOUTH TO MAKE SURE HER ADULT TOOTH COMES DOWN STRAIGHT AND DOESN'T INTERFER WITH OTHER TEETH. SHES SEEN EVERY 3 WEEKS TO HAVE THE TOOTH PULLED DOWN MANUALLY. WE BELIEVE SHE INHARITED THIS TRAIT FROM HER FATHER, HE HAD THE SAME PROBLEM AS A BOY

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Julia, Portland, Oregon — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 20:28:01 GMT

My 'baby teeth' came out in first and second grade the teeth that came down were thought to be my 'permanent teeth' In a playground accident with the Merry-go-round that was made of bars, I had my front teeth from eye tooth to eye tooth (top and bottom) knocked out. My mom was all freaked out thinking that I would need 'dentures' at the age of 7, took me to the dentist and when they did the x-ray they discovered that I had another set of teeth where these had been knocked out. Mom was relieved. The dentist said that he thought that maybe I was suppose to be twins instead of a single. I also only had 'wisdom teeth' on the top.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

L.B., Savannah, GA — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 20:28:12 GMT

I had an extra tooth on my bottom row when I was around 13. It was about an inch long with a hook on the root. When x-rays were taken it showed the root hooked around part of my jaw. They had to take it out along with another tooth so now I have 3 front teeth on the bottom row.
I have a co-worker that is 26 and has her bottom front baby teeth still.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Anne, Atlanta, GA — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 20:32:08 GMT

I thought that my family just had a strange genetic trait of extra teeth in the front, much like wolf fangs. We were not able to afford the dental care as a child, so all of my 5 siblings and myself were stuck with them until we were forced into dentures. I have over 30 nieces and nephews with the same trait.

My daughter had hers surgically removed and braces applied when she was a teenager, but my son does not have the condition. On a recent trip back home for my mother's funeral, my children saw cousins they had never seen before. The first thing my daughter whispered to me was, "Thanks Mom for the dental work".

The boy with the extra set of teeth

chad,albany,georiga — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 21:01:17 GMT

wow, i used to get teased by my friends about the fact that it always looked like i was going to grow a second set of teeth when i was younger. but i would have freaked if i actually knew that it was possible!

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Annoymus, Annoymus — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 21:32:27 GMT

I dont think that this is as uncommon as preceived by many. My aunt has a "extra set of teeth" but that never affected anyone else in my family.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Patricia Wyatt Bakersfield,Ca. — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 21:44:48 GMT

I work in a dental office, and it's not that uncommon. Baby teeth have very little root surface, so are not as painful as you would think to remove. My own daughter was born with 6 congenitally missing teeth, meaning she will never get 6 of her permanent set. That's where the expense comes in! 6 implants in high school!

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Renee, Idaho Falls, ID — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 22:03:03 GMT

These comments are sure foreign to me. My daughter is lacking a couple of permanent teeth - but it shouldn't be a problem because they wouldn't fit if they were there.
I never did get wisdom teeth, and neither did my husband. I'm so grateful! However, we've had two daughters who have had to have their's removed.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

xqqme, Woodbury, MN — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 22:03:34 GMT

cmi Richmond, KY: Wow, great job perpetuating the sterotype! You know how it goes, "The 'toothbrush' had to have been invented in Kentucky (Tennessee, Arkansas, West Virginia, Georgia, Mississippi, and so on), otherwise it would have been called a 'teethbrush'"?

Children, as well as adults, lack access to any and all types of adequate healthcare all over this country, so please don't single out Kentuckians to be pitied.

I assume from your comment "in the state where we live now" that you're not a Kentucky native. I'm sorry. Me, I'm a Kentuckian by the grace of God, no matter where I happen to live.

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Jordan, NY — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 22:03:45 GMT

I had a supernumerary front tooth and it made for unique dental experience. My orthodontist discovered it in an X-ray when I was nine, and since it was going to cause problems, I had to have the extra tooth extracted before it grew through. The third (and proper) tooth was stuck up high, and my orthodontist (and specialist) did their best Macgyver impression by attaching a small gold chain link to the tooth from my braces and slowly tightening it every time I visited their office in order to force the tooth down through my gums. My fourth grade classmates thought this was "awesome."

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Arcadian, Los Angeles, CA — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 22:10:52 GMT

Any pictures?? if none, I wont believe it.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Nancy, Jonesborough TN — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 22:11:57 GMT

My eldest daughter had an extra set of front teeth found on x-ray between her baby teeth and permanent teeth. Hers were like little buds of teeth. It required two surgeries to remove the extra bone also in the way to allow her permanent teeth to come in and then they came in sticking straight out causing a horrible buck teeth situation. She had to wear braces forever to get her teeth to flatten down and straighten out.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

nate — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 22:36:01 GMT

i think we get these because people live longer! We will need more teeth as our old ones fall out. THIS IS EVOLUTION IN PROCESS!!! Awesome!!

The boy with the extra set of teeth

?,Seattle Washington — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 22:41:24 GMT

For all those who are leaving ignorant comments I must say if you don't have anything positive to contribute then just sit on those hands.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Erlene Thornley, Layton, UT — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 22:41:28 GMT

Thank you all for sharing. I'd never heard of such tooth variations. When my 14 yr g/daughter had a tooth come thru palate we were alarmed at her condition and the $4,000 the procedure it's costing to relocate it (Braces 1st, tooth hooked to chain for slow pull, etc). ET, Utah

The boy with the extra set of teeth

ohio — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 23:05:40 GMT

omgosh,nerver heard of such a thing! :-(poor kid

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Curious Reader — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 23:08:28 GMT

The cool thing is that you don't need to invest in a paper shredder!

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Craig,Canton,MI. — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 23:09:35 GMT

My wife had 2 extra teeth they pulled from the roof of her mouth when she was a kid,her dad has them too,maybe I married a vampire !!! MY LUCK.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

bufordthepusser@yahoo.com — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 23:17:17 GMT

Where's the x-rays...I've never heard of such a thing...the article says they have x-rays, why don't they show them...makes me mad.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Christy, Phoenix Az — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 23:19:18 GMT

I had the many teeth, too. My dad called me a shark =P. I rememeber going to the dentist all the time when I was very little. They pulled 12 teeth I belive maybe more maybe less, I dont remember because I was so young. I don't remember much pain, I remember missing alot of school and spending lots of time with just me and my dad, who always took me. We lived in a little town and had to drive an hour to go to the denist once a month, when we went it was an all day event, going out to eat and to the malls. So it was not dramtic for me whatsoever. Mostly good memorys because of what we always did afterwords. I don't remember being in alot of pain, I remember always taking pain killers afterwards and just being sore.
Another problem I had was one of my front teeth looked like it was two teeth that grew together but it ended up being one giant tooth because they only found one set of roots. So not only I was a shark I had a giant tooth. I had many trips to the dentist, years of braces and they sawed my big tooth down to a more normal size its still bigger than normal but not noticable unless I point it out. I have no problem going to the dentist now. I am so used to get stick with needless in the mouth and poked it doesnt bother me very much at all.
I think if its something that your used to you just see it as a way of life. I dont think the 5 yr old would be dramatic by all this because he wouldnt know anything different and is to young to remember alot.

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Shirley D., Lewiston, ID — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 23:26:35 GMT

When I was 17, my parents took me to the dentist to find out why I had a tooth growing behind one of my upper front teeth. Xrays showed the front one was a baby tooth and the back one was the permanent tooth; there was also an undescended permanent tooth in the same position on the other side. The weird thing was I remembered pulling those baby teeth in the seventh grade when I was bored out of my skull in art class. My dentist pulled both the supernumerary teeth and made a dental appliance to fix the alignment of both the permanent teeth. Now, I have a 17 yo daughter who found out this summer she had a supernumerary tooth in the same position as one of mine, and six wisdom teeth. She had braces put on in August and in October she had oral surgery to remove the extra baby tooth and 5 of the 6 wisdom teeth (the other one was too hard to extract without cutting a lot of bone). He exposed the permanent tooth and attached a gold chain, which the orthodontist connected to her braces. When I mentioned to my sister that my daughter thought she was a freak of nature for having that many wisdom teeth, my sister told me she had 4 wisdom teeth removed in her early twenties, and another 2 pulled in her late 40s. So, yes, I think there must be a hereditary element to this phenomenon.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Chops' Mom — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 23:47:16 GMT

My son is 12 months old today, November 28 and already has 15 teeth. His caregivers call him 'chops.' According to the associated charts, he should maybe have 6 or so by now. One of my sisters had NO teeth until after 12 months old. Funny, he's not fussy about teething at all, either. Wonder if this is any indication of problems into the future for him.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Rhonda Cedar — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 23:50:35 GMT

It's not nearly as uncommon as some people think! I had an aunt that had her baby teeth, and after those went out, she grew in her permanents and a second row behind. I myself had 3 sets of teeth (baby's, perms and extra's behind my encisors.). My Brother was the oddes of us all though....he had his baby's with a set behind, lost all of those, then as his permanents grew in, he had a second set behind those growing in. He spent quite a bit of time at the dentists for them to figure out what should be done. Eventually, the second row (behind his permanents) fell out or were pulled.

My kids and his kids all have had second rows of teeth (third sets). Genetics I guess. Are we related to sharks? Doubt it...but does give pause to evolutionary theories.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Cindy Johnson, Kansas City, MO — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 23:58:43 GMT

Two of my children had three sets of teeth. I always considered them to be two sets of baby teeth since they lost the second set also. The tooth fairy went broke in our house.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Debbie Englewood CO — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 00:13:17 GMT

Judging from these comments, this isn't all that uncommon. My supernums were floaters, so they grew out under my tongue, and were pulled when they reached "maturity". Good luck with a whole extra set.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Dakota, Sandpoint, Idaho — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 00:37:17 GMT

I am fourteen years old and I too had an extra set of teeth.

When I was about eleven I had lost all of my baby teeth already and had most of my permanent teeth.

I had jaw pains for a few days, but I didn't want to tell my parents because of fear of the dentist. Eventually, I had a few teeth sprouting (extra canines on both sides). They grew in and didn't effect the existing pair of teeth and stayed until I was twelve when I decided to man up and tell my parents.

