Families with Oligodontia

Hi there,

I am a single mom of an 8-year old living in western Massachusetts. I learned 3 years ago that my daughter is missing upwards of 14 permanent adult teeth with no real clear explanation why. My only conclusion is that it must be hereditary. My initial response was fear and shock: how was this going to affect the growth of her jaw, her chewing and talking? How was this going to affect her self-esteem and confidence as she grows? How much will this cost to treat and for how many years? At the time, I posted a message to Mamapedia (then Motherboard) to see if other families knew anything about this and how were they addressing it. In the past 3 years I've received many responses from moms across the country sharing their stories, all with a mix of hope and sadness and frustration at the financial burden. But many of these communications have been individual and I thought it was time to create a community space where we can all share with each other, seek advice, offer support and generally not feel so alone in our journeys. I hope this serves as a space to do that.

Warmest regards to all,
~Liza