Missing or excess teeth

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Every single tooth is important for the teeth and the jaw - apart from the four wisdom teeth as potential troublemakers. Therefore, if teeth are missing or in excess of them, this can lead to misalignments and cause problems when speaking or chewing, for example. Read more about missing and excess teeth here!

Missing teeth

If teeth are missing from birth, this has a clear impact on development: the jawbone does not grow properly because there is no pressure stimulus in the area of ​​the tooth gap when chewing. Speaking and chewing can also be impaired.

A tooth shortage usually has genetic causes and occurs in families. It is also increasingly observed in certain diseases such as cleft lip and palate and trisomy 21 (Down syndrome).

A missing tooth system most often affects the wisdom teeth, less often, for example, the front molars or the lateral incisors. More than one tooth is missing in around half of those affected. Experts differentiate between several forms of insufficient number of teeth:

• Hypodontia is the term used to describe the lack of single or fewer teeth.
• The term oligodontics stands for the group-wise lack of teeth.
• In anodontics, there are no teeth at all, so the entire set of teeth is missing. However, this form of too few teeth is extremely rare.

Missing teeth are replaced by bridges, prostheses or implants. It is also possible to close the gap with braces.

Extra teeth

Some people have more than 32 teeth (hyperodontia). The cause is probably the division of a tooth germ, which later results in two teeth. Such changes are rare, however.

Most often, an excess tooth occurs between the upper central incisors or between the 1st and 2nd incisors. This so-called mesiodense is cone-shaped and often does not break through.

Other possible forms of hyperdontia include paramolars (additional teeth between the regular molars, usually in the upper jaw) and distomolars (additional teeth behind the wisdom teeth).

The excess teeth are in the way of the regular teeth and can lead to misalignment of the dentition. They are usually removed surgically.

Tags:  anatomy Diagnosis therapies