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It is around the sixth month of life that the first teeth begin to appear and the baby gains that little boy’s face. At this stage, the child does not need chewing yet, but the teeth begin to prepare to work at full throttle soon.
What is Infantile Dental Agenesis
Teething is a very important issue and requires care from the first months. One of the dental problems that can occur is the absence of one or more teeth in the child’s arch, this anomaly is called dental agenesis .
Usually caused by a genetic deficiency and, although little known, it is a very common anomaly to occur and must be diagnosed in childhood, in order to provide an appropriate treatment.
Is Dental Agenesis a Disease?
The dental agenesis is not considered a disease , is a dental anomaly, caused by the absence of one or more teeth, which can be a tooth of milk or its permanent successor. When it occurs with the baby tooth, the diagnosis can be late, since the child’s tooth is not born all at once, it will disappoint one by one, making it difficult to perceive the absence of any of them.
Origin of Dental Agenesis
Its origin may be due to a failure in the proliferation of the dental lamina , which is the tissue that forms the teeth, usually caused by a genetic deficiency. Agenesis occurs due to the absence of any teeth in the arch, but it is more common to occur with wisdom teeth (third molars), second premolars and upper lateral incisors.
When agenesis occurs with the primary dentition (baby tooth ) it mainly affects the upper incisor teeth. Although there is also the absence of milk teeth, dental agenesis is more common in permanent teeth , and affects more women than men, in contrast to the index of supernumerary teeth, which is the presence of too many teeth, which is more common in teeth. boys.
In Brazil, agenesis is a problem that affects 2% to 5% of the population. Whatever the missing tooth, agenesis can be unilateral – on only one side of the arch or bilateral, with bilateral ones being the most common.
Child Dental Agenesis Classifications
There are three classifications of dental agenesis, named according to the number of missing teeth:
Hypodontia : Absence of less than six permanent teeth
Oligodontia : Absence of more than six permanent teeth
Anodontia : Absence of all permanent teeth
Dental agenesis is just an aesthetic problem, especially if it occurs with the front teeth that are more visible, but it is still a sign that there is a genetic problem and should be evaluated by a specialist so that, with a confirmed diagnosis, the treatment can start as soon as possible.
Diagnosis
One of the signs that is possible to be perceived by the parents and that can indicate that the child has dental agenesis is the delay in the softening and falling (exfoliation) of the baby teeth, which usually occurs between 5 to 7 years of age.
If you notice that your child has passed this age and still has not lost any baby teeth, the ideal is to seek a pediatric dentist to make an assessment . Possibly the professional will take an x-ray to analyze the dental arch. It is through this examination that it is possible to identify the absence of the permanent tooth germ, thus confirming dental agenesis.
If dental agenesis is diagnosed early, the possibilities of treatment are more diverse and, consequently, the result is faster and more satisfactory. So always pay attention to the oral hygiene of your little ones and at the slightest sign that something is wrong, look for a specialist.
As the most common cause of this dental deficiency is genetics, if there are cases in the family, extra attention is needed during tooth replacement, and as a preventive measure, an x-ray is indicated around the age of five.
How to Treat Infant Dental Agenesis
Well, there are some treatment possibilities to fill the empty space left by the missing tooth, determining the most appropriate depends on the analysis of some factors such as the number of missing teeth, their position in the arch, the patient’s age, as well as dental and even facial characteristics. .
The most suitable treatments are:
- Orthodontic appliance : which acts on the dental arch to close the empty space
- Resin : If the existing space is relatively small, the neighboring teeth have the crown enlarged with tooth-colored resin, thus filling the void and solving aesthetic issues
- Implant or prosthesis : Indicated for cases where closure with orthodontic appliances is not possible
Treatment with braces or resin can even begin as a child , but of course with the evaluation of the pediatric dentist, because it will depend on whether the other permanent teeth are already in place. For cases where the implant or prosthesis is necessary, the empty space is maintained until adulthood.
Remember to see a specialist if you notice any signs that the fall of the baby teeth and the growth of the permanent ones is not occurring as expected. Only the dentist will be able to assess whether your child has dental agenesis and if the diagnosis is confirmed, indicate the most appropriate treatment.
Although it is not directly related to this anomaly, regular and adequate oral hygiene is always extremely important for the health of the teeth. It costs nothing to always give that supervised and put the kids to brush their teeth for real!
See also: Oral Care from Birth to Childhood
My name is Dr. Alexis Hart I am 38 years old, I am the mother of 3 beautiful children! Different ages, different phases 16 years, 12 years and 7 years. In love with motherhood since always, I found it difficult to make my dreams come true, and also some more after I was already a mother.
Since I imagined myself as a mother, in my thoughts everything seemed to be much easier and simpler than it really was, I expected to get pregnant as soon as I wished, but it wasn’t that simple. The first pregnancy was smooth, but my daughter’s birth was very troubled. Joana was born in 2002 with a weight of 2930kg and 45cm, from a very peaceful cesarean delivery but she had already been born with congenital pneumonia due to a broken bag not treated with antibiotics even before delivery.