Recognising & Treating 3 of the More Unusual Genetic Deformities in Teeth & Gums
A wide variety of hereditary disorders can affect the development and health of the teeth, gums and mouth in general. However, many of them are quite rare, or else overshadowed by the more immediately obvious disorders such as cleft lip and palate syndrome, and awareness of how to deal with these conditions is subsequently lacking, even among those unfortunate enough to be affected by them.
It's always a good thing to increase your own knowledge of these conditions; it's unlikely, but you might be a carrier of one the defective genes that causes them, even if you present no symptoms yourself (many of them are carried via recessive genes in your DNA, meaning they may only present themselves in certain generations of your family).
Here are a select few of these exotic and potentially debilitating conditions.
Hypodontia
This condition is a simple absence of permanent teeth. This does not include missing wisdom teeth (around a fifth of the population is missing some or all of their wisdom teeth) but refers to absence of the more commonly used teeth. The most common forms of hypodontia are missing upper lateral incisors (the incisors at the top of your mouth, closest to your canines) and the premolars, which obviously present more of a problem.
Missing important teeth is obviously not immediately dangerous, but it can lead to certain problems:
- Improper alignment of teeth surrounding the gap(s)
- Impacted food matter in gaps around missing molars, which can lead to gum disease and infection
- Missing primary teeth are less common, but can lead to improper feeding habits in children if not corrected
- The problems associated with dentures and artificial teeth also apply, as many patients prefer to have teeth implanted for aesthetic reasons.
A related condition, anodontia, refers to the absence of all teeth; this condition is extremely rare, but obviously presents exponentially greater problems.
Dentinogenesis imperfecta
Affecting an estimated 1 in 6000 to 8000 people, dentinogenesis imperfecta is a serious condition that is immediately recognisable from the discolouration it causes in teeth, ranging from blue-grey to yellowish or reddish brown. Symptoms differ widely between sufferers, but all suffer from substantially weakened and fragile teeth, susceptible to breakage and rapid wearing.
In more serious cases it can lead to painful and destructive abscesses forming around the gum line necessitating surgery. The teeth also possess a very thin and brittle layer of enamel, and exposed or entirely missing pulp, an easy avenue for gum infections.
Treatments are generally preventative and reconstructive; no effective cure or method of reversal exists. Since the condition affects all teeth in the mouth, patients will usually have undergo a painful series of surgeries to apply full crowns to all teeth, both for aesthetic reasons and to protect against further wear and breakage.
Another, less common treatment is enamel bonding, in which thin layers of enamel are applied to the teeth in stages. However, since the teeth remain fragile underneath, this is purely a cosmetic treatment. Whitening is both discouraged and usually ineffective, since discolouration is caused by the dentine beneath the thin layer of enamel and not the enamel itself.
Dentine dysplasia
Characterised by tooth roots that are either are too short and thin, or missing entirely, dentin dysplasia is very difficult to treat. Affected teeth (usually all teeth in the mouth) are generally irregularly placed and highly mobile and wobbly, and without a proper anchor in a strong root are very prone to being knocked out accidentally, or falling out due to poor dental hygiene.
These 'hollow' teeth are also vulnerable to infection and cysts, and may also develop pulp stones. calcified lumps of matter within the tooth itself that can cause pain and sensitivity.
The best treatment for dentin dysplasia is simply to practise excellent dental hygiene, to preserve the remaining hold the gums have on the teeth. Given the mobility and fragility of the teeth, other dental treatments may not be possible to apply. Braces and crowns may cause more harm than good to the vulnerable teeth, and filling the hollows within the teeth is counterproductive due to the weak or absent roots.
For more information, contact local resources such as Dental Care @ Bentons.
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