They were painfully removed within the hour.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Kaherine Doolin, jacksonville, illinois — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 00:45:32 GMT

my grandmother had all her bottom teeth pulled when she was 60. About a month after she got her false teeth she went to the dentist because they hurt her when she had her teeth in. They discovered she had a whole new set of teeth coming in. She died at age 99 with a full set of beautiful teeth.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Rachel K. Wis. — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 00:45:53 GMT

No supernumerary teeth but due to a small jaw I had several baby teeth pulled as a child, my upper adult canines pulled in high school and my wisdom teeth pulled in college. Although there was a little discomfort immediately after the wisdom teeth were pulled I don't recall any of the other ones hurting either during or after the procedure. I don't think your son will be afraid of the dentist purely as a result of the teeth being pulled but your reaction may cause him to be fearful. B

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Jane Doe, Phoenix,AZ — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 00:56:51 GMT

cool

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Heather, Toronto , On — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 01:13:29 GMT

I ahd an extra set of eye teeth. My sister is missing her adult eye teeth. We are not twins but 3 years apart.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

LR, Wrangell, Alaska — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 01:23:55 GMT

Hmmmm, extra teeth.... Well up here in Alaska it seems that alot of the single women have way too few or missing teeth, for a single guy its really depressing:(

The boy with the extra set of teeth

ACE, Kinston, N.C. — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 01:36:26 GMT

I know what you mean about the extras. I had 6 wisdom teeth myself, two on top, four on bottom. And like Sharon above, i think this is a perfect example of evolution at work. Who knows what our teeth may look like in the year 3000.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Cindy Presson Camden Tennessee — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 01:37:55 GMT

I was born in 1957. By the time I made it to second grade we discovered there was a problem with my teeth. Long story short, I have had several teeth removed surgically several times. All the extra teeth caused me to begin losing the saved teeth at the age of 45. My case was documented in Dental books and was virtually unheard of at the time. Extra teeth really are not that strange.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Denice, Milledgeville, GA — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 01:46:40 GMT

wow...i knew i had seemingly a lot of teeth pulled as a kid (16 total), but i never knew why or what this condition was called. I had to have teeth pulled, dental surgery, and finally braces but i was too chicken as a kid to get it done, so i ended up with braces in high school (which wasn't so bad) I do know i inherrited the condition from my dad

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Jon, Twin Falls, ID — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 02:06:24 GMT

I too have an extra teeth, one is the bottom right inciser, the left one has never surfaced or caused problems. The extra tooth on the right is on the inside and has forced the permanent tooth forward a bit. It is not painful and never has been. I am 45 yrs old and as a youngster, my family couldn't afford surgery or braces. I have never bothered to get it fixed, since it has never affected my relationships or career. Recently I had several root canals and when I asked about the extra teeth, I was told that as long as it doesn't bother me or cause pain, not to worry about it.

I think that people just put too much into needing to have the perfect look. No one will ever have the perfect look, no matter how many surgeries they have.

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Terry Kemp, Wilkinson, IN — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 02:16:09 GMT

I've had extra teeth for 63 years, 1 month and 7 days. I'm still waiting for the first extra tooth to make its appearance. Personally, I wouldn't do anything. As one of my graduate school professors said, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it!"

Terry Kemp
Wilkinson, IN

The boy with the extra set of teeth

maio,brooklyn,ny — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 02:17:24 GMT

l too have an extra bottom row of teeth.l was told when l was eleven while at an orthodontist apt. getting fitted for braces.they never broke the skin but later made it impossible to wear my retainer as they shifted.you know surgery was never suggested and l'm so grateful!my bottoms are a bit crooked but l feel sort of special.l should note that my maternal aunt also had extra.perhaps wait and see how his body takes care of the situation.good luck to you.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

kate, pineville, la — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 02:20:54 GMT

My daughter had two extra teeth in the front top of her mouth. The dentist called them "pods". We had them surgically removed then put braces on the top teeth for a year.....worked well and she is now 12 with nice straight front teeth........weird, huh?

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D, Tulsa, OK — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 02:42:00 GMT

It appears to me that the reason this article was posted was because the mother of the child was concerned about an unusual situation with her child. I think it is just horrible that some of this post make fun of and critize the mother. Our 14 year old had a wonderful experience with a dentist when her 4 front teeth had to be removed at the at of 5, however less that a year later (following a move to another state and obviously to another dentist) she was traumatized by a dentist that refused (actually blocked) us from staying with her while she got a filling. He said children behave better without their parents. This child had never been in day care or ever away from her mother. She wasn't able to get a cleaning without crying for about 3 years. So when she got a cavity another dentist said wait for her emotional maturity to grow so she could get past the previous trama without incurring more. Anyway, do your best to avoid passing on your fears to your child. Explain in the simpliest terms what is going on and what needs to happen to fix it. To much details can freak them out but not enough can make them afraid.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

JohnMcMd, Tacoma, WA — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 02:51:19 GMT

As a child of 6, I had 7 "tooth-lets"....little fragments of teeth setting over a lower front permanent tooth which prevented it from emerging. The baby tooth fell out OK but the permanent tooth did nothing. Xrays showed the problem and these little teeth were all removed but the permanent tooth still didn't emerge. Another surgery opened a hole over the tooth and it finally emerged....backwards! I had to wear braces on the lower teeth (top set was fine) until that front tooth was turned around. It never completely went into place and at 62 I have a funny tooth story to tell.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Cynthia Rose Asheville, NC. — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 02:52:49 GMT

I was born with a full set of teeth. They fell out in my teens. My daughter was born with the same thing. And I can remember my father still havine his baby teeth in his 40's. Don't worry honey everything will turn out just fine.

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Reinald, Crozet, Virginia — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 02:59:50 GMT

Sharon, in order for it to be evolution, there must be an evolutionary pressure, meaning in this case that those with more teeth reproduce at greater rates than those without. I don't think that's accurate.

Back to the article, my family's got quite the dental history. My sister has one extra top right incisor growing across the others sideways, and my cousin has no permanent teeth at all. He's got braces on to keep the baby teeth from falling out until some false teeth can be drilled and put in his jaw. I doubt it's purely genetic. If an outside cause, then I'd guess it'd be because his mother, my aunt, used to smoke. She quit when she had him, but I don't know if there was any overlap in those time frames. Another cousin of ours (we have a BIG family) had a supernumerary tooth from the roof of her mouth which was deftly removed. I wouldn't doubt that there is a genetic component.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Margaret, Alameda, CA — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 03:05:48 GMT

My son was 8 when they noticed that he had an extra tooth behind his permanent front teeth. I was surprised, but both of his father's brothers also had extra teeth pulled. I took him to the oral surgeon, they knocked him out and 2 hours later, he was mad that I wasn't going to take him back to school because he was going to miss 'read aloud'. Don't push YOUR fear of the dentist onto your children. With a competent dentist and proper care, oral surgery for children doesn't even count as a bump in the road.

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Todd port orchard wash. — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 03:05:59 GMT

When I was young,a dentist saw I had two extra teeth in the roof of my mouth and they were surgically removed. They were a quarter of an inch long and roundish. That was one heck of a lot of pain for a twelve year old.

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Colin, Houston, Tx — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 03:19:07 GMT

Leave the dental decisions to the dentists & not anecdotal information given by ignorant people. It's too bad most people don't like the dentist but maybe if you brushed your teeth or your parents taught you how to brush your teeth, you wouldn't have painful visits to the dentist. That's like hating the car mechanic when you need a new engine when you didn't change the oil in 5 years. Gimme a break

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Michael,kent oh — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 03:23:17 GMT

For those who say leave them alone,I say instead,listen to your dentist. The only thing that would suck more than having to go through painful oral surgery would be to grow up with a mouth that looked like something from horror movie because your parents took dental advice from someone on the internet. In fact,the people saying leave it alone,I was fine,are also saying that their parents did in fact have the surgery done,so they don't know how it would have turned out otherwise. If I have a choice between listening to advice from someone on the internet and listening to advice from someone who went to dental school,if its about teeth,I think Ill go with the latter.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Reinald, Crozet, Virginia — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 03:27:52 GMT

Continuing from my last message (I just remembered some more things), my older sister had her twelve year molars in by the age of nine, and one of my top front baby incisors had a double root. The day she was in the dentist's office then, I don't remember what for exactly, probably just a check-up, there was a boy with his twelve year molars coming in at the age of seven, no joke. I'm 18, and mine are still coming in. They've been coming in since I was twelve, just taking their time, I guess. Three of them have been partially or completely uncovered (one of them even sliced on the back edge) by the oral surgeon I went to for my wisdom tooth removal. I'm also fair certain I could've kept my wisdom teeth if my orthodontal work had been done a bit differently (yeah, yeah, I'm not an orthodontist, but I know what I'm talking about here when it comes to my own mouth).

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Daisy, Detroit,MI — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 03:47:33 GMT

I have had at least 2 teeth pulled because they were "extras". I know my Mom had at least one "extra" pulled as well. Her experience presumably saved my WWII era-reared grandparents a lot of money. This was the reason mine were yanked as well. It hurt a ton. I hope my daughters aren't similarly afflicted- I doubt any doc today would recommend the same easy (cheap) course of treatment!

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Alice Gibbons, Evans Ga — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 03:52:18 GMT

My son, who is now 41 years old, had two sets of teeth. His two fron teeth came in without enamel. After these were pulled, his braces pushed the teeth together to form his now two front teeth. He was also born with a cleft lip. Not a patate, just the lip. This child went through terrible pain from the age of 4. You should thank God you child only has this problem.
There are so many people how there who were born with many more problems.
A lucky mama. Georgia

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Jaya — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 03:54:18 GMT

so you're an indian woman who married a white guy..
interesting..glad to see your sons name is Jayan and not something like John.
I wonder if he'll turn out like all the other abcd's though. I'm guessing you're Tamil. They're a strong people w/ strong identity and even stronger pride.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Ed, New York — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 03:55:03 GMT

Be careful that you don't make your son afraid of dentistry. The way you write your article it is clear that you could easily transmit your dental phobia to your son. He is going to need treatment and there is nothing to be fearful of if he is in kind and loving hands.

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amy — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 04:31:24 GMT

I have an extra joint in my right index finger and I love freaking people out with it.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

John Doe, Seattle, Wash — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 04:36:19 GMT

This is not evolution. Evolution only works when a trait increases survival and the ability to generate offspring. No one dies before childbearing age due to loss of teeth.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

sheri lain, nashville, TN — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 04:55:53 GMT

My son had both of his first baby molars pulled at the age of 8 and the buds of his permanent teeth surgically removed, so that he would not have to wear braces when he was a teenager. It wasn't fun, but his teeth came in absolutely straight and beautiful. It was worth the couple of weeks of pain, so that he didn't end up in braces for years.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

John Doe, Seattle, Wash — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 05:09:08 GMT

I had buck teeth. My dad used to say I could eat an apple though a picket fence. And that's all I have to say about that

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Heather W, Seattle, WA — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 05:38:22 GMT

My incisors never came in. After braces and having the roof of my mouth romoved so they could attach to the hiding teeth, I have a normal smile!

