One to six missing teeth are especially referred to as hypodontia. Heredity, or the transmission of the ailment from one’s biological parents to one’s offspring, is the most frequent cause of missing tooth. Bridges, dentures, dental implants, and orthodontics are among the available treatments.
What’s hypodontia?
Being born without some of your teeth is referred to medically as “hypodontia”. It is a type of dental agenesis, a word used by medical professionals to describe naturally occurring tooth loss. (“Congenitally” means you have the condition from birth.) A person with missing tooth specifically has one to six missing teeth (excluding wisdom teeth). Hypodontia affects 2–8% of the general population. It can be inherited or born with.
Any part of your mouth can develop hypodontia. However, the teeth that are most frequently missing in those who have missing tooth are your:
- The tiny teeth on either side of your top two front teeth are called your upper lateral incisors.
- The teeth directly in front of your molars on top, called upper second premolars.
- The teeth just in front of your molars on the bottom are called lower second premolars.
Why does hypodontia occur?
When a person has hypodontia, the dental lamina, which is a band of tissue behind their gums where teeth develop, is typically abnormal. Family history is typically the root of the problem. But hypodontia can also be brought on by other factors.
Hypodontia can coexist with other disorders or therapies like:
- cleft palate or cleft lip.
- low weight at birth.
- ectodermal dysplasia and Down syndrome are examples of genetic abnormalities.
- infectious illnesses like rubella or candidiasis.
- chemotherapy.
- radiation treatment.
How can a missing teeth impact the health of my mouth?
Your ability to eat and speak may be hampered if you have any missing teeth. Inadequate jawbone growth and gum injury are other effects of missing tooth. Your jaw may under develop as a result of this lack of bone growth, appearing smaller than it should.
Is hypodontia a congenital disorder?
Children’s biological parents may pass on hypodontia to them. When certain diseases, infections, or treatments (such as chemotherapy or radiation) were administered to newborns and young children while their teeth were still developing, missing tooth could occasionally result.
What signs do you have of a missing tooth?
Being born toothless, anywhere from one to six, is the most typical hypodontia sign. Your mouth can have missing teeth anywhere, with the exception of your wisdom teeth. A missing tooth can affect either permanent (adult) teeth or primary (baby) teeth. Additionally, peg-shaped or smaller-than-average natural teeth are possible in people with missing tooth. They might have spaces and gaps between their natural teeth.
Also, missing teeth may be a sign of other genetic diseases. Some individuals with hypodontia may also experience ectodermal dysplasia symptoms. Ectodermal dysplasia patients could have:
- anomalies in nails.
- hair thinning.
- a bad hearing.
- eyesight issues.
- insufficient sweat glands.
Diagnosis
Dental X-rays can confirm the diagnosis of hypodontia if your healthcare practitioner has a suspicion. Other missing teeth symptoms during an examination include small teeth, peg-shaped teeth, and gap between teeth. Among the therapies are:
- various forms of orthodontics, such as braces.
- complete dentures.
- bridges for teeth.
- implant dentistry
In order to wait until they are mature enough for additional treatments, most children with hypodontia wear partial dentures.
