Forum Friday: Identical Twins but Different Teeth
Friday June 19, 2009
Karen writes: Skyla and Mikayla (7) ... have started getting their "big" teeth now and the one has perfectly straight teeth while the other twin's are all crooked. Their DNA is 100% identical so why would their teeth be so different?
This is an interesting question, one that many parents of identical (monozygotic) twins encounter about some aspect of their children. My twins have had different experiences with their teeth ever since they were babies. Their first tiny pearl of baby tooth appeared about a week apart. When they were in first grade, one lost a tooth and received a visit from the Tooth Fairy. The other was so infuriated that her sister had reached this milestone ahead of her that she spent hours wiggling her own loose tooth until it finally came out. As they grew older and visited the orthodontist, one needed braces applied before the other. In fact, with one still in braces at age 14, that feature has become a key way to help others distinguish who is who.
As is discussed in this message forum thread, many dental issues are influenced by environmental, not genetic, factors. That is just one of the reasons that identical twins can be different -- in appearance, in personality, in character.
Stop by the message forum and share your thoughts and experiences on this issue.
More Resources
• Why Identical Twins are Different
• All About Identical Twins
• Teething Twins
This is an interesting question, one that many parents of identical (monozygotic) twins encounter about some aspect of their children. My twins have had different experiences with their teeth ever since they were babies. Their first tiny pearl of baby tooth appeared about a week apart. When they were in first grade, one lost a tooth and received a visit from the Tooth Fairy. The other was so infuriated that her sister had reached this milestone ahead of her that she spent hours wiggling her own loose tooth until it finally came out. As they grew older and visited the orthodontist, one needed braces applied before the other. In fact, with one still in braces at age 14, that feature has become a key way to help others distinguish who is who.
As is discussed in this message forum thread, many dental issues are influenced by environmental, not genetic, factors. That is just one of the reasons that identical twins can be different -- in appearance, in personality, in character.
Stop by the message forum and share your thoughts and experiences on this issue.
More Resources
• Why Identical Twins are Different
• All About Identical Twins
• Teething Twins
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