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Joy Mack — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 06:09:30 GMT

My mother's family, who were very poor, also had tooth problems. We tend to be born with less teeth, or still have baby teeth that don't get removed till middle-age. Mother Nature left out an eyetooth, which I ended up getting braces to pull together my teeth to remove the gaps, and wore a retainer with a fake tooth for so long, people in college were asking, how long have you worn your retainer? I finally got a bridge to fill in the missing tooth gap and it was such a relief to be able to chew food.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

ef carrollton, tx — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 06:29:33 GMT

People who tell you to leave him alone have not had any experience with this issue. I am so grateful that my parents were able to have my "extra" set of teeth fixed.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Dentist Brooklyn New York — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 07:16:13 GMT

I must admit that this is all rather interesting reading. I look forward to your next posting! Judy Johnson DDS

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Deborah Alamogordo, New Mexico — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 08:29:12 GMT

My daughter had four teeth grow in the space of one of her canine teeth. After her baby tooth fell out at 6 years old, another tooth came in, we thought it was the adult tooth. But upon x-ray we found it was an extranumerary, with the adult tooth close behind. The dentist pulled the tooth allowing the 'adult tooth' to grow in. Four years later on an x-ray another tooth was seen. Same dentist said the supposed adult tooth was actually another extranumerary. It too was pulled to my horror, as I wasn't sure he was right. He was. My daughter has a beautiful smile these days. We were lucky all of the teeth came down in exactly the same spot.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Julie, St. Louis, MO — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 08:44:37 GMT

I have the opposite problem... I am 24 now and only have 27 teeth, 4 (molars) of which are still baby teeth, and no wisdoms. My dentist says that my baby teeth are still in good condition which I find strange. Shit Happens.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

A Dub, Minneapolis, MN — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 08:59:10 GMT

Multiple Supernumerary teeth may be associated with other symptoms and children presenting thus may also have conditions such as cleft lip and palate, cleidocranial dysplasia, and Gardner syndrome. Of course non-syndromic multiple supernumerary teeth aslo occur ...

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Richard T. Edmond, OK — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 09:58:02 GMT

My younger sister had an extra set when she was a kid. Her baby teeth fell out like they were supposed to, a new set of teeth grew in, then those fell out and were replaced as well. I did not know that was so uncommon.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Rebecca; Shipshewana, In. — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 10:19:34 GMT

It can be a blessing to have too many teeth rather than not enough. My daughter was born and is still missing 9 of her adult teeth. She is 14 now. I wonder how hard that will be later when those teeth are the only ones in her mouth. ??? It will probably be like the old people and have replacements put in.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Cher, San Diego, Ca. — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 10:46:26 GMT

Having a third set of teeth is not uncommon. My little brother had them His first set fell out, this second set came in and fell out, and then his permanent ones came in. The dentist said that it happens, and he felt it was best to let nature take its course. The sad part is that he later lost his permanent front teeth while trying to break up a fight!!

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Van, Saratoga, NY — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 11:14:18 GMT

I wouldn't make him have surgery unless absolutley necessary. If so, see if he can be knocked out for it.I had kind of an opposite kind of tooth problem when I was about 9-10 yrs. old. Front-left tooth (baby) ahd fallen out quite a while back, but was not getting replaced. Eventually X-ray showed the Adult tooth, and something like bone blocking it from coming down.

Dentist did surgey in the office to try and remove the block. It took hours, over a dozen novocaine injections, and the whole time I could still feel every cut into my gums, and the hacking on the bone. Almost 40 now, and to this day it's still one of the worst things I've ever gone thru, even worse than the recovery ordeal of 2 major back surgeries I've had over time, since then. Hated dentists ever since and always will.

Worst part was it was all for nothing. The tooth on that side never ever came down.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Sheri, Port Huron, MI — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 12:04:57 GMT

My Grandfather had a full set of Supernumerary teeth and was told if he ever had to have a tooth removed, he'd have to have surgery to do so. I too was born with extra teeth ("horn" teeth, they called 'em back then) behind my molars and at least 6 "Mulberries" of tooth material above my K-9 teeth. The horn teeth did get pulled, but only one Mulberry had to be removed. It wouldn't let my baby K-9 come out. So the Oral Surgeon (a wonderfully understanding and caring man) pulled it out and then had to shape the permanent tooth. He was so proud of the job he did and how "bizarre" my xrays was of that area, that he blew it up and keep it on his wall as artwork! It also makes for quite a conversation whenever I have to go to a new dentist...For a long time every one thought they were cancerous tumors. Now I just present them with a copy of my original oral surgeon's report and they leave them alone. My "Mulberries" aren't bothering anyone...least of ME!

The boy with the extra set of teeth

bugger snott, sc — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 12:16:05 GMT

My 11 year old has 3 sets left. And they are all prefectly formed. He has knocked out his front tooth 3 times so far and there is more behind the tooth that is there now. Denist not sure what is going on but I get a kick out of what he tells every one. He says "of course I can replace my teaath, I am GOD"

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Melissa, NY — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 12:41:51 GMT

My husband's brother's son (our nephew) had two sets of "shark teeth" where his front teeth are. His dentist let them both come in and he looked like a vampire! Finally his dentist agreed to pull them out. Recently my five year old daughter, who hasn't lost a baby tooth yet, had an x-ray done for her top teeth at my request becuase she was missing a lateral incisor with her baby teeth and I was wondering if she would have a permanent one or not...upon doing her xray, the dentist thinks he see a permanent incisor, however, to his suprise, she had an "extra" tooth where the lateral should be. I think I can safely say that I can blame my husband's side of the family for this. Everything horrific always comes from the father's side! Right ladies???

The boy with the extra set of teeth

jaycie dickhaut holdan ma — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 13:30:37 GMT

that is crazy but yet kinda cool a the same time. when did u tell him or did he know? was he ok when you told him he had 3 sets of teeth ?

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Sharon, Colorado Springs, CO — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 14:12:55 GMT

I still have a baby tooth at age 39 and I should never lose it. My daughter has two baby teeth that she will never lose. Genetics for sure. Normal is different for each person.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

BH...........Cobb CA — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 14:28:46 GMT

I have always thought (not a Dentist or Doctor of any sort, but very imaginitive and a proponent of stem cell research) that in later life, one could have all teeth extracted and then with stem cells, create a new set of teeth at any age....I wonder....I think it is possible and I think the stem cell world and dentists should dive in that possibility.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Jess, Nashville, TN — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 14:57:10 GMT

I feel pretty lucky, since I was born with no wisdom teeth. My mother never had any, either, but my younger sister recently had hers removed at age 17.

I hope all goes well with your son, no matter what choices you and he make concerning his teeth and surgeries. Good luck!

Additionally, I'm having difficulty believing how RUDE some people can be, when leaving comments on a personal story.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Angeleigh -- Northern Virginia — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 15:17:12 GMT

All I could read to was H Hinson's comment and all I have to say is you are an idiot!! Between my siblings and me, we have beautiful teeth -- thanks to our parents. It's great for the self esteem too!!

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Shannon S., Kansas — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 15:38:44 GMT

I too grew an extra set of upper teeth, all of them. I grew up hating dentist's visits as well. The baby teeth were pulled to make way for the supernumeraray. Then the supernumerary were pulled to make room for the permanent. Then I was in a car accident and left two front teeth in the dash of a 61 Chevy, and broke two more. I went through caps, a plate and finally a bridge. By fourteen I was on "set" six, and at age 36 replaced the bridge for set seven. I can still remember the new dentist explaining to my father which teeth would need to be ground down for the first bridge, naming teeth as he explained saying, "molar, inciser, inciser, bi...." "Wait a minute inciser, inciser?" Even after all the pulling, at the time of the accident I still had two extra teeth, and they were already in. An uncle grew two extra teeth, my grandfather extra toes. I think the teeth were less problematic, but I really wish they had waited to pull, I would have had an extra set of my own to grow in instead of being teased for having dentures at age 12.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

TLewis07@cfl.rr.com — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 15:44:02 GMT

The Tooth Fairy said,Im getting ready to throw the towel in,one more kid with supernumerary teeth,Im done.
Tom Lewis
palmcoast,Florida

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Buck teth — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 15:53:21 GMT

I also have an extra set of teeth. The majority of my life my teeth appeared to be fine and as i was older i needed more and more care for my teeth. I now am dealing with the doyuble teeth problem only solved when i eat meat i have the big teeth and when i eat soft food i use the smaller teeth and put the big teeth in the plastic container i always carry at 72 yrs old.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Linda, San Diego area — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 15:59:04 GMT

My father had estra teeth...at 78 he still has some baby teeth, some permanent, and some extra permanent teeth!
I will have to let him know he isn't so weird after all...
Ironically, I was missing one wisdom tooth~

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Kelly, Janesville WI — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 16:01:30 GMT

lol someone wrote about leaving his teeth alone? cuz THAT would be a great life! he would be the pit of all jokes for the rest of his life! geesh, get a clue buddy.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Jennifer, Battle Creek, MI — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 16:22:13 GMT

Please don't listen to the naysayers, and the very scary person that implied that your child might be the Anti-Christ. Ignorance tends to breed fear. I worked as a surgical assistant in an oral surgeon's office, and we did occasionally see children with this condition. Their parents opted to have the issue surgically repaired and we, along with help from an orthodontist, maneuvered the teeth over time with braces, etc., so the children had beautiful smiles. Luckily your child had this condition discovered before he is embarrassed about being different. If he were a teenager he would be mortified. He should be fine, just try to keep your own personal fears about previous experiences with the dentist out of the equation for his sake and he'll do great!

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Danielle, Baltimore, MD — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 16:24:33 GMT

For the longest time I was wondering if I was mistaken. A few years ago, I lost one of my canines. I was worried, because I'd lost that tooth once before. But it grew back! My mother insists that it was a different tooth, but now I know the truth. I wonder if any others would grow back if I have them removed?

