Hi, my name is Lucas and my mom is Dr. Koffman. For the longest time mommy taught me that I would have 20 baby teeth (or my practice set as she told me) and at around 6 years old I would start to lose those teeth and I would get my permanent adult teeth (which I would get 32). But then something happened in my mouth that proved mommy wrong... I grew a 21st practice tooth!!!
It turns out that between 1-4% actually grow extra teeth which are called supernumerary teeth (or super numerals) for all kinds of different reasons. My extra tooth was a mesioden because it was between my 2 front teeth. I had to take a special x-ray that showed mommy my whole mouth so she could see where the adult teeth were below my baby teeth so she could make sure it was an extra. The x-ray was called a panorex and I had to stand still while the machine went around my head, you'd think it might have been scary but really it wasn't and everyone told me how great I did.
Next came the hard part... mommy, I mean Dr. Koffman had to take out the extra tooth. Now I'm not gonna tell you I wasn't scared but I think mommy, oops I mean Dr. Koffman might have been more scared of working on me then I was of getting the tooth pulled (I am her baby after all). In the end it was actually really easy and painless, I didn't like when she put my tooth to sleep and I might have cried a little, but after that is was a breeze and the tooth came right out.
In the end it was cool to be one of those few people who have an extra tooth. I was also very lucky that mommy is also Dr. Koffman and made me feel safe and comfortable through the whole process. It also doesn't hurt that the tooth fairy left me a little something extra for being brave and having an extra tooth. So that's my story I wanted to share with you and now you know a little something about extra teeth (or super numerals). Thanks for reading it and Lili and I will be back to share more of our dental family experiences with you soon.
