Supernumerary is the word for one or more extra teeth beyond the usual number.

In kid words

"Sometimes a mouth grows one extra tooth, and that extra one has a big name: supernumerary." It doesn't mean anything is wrong with you. Your dentist just likes to know it's there so all your teeth have enough room to grow in comfortably.

The parent version

A supernumerary tooth is any tooth that forms beyond the usual number a mouth is expected to grow, whether among the baby teeth or the permanent set. Mainstream dental sources describe it as an uncommon but well-understood and manageable finding, not a sign that anything went wrong earlier on.

An extra tooth can sit quietly out of the way, or it can crowd or block a neighboring tooth's path in, which is why it's worth knowing about even when it causes no trouble at all. What it means for your child, and whether it calls for any next step, is a plan made with your pediatric dentist.

Where you might hear it at our office

A supernumerary tooth is the kind of thing a routine visit is built to catch, whether it's spotted during a comprehensive exam or on a digital X-ray taken only as needed. It's one more reason our cleanings and exams keep to a steady rhythm.

Another unfamiliar word from a visit? The dictionary covers plenty more.

Related words

Words that often come up alongside supernumerary: eruption, impaction, dentition.