Anyway, I never needed to get my wisdom teeth pulled. They're still here, and I use them to chew.

I hope your son's surgery goes well!

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Cookie, NH — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 16:50:50 GMT

Hey, I had an extra front tooth. When they told my mother, she laughed because she had had one as a kid, too. Mine caused a problem because it pushed against my second teeth when they were coming in and made them crooked; I had to be put under (around age 8) and they cut a slit in the roof of my mouth and removed it, after which my front teeth straightened out perfectly, no braces. No big deal.
Now, conversely, my daughter has FEWER second teeth than she should have. One lateral incisor totally missing and one stunted. So she'll have to have crowns/implants.
What can I say, we're freaks :)

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Margaret Currey — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 16:51:55 GMT

I discovered that I had spaces between my teeth due to the fact that one tooth was missing, this is in the family because my brother was missing two and my cousin had no second teeth on the top.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Katie, Smithson, Largo, FL — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 17:23:54 GMT

Interesting!

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Mike, Galapogos — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 19:15:01 GMT

Evolution has nothing to do with it. Unless the elderly affected are having more children in their late years as a result of having extra teeth, there is no opportunity for the trait to become predominant.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

L. L., Spokane WA — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 19:23:18 GMT

These kind of problems do run in the family and it can go either way, I had 1 extra wisdom tooth, meanwhile, my daughter and sister are both missing the same adult tooth.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Morris, Washington, DC — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 19:48:53 GMT

Just read: Freakish as a child but all better now from Detroit's comments...if he thinks after writing that about this mom who clearly has a sense of humor about her kids obscure problem shows he is "all better now", then he isn't very self aware! Teeth ok, personality needs work.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

mamacita Lakeland, FL — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 21:20:39 GMT

So funny to hear of all the people complaining about their extra teeth -- my oldest son is missing at least three! An incisor, a molar and at least one wisdom tooth. Once we get his bite and teeth into position with braces, he'll have to wear a retainer during the day with the fake front tooth in it, until he's old enough (20+) to have surgery. I'm hoping that genetic engineering will have come far enough along by then to grow a new tooth . . . then our middle son, lovinglly called shark boy, had his permanent teeth come in behind his babies -- but as far as we know there are not any extra adult teeth . . . only time will tell :)

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Jim Lindsay, St Paul, MN — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 21:21:52 GMT

If you folks think that is something, I have a story for you. When I was growing up I had three complete sets of teeth. My baby teeth which came out naturally, my first set of adult teeth which also came out naturally, then a second set of adult teeth which I mostly still have.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Miki, Las Vegas, NV — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 21:56:03 GMT

My younger brother had 12 extra teeth. He was very fortunate in that his baby teeth fell out, his extra teeth came in and then fell out and then his adult teeth came in perfectly, no intervention required! However, all of his adult teeth are "soft" and he has struggled with tooth decay.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Sara Boepple, Arlington TX — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 23:48:22 GMT

It's definitely hereditary. My sister had 1 supernumerary tooth and I had 2. I had surgery 2 days after Christmas, my 1st grade year -- maybe 1970? to remover the 2 extras, since they were facing upwards and preventing my real adult teeth from dropping down. Surgery was no big deal. However I couldnt eat real food for about 3 weeks and the worst was the first day back in 1st grade. My dad packed my lunchbox since he went to work each day later than my mom ... and he put in 2 jars of Gerber baby food instead of putting the contents in tupperware! Now THAT was traumatizing.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Timmy Two Moons — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 23:56:28 GMT

I was actually lucky enough to have a complete set of supernumary teeth that grew out of the side of my head. I had them removed.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

K. Butler, Mesa, AZ — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 00:08:13 GMT

How cool! Kid will definitely have cool stuff to show/talk about for a while. In agreement with previous posters, don't torture your little one excessively..only if the teeth are gonna cause problems.

This brings to mind some interesting thoughts! I am a "missing" tooth-er, also, and as a 26-year old adult only have 22 teeth - 2 wisdom teeth included, which I haven't had removed! On topic of wisdom teeth, I only have 3, and increasingly I've heard of people having 2, 1, or even none. Yay for no chipmunk cheeks!

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Dr. DoLittle — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 00:50:56 GMT

Great story! However, you should not let your child hear you say (if he did) "What is that"!! If you have a fear of dentistry your child will pick up on it. Hide that from him. It will only make him scared later in life and he will neglect going when needed! I see this on a daily basis.

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Amanda — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 01:27:36 GMT

My husband was born with an extra set of teeth. (His were there at birth.) It's interesting to hear that others have that as well.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

D. COnstance Woodland, CA — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 02:05:03 GMT

I have an extra set of canine teeth, uppers, and the dentist left them as is. They grew longer than the others and made my mouth look more vampire than human, but it scared the heck out of young children when I would be asked to show them

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Toronto, Ontario — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 03:09:23 GMT

you just never know when you could use extra teeth, my son jumped over a fence and knocked out his two front teeth, we found them in the snow, they hadn't cracked, so they were long with the root, he had surgury to put them right back in again! and now 10 years later, no root canals, they are still white! Don't recommend root canals when teeth fall out, just a money grab and no guanantee to save the tooth anyway!

The boy with the extra set of teeth

susan-- Texas — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 08:40:13 GMT

My daughter who is now 28 had an extra set of teeth. The baby teeth were pulled and the sticks were removed and after about two years her permanent ones came in. She was 5 when this happened, and the dentest said it could happen again but never did. Her grandfather on my husbands side had little stick teeth in between his larger teeth so I think it is inherited.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Julie K, small town Ohio — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 09:03:14 GMT

My little sister has what your son has. Hers are one canine on her left side. the tooth looks like her adult tooth but it is out of her gum's like an adult tooth would be but the "adult" tooth that is were it should be they are on top of each other. we have called her jaws or shark for years. weird enough she is going to be a lawyer. but they never have caused her pain other then coming through when all her other teeth came through.
i know i had my front 4 teeth pulled when i was really really young like 3. then when i had front teeth and at about 5 or 6 i was playing with my sister and one of them came out. i didn't think anything about it. but reading your article sounds like i had what your son has. if my parents would have known about that i would have not gotten out as much money from the tooth fairy as i did. i think i got like 5 for each tooth.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Karen, Denver, Colorado — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 10:22:42 GMT

I had an extra front tooth come in after the baby tooth fell out. It was a cone-shaped tooth that looked like the teeth dogs have! We saved the tooth for a souvenir. After that tooth was pulled, the permanent tooth came in just fine, and there were no more difficulties.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

John, Tamuning, Guam — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 11:16:20 GMT

Well, I had a total of four extra teeth. Did you ever see Zero in Beetle Bailey? I looked like that when I was six. It took several operations and three years of braces to bring the teeth in. I have gaps where each of the teeth were and I could show my I.D. on the military base when carrying something heavy by wedging it in the gaps in the uppers. Anyway, many people think that my teeth are either false or all caps as they can't believe how perfectly they are aligned. Also, the gaps aren't visible in photographs.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

duckey, hawi, hi — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 11:22:06 GMT

I had extra teeth as a kid...and they actually grew in behind the teeth in front on bottom. so i actually had two rows of teeth in my mouth at one time. it made me look more like a shork then your son. dentist had to pull 7-8 teeth to make room for them to move foreward, then i had to have all 4 impacted wisdom removed at 22.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Lisa, Purgitsville, WV — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 13:56:32 GMT

I had an extra vampire tooth and had to get it removed. Nothing bad about it. I think though the younger you are the better it heals. I got mine out at 11 and everything is fine now.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

nz, lafayette, colorado — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 15:35:21 GMT

i didn't have any extra teeth, but had only 3 wisdom teeth! thank goodness, because i only had to go through the torture of having them removed only 3 times, not 4. and i detest dentists to this day!!

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Elaine V., Grand Rapids, MN. — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 17:00:34 GMT

I was a Shark girl, although I dislike that nomener. I had my "supernumery" set pulled before I should have. They ended up pulling the wrong set. This caused me to end up having dentures at an early age since the set they left me with were not healthy or with alot of enamel. This was 50 yrs ago though. Runs in my family. My brother had 2 sets of wisdom teeth. Two of my sons had some double teeth. Also my mother had a few extra teeth which she still had when she passed away. So it was an hereditary thing in my family and for a few generations. Not sure how far back they went since that info was not shared or passed down. Glad that I learned about this from this story. Always thought I was a freak when I was young.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

marly, Ontarion, Canada — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 18:46:40 GMT

Extra teeth are no fun. I had x-rays at 16 for pain in the back of my jaw, and my dentist found fully grown wisdom teeth pushing through. Well, ok, surgery it is then...But when they opened up the gums, they found 8 teeth instead of four. 2 in each corner, sitting side by side, horizontally. Wasn't much fun. The teeth were fused together and they had to break them up and take them out in pieces!!!

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Emre — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 21:32:12 GMT

Poor kid! I hope he can avoid being afraid of the dentist, though, because I have a friend whose mouth is a mess due to that fear.

My family tends to have too FEW teeth. My dad is minus 11 (has partial dentures), I'm missing 9 (bridgework), and my daugther is missing 4 (implants in future when she's finished growing). Talked to a cousin at Thanksgiving and found it is a family-wide trait. Weird.

I've had lots of dental work--some good, some bad--but finding the RIGHT dentist whom I trust means I can go to sleep in the chair, too, unaided by chemicals, while they do their drilling and such. Find a good one who knows you're afraid!

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Trish, Sudbury, MA — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 21:38:47 GMT

Well, I don't have extra or missing teeth but I have had a long dental experience. I had (and still have) a very small mouth, and when I was younger, my adult teeth were way too big for my mouth. As a result, I had buck teeth and they are pretty apparent in my old school photos. When it came time for braces, and my teeth were pretty crooked, two of my baby teeth still hadn't come out. I had to have those pulled so all my permanent teeth would be present for the braces and two permanent teeth pulled besides to room in my overcrowded mouth. This resulted in several sets of retainers, both removable and cemented, to ready my mouth for the braces. The gaps created by the removal of two permanent teeth were closed with my braces.

My brother had it worse though. He was born with a cleft lip and palate, which meant not only was he missing a few teeth but also a portion of bone fro m the roof of his mouth. He has had many surgeries starting almost from the moment he was born. I still have a memory of him wearing these braces on his arms as a baby to prevent him putting his fingers in his mouth. One surgery involved removing some bone from his hip and transplanting it into his mouth. His last surgery was this year.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Sha'ron, jacksonville,fl. — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 22:56:12 GMT

This is fascinateing.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Ricky, Puyallup, WA — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 23:16:01 GMT

H.Hinson...You can't just leave them alone, because they DO CAUSE PROBLEMS!! That is the whole thing...I also had this "infliction", if that is what you want to call it, and had teeth come in through the roof of my mouth, as well as out of the side of my gums on both sides as a result. If you don't get them pulled, these teeth will push the good teeth out of place, making them crooked as well, causing further problems, agony and expense down the road. As far as trauma...you are going to the wrong Dentist!!
You should NEVER go through "trauma" from a Dentist like that! If the Dentist is GOOD, He/She should be able to do most any procedure with minimum discomfort today with the use of modern anaesthetics.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

M. Thomas, Sierra Vista, AZ — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 23:16:54 GMT

I agree this is an hereditary ordeal. Almost every one of my eight siblings has had this happen. I even had extra wisdom teeth. I still have to primary teeth (canine) and my secondary canine...next to eachother. I had one molar removed when it lodged sideways, only to find out it was a primary tooth...with no secondary underneath. I'd say this condition is more common than not...and not really an oddity. Not to me!

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Rebecca Webb, Lexington, KY — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 23:38:47 GMT

My son has the same condition; however, the extra teeth were preventing him from loosing his front two baby teeth. We had oral surgery in which the surgeon went in to remove the extras and then stitched him back up with the normal baby teeth in place. We then waited another year for the baby teeth to come out; one came out on its own and the other had to be pulled. Now, one permanent tooth is coming in and we are waiting to see if the second one will come in on its own. If not, he will go into braces to open up the space and we will see what that does. If that doesn't work, then he will require another surgery to pull the second tooth down into position. He is 9 1/2 and I was teasing that Christmas would be easy because he just needs 1 front tooth!

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Erica, Alaska — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 00:14:06 GMT

Kavita, I've been interested in this for some time now, after reading reports of elderly women seeking medical attention for jaw pain only to find on xray that they were growing extra teeth. I believe this is possibly evolution in action,as a response to our increasingly longer life span.

Sharon Smith (Wednesday, November 26, 2008 10:03 AM)

Are you kidding me Sharon. Increasing longer life span. People used to live to be 100's of years old and didn't have several rows of teeth. And as far as evolutionary reasons go. Which I obviously don't believe in. Evolution says they evolve in areas of necessity for survival purposes. How on earth are extra teeth going to help anyone?

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Nancy, Nebraska — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 00:45:38 GMT

There was a boy around here that had an extra set of teeth, although I believe a contributing factor might have been that both of his parents were heavy drinkers and also had done drugs before and during the pregnancy. He had other health problems too, but since he didn't really realize it was odd he was a pretty adjusted boy about all of it. Sadly he died not too long ago, but from what I hear he had learned to read braile and live with his extra set of teeth. I don't think I ever had seen or heard of him complianing about his life.
Hopefuly the 5 year old won't require too many surgeries and will adjust as time goes. Sending positive thoughts his way, and his parents, too ^_^
On a personal note; I only had three wisdom teeth. ^.^

The boy with the extra set of teeth

TB Ohio — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 01:09:25 GMT

I always thought we should do a direct transplant from my now-twenty-year-old son's mouth to a hockey team! Why waste the teeth?

The boy with the extra set of teeth

John Doe — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 01:13:14 GMT

My brother never had his front two top teeth grow in. This never turned out to be a problem because his otehr teeth moved over as he grew, and it looks fine, except his eyeteeth (fangs) are the second teeth.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

John Doe — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 01:13:34 GMT

My brother never had his front two top teeth grow in. This never turned out to be a problem because his other teeth moved over as he grew, and it looks fine, except his eyeteeth (fangs) are the second teeth.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Nancy Rivers, Rindge, New Hampshire — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 01:35:30 GMT

My son, who is 23 has had 4 sets of his top two front teeth. He also had two extra teeth in his front bottom jaw. Our other two children had no extra teeth at all and they both ended up with braces. Our oldest son never had to have braces.
We call him our human shark.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

GJA, Moscow, Russia (tdy from Anchorage, AK) — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 04:49:49 GMT

Hey cmi Richmond, KY my grandson lives in your town! He had a cleft palate and is now losing adult teeth because they didn't do a bone graft early enough to give them a place to anchor. Ohe of my granddaughters has a few extra front teeth and my daughter's baby teeth wouldn't come out on their own. She's 36 and still has 1 baby tooth! There are all kinds of dental abnormalities and most are genetic. I had a very small mouth that wouldn't hold all of my adult teeth so had 4 removed before my eye teeth came in. It wasn't so bad, but no one made a big deal out of it. It simply had to be done. My mother always took me for a special milkshake at DQ after a dental visit and the tooth fairy was more generous with pulled teeth. The bonus under the pillow made it worth it! If the parents take it in stride, so will the child, but recognition of the extra pain will be appreciated. $10. is kind of overdoing it, though! Maybe $2./tooth instead of the usual $1. but $10. smacks of guilt money! Dentists are so much better with kids these days he''s very unlikely to be traumatized unless you pass on your fear and anxiety. Chill out, Mom, and take it as it comes. He'll be fine.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Meghan, Elberton, GA — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 05:39:54 GMT

I don't have any extra teeth. I've only had one tooth pulled and that was a baby tooth that refused to come out. My adult tooth came in crooked and sticks out a little, but it doesn't bother me. I've always hated going to the dentist. The metal hook they use to clean teeth has always bothered me. When I lived in Pennsylvania, my mom had good insurance that was pretty inexpensive and covered my vision, dental, prescriptions, etc. Our dentist told my mom to go to an oral surgeon and get my wisdom teeth taken out, but we never went. The insurance only covered me until I was 19 so now I'm uninsured. When we moved to Georgia, I remember my mom trying to find insurance like what she had in Pennsylvania (for the same price) and people laughed. I'm going to be 21 in a couple months and now have 2 wisdom teeth coming in. One is my lower wisdom tooth on the right side of my jaw and that seems to be coming in fine and has broken through my gum in two spots. The other one is my upper left wisdom tooth and that side of my mouth does bother me every so often. It hurts if I yawn too big or if I chew on a food that's chewy or hard. I can feel the tooth under the gum directly above my molars so I'm not sure if it's going to come in correctly or not. My dentist in Pennsylvania told me that my mouth is too small for my wisdom teeth, that's why I was supposed to have them removed. I really hope they don't give me any problems because I've heard from other people that the surgery to get them removed is very painful. I remember during my freshman year of college, I had a professor that got her wisdom teeth removed over our Thanksgiving break. She told our class when we got back that we should get out wisdom teeth out while we're young and we can heal better. I think I'm just going to let my teeth do their own thing and if they start to cause problems, then I'll talk with someone about getting them removed. Hopefully that won't have to happen! :o

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Frederic D, Canada — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 05:41:14 GMT

Although the news is interesting, I find it regrettable that the title "Shark or Boy" was used on the article listing, and frankly the image of the doctor with a shark mouth is of bad taste. Imagine how the young boy would feel if he saw this image and his mother told him that this image is about him. I understand that we need Sensational titles to drive traffic and clicks to articles but common...

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Pypereply — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 07:10:36 GMT

Hello

Thank you for sharing this with us. I enjoyed your articles that you have written. I can’t wait for the next one. You have a talent.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Mark, Blue Bell, PA — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 15:11:45 GMT

When I was 17, my dentist discovered on my x-rays that I had developed 8 extra teeth (after my adult teeth had already come in, obviously). Since my wisdom teeth needed to come out anyway, they removed the extra teeth during the same surgery. The surgery was general anesthesia, but other than that, pretty routine and nothing to be feared.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

SM — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 15:31:10 GMT

My husband had to have his wisdom teeth removed...Twice.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

marjorie mitchell, memphis, tn — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 15:39:43 GMT

i had and still have an extra tooth. my permanant tooth grew behind it. it never bothered me so i never got it pulled. my daughter however ate all of the calcium out of that tooth during pregnancy. so now i have to get it pulled.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

detgrizz@hotmail.com — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 16:11:44 GMT

I only wish I had that problem/too many teeth, I was born with a gum disorder and grew up only having two teeth, I had one on the top and one on the bottom. They stayed intact until I was bout 41 years old and finally had to have one of em pulled cause of a cavity, the dentist mentioned about a crown but with out dental insurance it seemed hopeless, I ended up just having it pulled anyway found out only after I did it that I could no longer eat corn on the cob or even something as simple as a apple with only one tooth, I ended up meeting a nice woman by the name of ester and we hit it off real good and moved in together with her 5 kids who were just the best kids I had ever seen,her oldest one earl was 14 and in that little leag baseball program at his scool and we used to practice throeing the ball in the yard anyway once earl thre a hard one to me and it hit the top of my glove and bounced off and hit me in the face and broke off my tooth, so now as soon as we can get some money together we are going to get me some new teeth.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

rkm — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 16:12:21 GMT

I had an extra tooth and many other dental oddities. As a child I bragged that I had a Dentist, an Orthodontist and an Oral surgeon. I am forever grateful to my Mother for suffering through severeal surgeries and years of braces with me as well as the bills for them. Discomfort along the way was more than made up for by the benefits of having straight teeth. The world really does take you at face value which effects social and economic opportunities. You are a great Mom for getting your child the ental care he needs.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Nik, Atlanta, GA — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 16:22:18 GMT

This is a great story for your son to tell his son one day! When I was in high school, I had an extra set of wisdom teeth...(4 to be exact)...I had to have oral and reconstructive surgery (on my nasal passages...go figure)...it was painful...but I don't look like a shark now!

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Marjorie, Philadelphia — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 17:04:10 GMT

I'm also a lucky one to have those random, extra teeth. In my case however, I lost my baby teeth normally, and these weird things grew in and fell out shortly after. Thankfully it was only my canines. My parents were extremely disturbed by their adopted daughter (who also had a tooth between her front teeth!)

Good luck though, hopefully the surgery will be avoided.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Mena, the woman with the amazing mouth. — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 17:13:17 GMT

I guess everyone would really be surprised to know that I am 38years old and have never had a cavity in my life. My dentist that I currently see for checkups told me that I was a rare case. When my younger brother and I were kids my mother never took us to the dentist, but the one time that she did the dentist called in all of the staff to show off our teeth calling it "amazing." My mother said that because we had one income and being a single mom and having to work all the time she had little time for trips to the dentist so she made us take good care of our teeth, always encouraged fruit instead of candy. Things like that along with genetics made a huge impact on our oral health.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Alicia, MN — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 17:26:52 GMT

My son didn't have extra teeth, but instead was missing a baby tooth. His bottom teeth were so close together, that we didn't notice the missing tooth far a while. But we were counting one day, and realized he was one short. The dentist took x-rays and we discovered the adult tooth was there, so we just had to wait and see if there was going to be enough space for it to come in. There wasn't. He is eleven now and has already been through his first round of braces. Chances are he will need them again.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Gina in Philly, PA — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 17:27:15 GMT

I wish that I had extra teeth. I had some permanent molars removed when I was young and regret having them pulled. I need some teeth!!

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Sameerah, Atlanta, Ga — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 18:32:54 GMT

My son who just turned six had an extra set of his two bottom teeth come in before his baby teeth came out. The dentist was going to pull the baby teeth, but fortunately they fell out before that happened. He now has another bottom tooth coming in behind the baby tooth. Fortunately is is loose and will fall out soon.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Ben, Omaha, NE — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 19:13:29 GMT

I too was one of the "lucky" children with the cool story of extra teeth. When I was in third grade, on Valentines day of all days, I had to get my four extra front teeth along with my two teeth that grew through the middle of the roof of my mouth. Was quite a traumatic experience since everyone felt sorry for me and I got more candy that I couldn't eat for 6 weeks. A couple years later I got another 4 extra teeth pulled so I could get braces. And just a few years ago I got my 6 wisdom teeth pulled. Only recently have I found out that I have ANOTHER two more wisdom teeth coming in. I'll get to have my fourth round of oral surgery to get those out. Fun times. Its much better to get them pulled early then to drag it out. The pain from the earlier surgery's weren't that bad and I didn't even remember it days later, but as an adult I seemed to suffer more.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Mate', Elkton, OR — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 20:53:31 GMT

i had one extra tooth that had to be removed and my great-grandpa had four sets of teeth

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Johnny knapp(15), Bellvue, nebraska — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 20:59:13 GMT

I am starting to Beleave This may be a evoltion ot humans addapting agian. Like the aposabal thumbs. As i see it this extra teeth right now are primitive it be a wonder to see them in a few thousands years if nukes havnt dostroyed the planet by now.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Kelleen T, Seattle, WA — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 21:18:58 GMT

I have too few teeth -- missing those right next to my two front incisors, so I look like I have fangs. Makes for great cat costumes at Halloween, though!!

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Scott, Albany, NY — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 22:16:05 GMT

There is anthropologic evidence that in our not so distant past, our Primate ancestors had a second set of teeth. Like DNA studies of people that are completely covered with hair have shown, there is very little genetic difference between modern humans, Prehuman species and modern primates, such as Monkeys. This is probably an example of a recessive gene expressing itself -- like the occasional tails humans are born with -- reminiscent of times when we had larger jaws and needed all those teeth for our diets.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

gladys romero, wednesbury, west mid. — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 22:18:11 GMT

i had one of those in my palate and had to have it extracted when i was young. sadly i lost it :/ it looked funny. and when i had my wisdom teeth removed (all 4 of them) the dentist found two little things that looked like tiny pearls. lost those too. damn. my husband had supernumerary teeth aswell, so our daughter might get some too. cool :P it doesnt makes you a freak, it makes you a little bit more special.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Megan, Boulder, CO — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 22:26:03 GMT

My sister-in-law had this, too. The family refers to the extra set as her "milk-teeth". I now have 2 kids but both are too young to have visited the dentist yet, so we will see if they inherited it. Very interesting stuff...

The boy with the extra set of teeth

cheryl anderson, marion, arkansas — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 22:59:03 GMT

when we are born our permanaent teeth are already set in our jaws, of course one doesn't find that sort of thing out unless there is something wrong or an accident occurs...my daughter, age 3, knocked her front teeth out, we thought. turned out she had knocked them up into her gumline and the dentist had to extract them. at that time the dr. told us not to worry as the permanament teeth would not be affected, he was right.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Windsor,NY — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 23:31:01 GMT

My husband had all of his wisdom teeth removed as a teen (they broke his jaw to do it) As an adult, all have grown back!

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Moon Los Angeles, ca — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 00:53:45 GMT

The dentist just want to make more money by telling you that you need to do something unnessary because he can take advantage of an unusal situation. Leave teh childs teeth intacted until they do start to create a problem.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Mary Lou Coughlin, Plano, TX — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 01:01:59 GMT

Too many teeth....too few teeth! That later would be me! I never got my upper 12-year molars (but did get my lower ones...) and never had any wisdom teeth at all. I think it takes me longer to eat a meal than my friends. Oh well, I don't have a weight problem as I usually am still a little hungry when everyone else is finished so rather than make them wait on me, I just say "I'm finished, too."

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Moon Los Angeles, ca — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 01:05:52 GMT

The dentist just want to make more money by telling you that you need to do something unnessary because he can take advantage of an unusal situation. Leave the childs teeth intacted until they do start to create a problem.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

joe — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 01:19:18 GMT

leave his teeth alone you migth kill him

The boy with the extra set of teeth

April, GA — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 01:35:21 GMT

hmmmm...extra teeth. sounds horrible.

how about having a child with mental illness, losing your job and health insurance, finding a number of of part-time jobs to get by, and having EVERY health insurance carrier tell you that they WILL NOT cover your child FOR ANY AMOUNT OF MONEY due to the illness. that is what happened to my family.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

candy sanchez — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 02:12:03 GMT

My teeth are very strange because i was born with my teeth black. Only one tooth of mine is white (the one in the front). Everybody used to tease me, but now everybody thinks it's cool. Having black teeth sounds pretty horrible, but it's actually pretty cool.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

candy sanchez, Novato Ca — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 02:14:44 GMT

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Tracey, Pittsburgh, PA — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 02:53:48 GMT

I had that too when I was young. My dentist removed my baby teeth and my middle set all at once...then I went a VERY long time without front teeth. I was later told by another dentist that the orginal guy should have went in to pull down my adult teeth after a period of time so I wouldn't have gone so long. But I guess after I punched him in his face during the 15-20 shots of novicane (not totally on purpose, and I was young!!), he didn't want to do any more surgury on me!!

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Tina, Staples, Mn — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 02:58:09 GMT

My husband suprised us with an extra 2 wisdom teeth! He apparently blessed our son with this genetic gift... Our son has 8 extra teeth! Things are ok though! They're falling into place and we only have to pull one at a time.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

B. Wozniak, New Richmond WI — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 03:24:18 GMT

Wow - you know, I don't know if I had extra teeth, but I know I had a WHOLE bunch of (?baby?) teeth removed when I was young, 8 at one time I know for sure....big old gaps on each side of my mouth....just had normal 4 wisdom teeth removed, however.....no worries, your son will be OK.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Margo — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 03:26:56 GMT

WOW A SHARKBOY

The boy with the extra set of teeth

dawn, memphis ,TN — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 03:47:02 GMT

As a dental hygienist I have encountered a family that has a genetic "disorder" involving supernumerary teeth. There are two to three sets of extra teeth. There seems to be numerous oral surgeries and braces no doubt. Another major sign of this disorder is a collar bone or clavicle that is not fully formed. Every time a child is born into the family they wait to see if the doc reports a broken collar bone during delivery. That is the only signs I can remember.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Sharon Liotta, ABQ, NM — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 03:48:49 GMT

My son had extra teeth, but it was part of a condition he was born with called cleidocranial dystosis. It is usually combined with several other symptoms and it is hereditary. There can be female problems with girls as well.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Amanda, La Fontaine, IN — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 03:51:49 GMT

I was one of the freakish kids with the fake tooth on the retainer. I have one bridge and two baby teeth still. I was always told that less teeth were a result of evolution since we eat easier to chew foods and our jaws over time are getting smaller. I can see how supernumerary teeth would be a result of evolution as well since we are living longer and needing more teeth once our permanents wear out.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Ash, Cary NC — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 04:06:50 GMT

No big deal!!! My dauhter had two bottom extra teeth on the top of her two bottom baby tooth. Her two bottom baby teeth did not come out for a long time. We finally went to pediatric dentist to see whats happening in there. She also had surgery(sorry...do not remember the exact name of it...) to remove the top ones, unfortunately dentist had to remove her all four (two extra and two baby teeth too!) because her baby teeth were apparently in horizontal direction and he tried to make it straight and while doing that he cut off the nerve which joins it to gums, so had to remove the baby teeth too. Because of which, she actually did not have two bottom teeth till she got her permanent teeth. She did not have any problems whatsoever.
I am so surprised to see why you are making such a big deal out of nothing!!! I can understand your way of getting some publicity, but at your son's expense...that's not fair...enjoy it though!!!

The boy with the extra set of teeth

L. Johnson, Orlando FL — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 04:21:00 GMT

I too had an extra set of teeth and when in the 7th grade had all my baby teeth and 17 extra teeth pulled. To this day i seem to grow new little teeth. no more dentist for me i just pull them out myself.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Josie, VA — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 04:53:21 GMT

My daughter is like Susan's in Buffalo. She had all teeth in by 1, and got the back molars at 14mos. She then lost her first tooth shortly before turning 5 in kindergarten. Not strange for a child who got her first teeth at 4mos. She'll be 7 in two weeks and is in 2nd grade and has lost 8 teeth! GOOD GRIEF charlie brown...

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Winston Smith, Corvallis, MT — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 06:02:03 GMT

Could be worse... they might have had an extra set of gums

The boy with the extra set of teeth

retired dental surgeon, Bellevue, WA — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 10:08:45 GMT

How many of these 'supernumerary tooth' support group members went so far as to put Tooth Donor on their driver's license? Not to be callous, no more than proclaiming the poor kid has "shark teeth," but people PLZ. We all carry anomalous features into this world, far too many I fear reside in our brains. BTW, a hundred bucks says the kid ends up being a dentist!

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Dan H, milford, CT — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 10:18:13 GMT

I was born in a small town next to a nuclear reactor in the good ole US. I had 73 extra teeth and had them all pulled over the course of 2 months. When that was all done my brain leaked out of my mouth and my anus traveled up my backbone and now I have SH__ for brains.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Kumar NJ — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 12:39:18 GMT

Unfortunately, many of the comments, rather than being sympathetic or curious, are aimed at being hurtful. Kavita, as per your report(brilliantly written interspersed with humor) Jayan seems to be leading a normal life and that's important.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

DM, San Jose — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 23:07:13 GMT

I've got the opposite problem - I'm missing two molars on my lower jaw (one on each side), so the molars from the top just keep growing down and hit my lower gums at the back of the jaw. But, a bonus, I never had wisdom teeth either and for that my mom used to tell me I was higher on the evolutionary chain, haha!

The boy with the extra set of teeth

lynne cleveland ohio — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 19:41:00 GMT

My son had extra teeth also,i wasnt much for the dentist with his baby teeth as we did not have insurance.But after his baby teeth came out he was toothless for years,at 11 years old still no teeth.So to the dentist we went only to find out there were so many perm teeth they were all caught up in his gums like a log jam.The surgery to fix this was astronomical,and not covered by insurance as they only covered impacted wisdom teeth and not regular impacted teeth,i had to do it as it now was tied to his self esteem

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Susan L. Gregg, Wilmington, DE — Sun, 07 Dec 2008 01:31:42 GMT

Hello to Kavita and Brian. I read your story with interest and when I saw your name, thought, "I used to work with a Kavita and it took me weeks to properly pronounce her name." Then I noticed it was you :-)
Tim (Shaffer) and I are doing well. He's still shooting for Reuters. I've been teaching at Wilmington University since 2000. Our girls are 12 and 14. After last weeks layoffs I'm more than happy that I left the NJ when I did.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Jaime, Central Florida — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 18:00:06 GMT

On the hereditary note: Where right I grew two baby “eye” teeth and two permanent eyes, my sister never lost her baby one. She was 13 when an orthodontist had to pull the baby tooth and cut a hole to her permanent, attaching a bracket to pull it down into place. She had two years of braces after that. On a set of teeth, the orthodontist called “so perfect it broke his heart to put braces on them.”

The boy with the extra set of teeth

K.Waugh,Kansas City — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 19:20:36 GMT

Extra teeth are not that uncommon. I had four complete sets of front teeth, with the root system two and half times the lenght of my teeth. The oral sugury was quite painful. My husband was missing teeth. Both are family trates.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

jw annapolis md — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 19:30:28 GMT

I have the opposite problem. I'm missing an adult tooth. I'm 33 years old and still have a baby tooth. It's on the bottom, just behind my canine tooth. My dentist doesn't see any need to do anything about it until it is needed, and I agree.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Brenda Cahill — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 02:13:16 GMT

wow right around the same time w efound out my 9 year old had the same thing
I go back to the dentist at the end of December to see what we are gonna do!
BC

The boy with the extra set of teeth

MCF, San Jose, CA — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 07:38:21 GMT

Well i guess um not alone with the teeth problem. i was born with 3 rows of extra teeth, my baby teeth fell out quick then my adults came in by the age of 5, had 28 teeth pulled by 14, pulled 4 wisdom by 15, had braces for 12 years, pulled 2 more wisdom since the new ones grew back in by 17, and now at 21 my teeth keep growing more. FTW!
*got this all on medical records*

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Gina C. Nashville TN — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 05:26:47 GMT

Just sprouted a wisdom tooth (top left) after having them all 4 cut out in 2001. I am an Xray tech, and I made an xray of my mouth- it is an odd shaped "peg-like" tooth with a definate root. Getting it cut out at 8 AM tomorrow. Nice to hear I'm not alone! Out of everyone I know and everyone they know- I am the only one this has happened to. They said I was the idiot for thinking I had a tooth coming in! Ha!

The boy with the extra set of teeth

holliray@insightbb.com — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 16:35:08 GMT

I can't believe that the article says that having supernumerary teeth is not that common, just look at all the comments. My oldest son had and entire extra set of upper adult teeth. The two sets of adult teeth held all his baby teeth in place and would not let him loose them naturally. After pulling the extra set the dentist thought the baby teeth would fall out in their own - WRONG!! At the age of 26 my son has had at least five major oral surgeries that I can remember. He is terrified of the dentist. Can't say I blame him!

The boy with the extra set of teeth

David, MN — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 16:56:57 GMT

I think I would rather have had supernumerary teeth than deal with amelogenesis imperfecta, an inheritable enamel deficiency affecting about 1:14,000 people in the U.S. An uncle of mine who had the problem lost ALL of his adult teeth by 16 years old. Mine were not that bad but it gets old being told as a child you are not brushing when in fact you are brushing. To date, I have very few adult teeth without major fillings: but thank goodness for modern dentistry which has crowned 9 of my adult teeth with real looking porcelain.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Ken, Las Vegas NV — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 20:14:29 GMT

I had two extra front teeth too. I think I was around 8 years old. My baby teeth fell out, and the adult teeth were coming in.

At a regular dental checkup my dentist at first my dentist thought I was moving around in the x-ray chair. Resulting in a ghost image of teeth.
But after strapping my head to the head rest he finally figured out there were another set up there.

All I remember from that surgery was that I could not smile or laugh for a week because of the stitches.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Christine, Midlothian VA — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 20:39:49 GMT

Like several of the commenters above, I also had extra wisdom teeth. When I had those taken out (at age sixteen) the dentist found that I also had extra teeth above my front teeth as well. He said that as long as they didn't cause any problems, I didn't need to have them out. I'm twenty-eight now, and the extra teeth haven't caused me any pain at all.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Sandi NM — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 14:03:11 GMT

This is something that actually runs in our family on my Mother's side. My Great Aunt who is in her 70's now had all of her teeth pulled and was fitted for dentures. (She had never lost her baby teeth, and had never cut permanent teeth.) Three weeks later she went back to the dentist and was "cutting" a new set of teeth. (This was the 50's) The dentist put her dentures in a jat of water and sent her home. Seven years later she went back to the same dentist and he pulled all of her teeth again, and gave her the same dentures again. This time she was able to keep the dentures.

My brother has never lost his baby teeth, but the xrays so an entire set of teeth just sitting there minus the one he got knocked out when he was a teenager and a new one came in.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Jane King, Pinehurst, NC — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 16:36:15 GMT

Unless they extra teeth are malformed or coming in wrong, LEAVE THEM ALONE. I too had extra baby teeth as well as my brother. I remember being at the dentist one day and telling the dentist that i had a loose tooth but that I had already lost that smae tooth once before. I had said the saem to my mom who said I was just confused. My dentist however believed me, took x rays and then told my mom that I was right. I had 6 or 7 extra baby teeth that came in fine, fell out, were reaplced with new baby teeth that came in fine, fell out and were eventually replaced with permanent teeth. No extractions at all. I say if they are not malformed, leave them alone!

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Heather, Paris TN — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 18:37:27 GMT

At one of my daughters first dental visits (due to a fall) the xray showed too few teeth and the dentist said we had a long and expensive future with braces. A few years later when she started losing teeth, she has too many. Two supers in her roof. I highly recommend getting a head CT scan. They show the exact location of the extra teeth much better than xray's. Our surgeon has said hers will not effect her and to leave them. We will watch them through the years and do surgery later if they become a problem.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

dakota armour ,upton, ky — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 18:41:28 GMT

my brothers teeth were low in number 4 of his baby teeth have to function as permanent ones for the rest of his life 2 incisors and 2 molars

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Hannah, Green River, Wyoming — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 20:51:54 GMT

I've actually got a set of extra teeth as well. Kind of handy. :]

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Marianne Abbott Klink, Phoenix, AZ — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 20:56:45 GMT

I only wish my father had lived long enough to read this blog -- All through our childhood he'd carry on about "Moo Moo Montana," who'd had an extra set of teeth. Since he was always pulling our leg, we thought he'd made it up!! He knew Moo Moo from the Army in WW2.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Marianne Abbott Klink, Phoenix, AZ — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 21:04:31 GMT

The boy with the extra set of teeth

CD, Virginia — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 22:27:22 GMT

good to know im not crazy - my mom didn't believe me when i said i had two sets of canine teeth - I distinctly remember losing the 1st set, and yet when i had to get braces we realized two new canines were growing in over/behind my 2nd set of "baby teeth." I had them pulled and after waiting a long time for them to grow in (though not fully, and still facing the wrong direction) i could finally finish all the work that had been done on my mouth. :)

The boy with the extra set of teeth

C Hicks Avon Park, FL — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 22:44:18 GMT

I have never had any wisdom teeth and my 12 yr molars barely have enough room to hang onto my jawbone. My father's family has big, wide teeth and my mother's family has small, narrow teeth. Lucky me...I got my mother's jaw bone structure and my father's teeth! I had braces at 13 to try to get them all to line up some way. Sounds like I should be thankful I only had one set!

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Cheryl, St. Louis, MO — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 22:55:18 GMT

I was a photographer a few years ago and had a child come in to be photographed who I now assume had this condition. I have never heard of it before now but will never forget a mouth full of pointy teeth smiling at the camera.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Julie, Valdosta, GA — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 00:30:17 GMT

I had 3 or 4 extra sets of teeth as a child. We kept thinking I had my permanent teeth but then they would loosen up and fall out. Never remember a dentist taking any x-rays though. I also cut my first wisdom tooth right before I turned 15. All 4 were in (then surgically removed) by age 18.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Marc Booker, Pittsburgh, PA — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 01:26:08 GMT

My sister and I both had an extra set of incisors. We just thought of them as more baby teeth. We had no facial abnormalities and they grew in and fell out just as our first set of baby teeth did. They were replaced by our adult teeth with no complications. Ironically, a few years after that thrid set of teeth grew in, I was hit in the mouth with a baseball and lost a front tooth. I hoped agains hope that another would grow in, but to no avail

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Bob H, St Louis, MO — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 01:41:10 GMT

I'm 66 years young and at the age of 12 I still had my two baby front teeth, they decided to extracted them at age 12 and 6 month after having them extracted by a oral surgeon, xrays revealed 2 teeth laying side ways with no roots, these were surgically removed. Again more xrays that revealed what appeared to be two more teeth that never came in naturally, but after another surgery, wires were attached to the teeth and pulled down by a Orthodontist, this took almost 6 month to accomplish. As a senior in high school I finally had the braces taken off.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Ben, San Diego, CA — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 02:44:40 GMT

I also had an extra pair of front teeth as a child. My baby teeth fell out but my parents got suspicious when nothing else grew in - two ugly lumps of bone were blocking the real adult teeth. Several oral surgeries and a creative set of braces made a patient child out of me. It wasn't the most fun experience in the world but I consider myself extremely lucky my parents had the dental insurance to pay for all of it - otherwise I would have had a pretty mangled mouth.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Maria, Miami, FL — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 05:05:12 GMT

I think the mom needs to calm down and find a new dentist. I say calm down, because truly it is NOT a big deal. I had 3 front teeth and not one of my childhood friends even remembers this and my mother never made a big deal about it. The reaction of the mother has a bigger effect on the child than the extra tooth. I think they need a new dentist, because I had oral surgery in first grade that took care of the permanent extra teeth and it was a breeze (and that was in 1977). It was outpatient, I remember it all and I never experienced any pain. It was taken care of and that was that!

The boy with the extra set of teeth

RN Mom, Arlington, Texas — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 04:18:44 GMT

My oldest son, at the age of nine or so, had a supernumerary tooth (shaped like the end of a pencil, I kid you not!) erupt from the middle of his palate. Hubby said he had an extra tooth erupt under his tongue as a child. The pediatric dentist said this is often seen from Appalachian families (inter-breeding)...Gulp! Well, my hubby's family is from Arkansas! LOL!!! I jest... anyhoo, it can also be associated with Gardiner's Syndrome, a GI disorder that can lead to stomach cancer down the road...just FYI... Mom & RN in Texas

The boy with the extra set of teeth

cwatkins @kerrlake.com — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 19:27:19 GMT

One of my daughters had her baby teeth at birth.
No problems after, other than that I couldn't nurse her.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Kim, Deltona, Florida — Sun, 08 Feb 2009 02:50:33 GMT

All three of my children have had Shark teeth. and oddly enough All of them have been normal. My son had three sets of teeth and has finally stopped losing them. He lost his last set at the age of 11, and I was near hysterics. his Dentist was stunned due to that all three sets of teeth were "normal" instead of inverted or deformed. He asked to take the xrays and do a study on my sons mouth. I declined.
I had the same issue with my twin girls. they lost three sets of teeth, losing their last set at the age of 9. when they went in for Braces, I made sure that there was not another set of teeth hidden inside their gums anywhere.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Chico Che,Los Angeles,California — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 15:03:46 GMT

I had an extra set of canine teeth when I was a child removed,the nicname "Sharky" stuck around it is still used once in a while

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Marlene B., Deer Park, WA — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 20:54:49 GMT

HA HA!! THIS IS YOUR KID!!
vietmom73@yahoo.com (Wednesday, November 26, 2008 11:42 AM)

What is wrong with this woman?The Mom may be a bit of a drama queen due to her own experiences but no one wants any imperfections in their child. It's just plain mean-spritedness that elicits a mean comment like this one.

I, too, had 2 extra teeth - one canine directly behind the permanent one and the first molar more in the roof of my mouth. Both were removed when I was 12 and I had no problems.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Tiffiny, Houston, TX — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 21:48:46 GMT

My son had a tooth pop thru the roof of his mouth. We went to our family dentist, who pulled it--without trauma. The worst part for my son was having the gauze in his mouth! I think that the main thing is getting a dentist who is caring enough to understand the fears.

On another note, my brother knocked both of his front teeth out when he was 2. His permanent teeth didn't grow in until he was 7-8! We swore that he had callus' on his gums! And he still ate corn on the cob--even without teeth!!

The boy with the extra set of teeth

sara MI — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 00:15:46 GMT

I have 2 supernumerary teeth
one pushed out an adult tooth(its only a little smaller then normal) and the other is working on pushing it out and its normal sized both right next to the front teeth
not a big deal

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Russell Williams — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 01:23:07 GMT

mnnyslzr@yahoo.com - that is so silly. There's no such thing as an 'anti-Christ'. Supernumerary teeth are just evolution trying things on for size. I'm sure that it helps Ms. Varma-White to read that others have had this problem sucessfully managed by their dentists. It's also good for parents who may run into this in the future to read this story and comments. Most of them, anyway.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Xiomara, Oregon — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 01:44:31 GMT

Kavita- Thank you for sharing your story with us. Very intresting. <strong>KIMBERLY in TACOMA, WASHINGTON</strong> I would be intrested to talk with you as our daughter, age 5, is missing 13 teeth.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Rick, Vancouver, Canada — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 01:51:29 GMT

My daughter also had 4 additional front teeth, two uppers and two lowers. Treatement. Pulled the two baby teeth, minor surgery to remove the extra teeth and wait for the adult teeth to come in. She was 5 at the time and by 10 yo she had all of the front adult teeth with no complications. The dental surgeon who treated her in Vancouver said that the condition is not uncommon and he routinely performs 10 to 12 such operations per year.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

my6009@googlemail.com — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 03:54:23 GMT

I have been informed by my dentist, that i have 2 extra teeth, and although she did know about people having extra teeth i am the first one she has actually seen with them.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Wayne, Bellevue, Nebraska — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 04:09:39 GMT

My daughter age 21 recently had her wisdom teeth pulled... now she says there is another tooth already coming down... two of her baby teeth in her lower jaw were fused together when she was about 6, then a few years after that the alleged permanent tooth in that same spot had another growing right behind it so our dentist at the time removed the one in front.
With all her tooth strangeness, the strangest fact: she has never had a single cavity so far.
How I envy her!

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Meredith Frydman, Boca Raton FL — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 04:10:48 GMT

This is fascinating to read about...my son just had one "shark" tooth removed. His new nickname is "shark boy"! He, too, was a celebrity in his Kindergarten class. He had to go under general anethesia to remove the impacted supernumerary tooth, but that was the worst part. It is amazing how quickly and how fast the mouth healed- It didn't hold him back from any activities- We got lucky!

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Mindy, Bangor, ME — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 13:43:21 GMT

I lost both of my front teeth when I was 4 years old. I went to a church christmas party and was running around with a bunch of kids on a hardwood floor, fell on my face and knocked my first tooth out, then only a couple of days later, I was in the livingroom running to an armchair, trying to beat my dad to it, well the armchair was one of the ones that had wood on the arm and I fell face first into the wood, knocked my other tooth out and fell backwards into the Christmas tree that was sitting beside it. The Christmas tree fell on top of me. Very traumatic experience lol. But I remember being without my front teeth for SEVERAL years and always singing All I Want For Christmas is my Two Front Teeth every year!

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Karen, SE Kansas — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 20:13:26 GMT

Our son had an extra perm. tooth. The pediatric dentist told us that they occasionally abcess, and can turn into cancer. He had it surgically removed by an oral surgeon. Then they had to latch on to his perm. tooth with wires, and he had braces to pull it down into position. It was his top upper front tooth. He has a beauty of a smile now at age 27!

The boy with the extra set of teeth

c. smith, springfield , mo — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 22:43:58 GMT

my 22 year old daughter still has a baby front tooth and her permanate tooth is in the roof of her mouth sideways and keeps floating back and forth, i know that she will eventually have to have that one removed. but her baby tooth is good and solid , so hopefully she will be able to keep it.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Nancy, Bloomington, MN — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 15:37:35 GMT

Until I read this article, I had forgotten that I had a supernumerary tooth. At age 20 in 1976, I had my impacted wisdom teeth removed in 2 separate surgeries, both using local anesthesia, so I was wide awake. Prior to one of the surgeries, the surgeon discovered the supernumerary in the rear of my palate, very near one of the 3rd molars, so he said he would remove that at the same time. I don't recall any addition discomfort, and I did think that oddity was pretty cool. I also have a floating blood vessel in one of my eyes - the doc mentions this every year. I think that's pretty cool too!

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Lisa Nada — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 02:52:35 GMT

Ok, I feel better knowing that my son isnt the only one with extra teeth. He had his "fangs" come in on top of canines. When he smiled, they really looked like fangs! He had all of wisdom teeth pulled a few months ago(Oh LORD dont let me have to go through that again!!!!) And now, he let me feel in his mouth where an extra molar(its sharp and trying to poke through the gum) on top of his permanent molars. The boy is 18 in 2 weeks...does it ever stop?

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Siri J., Greenville SC — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 20:45:51 GMT

Dentistry has come a long way, even since the 70's. I cracked a tooth recently and ended up having a root canal, which was *completely painless*.(oh, the numbing shots weren't painless, but the procedure itself WAS).

I think the people who have a lot of pain are the ones who wait until the problem gets out of control before they try to solve it. Or sometimes they can't afford to go to the dentist early. Dealing with a dental problem before it gets out of hand is usually the most painless thing to do. As well, if something isn't causing you pain or problems, LEAVE IT ALONE.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

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The boy with the extra set of teeth

Kristy, Ponchatoula Louisiana — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 17:46:06 GMT

Hello, My name is Kristy and My son's name is Preston. Preston is 5 years old. Tomorrow Preston is scheduled to have his supernumeray teeth pulled. I was so scared about this because I have never heard of such a thing before. I just wanted to say that I have been eased some by reading everyones testimonies about their experiences. I was so worried that if they pulled these teeth, what if no more came out. The teeth are very pointy such as some would say " vampire teeth " I hope everything goes well for him and doesnt suffer.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Lida, Vineland Ontario — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 05:12:39 GMT

I know first hand from my Great-Grandmother that my Great-Uncle sported 3 sets of teeth. At the time she lived in Belgium, and freaked out when his "second" set grew in very darkened....they scheduled an appointment, and to their relief there was another set, which was NOT what they expected.
My great grandmother was 43 when she had him, and he was covered with "fur" according to her (which I know now was Vernix probably from premature birth.) Unfortunately at that time, anything out of the ordinary was considered as "freakish" at recommended to be hidden. Who's to blame...1940's...Hmmmmmmmm I know that her and my Great grand-father were pretty freaked out by the experience..thank God, all endd up well!

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Lida, Vineland Ontario — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 05:13:06 GMT

The boy with the extra set of teeth

Lida, Vineland, Ontario Canada — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 05:13:26 GMT

The boy with the extra set of teeth

CFrank — Mon, 11 May 2009 14:26:29 GMT

We just discovered that my son has the same problem. When his dentist showed me the x-ray, I could see that he had 5 or 6 extra teeth on the bottom. The bottom front two have already come in. It only took about two days. Also, his jaw is too small for his teeth. I asked the dentist is this was hereditary because he surely didn't get it from me. I've never had problems with my teeth, but his dad was another story. He had teeth everywhere.

The boy with the extra set of teeth

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The boy with the extra set of teeth

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