In dentistry, hypodontia is the condition at which the patient has missing teeth as a result of the failure of those teeth to develop.  Hypodontia describes a situation where the patient is missing up to five permanent teeth, usually involving the maxillary lateral incisors, the teeth either side of your two top front teeth. The baby teeth, or milk teeth, fall out but the adult, permanent teeth do not grow in, leaving the child with a complex problem that may not be resolved until adulthood and only with the help of a good dentist.  Such a condition can leave the young patient very distressed, but the Same Day Teeth Suite can restore your smile and your confidence long after you have stopped believing in the tooth fairy.  If the problem was not treated in your teens, it is never too late to make a new smile.

During their lifetime a person will have two sets of teeth; the initial set develops during babyhood followed by the adult teeth by the age of ten or twelve years old. However, some unfortunate children’s permanent teeth never form. This involves one or two teeth and, occasionally, more. The result is the adult teeth become misaligned, losing symmetry, causing misery to the patient at a young age. This condition often runs in families and affects girls more often than boys.  By the time it becomes obvious there is no permanent tooth to replace the primary tooth, a plan will need to be made with an experienced dentist to resolve the problem as the child develops into a teenager and then, eventually, an adult.  As the child will not be fully grown when hypodontia becomes apparent, there will need to be a series of treatments put in place before the teeth can be realigned and the resulting gap, or gaps, closed with replacement teeth; with implants or a bridge. Advanced technology has given dentists many more options to resolve the problem, and it is almost impossible to tell replacement teeth from natural teeth nowadays. The braces used to move teeth into their correct position are very discreet and much more comfortable to wear than the fixed braces of the past.

Case study:  A woman in her early thirties came to see us for help to resolve the problem of her missing tooth; a lateral incisor. She had a small gap between her upper front tooth and her canine tooth, not large enough for an adult lateral incisor.  In her teens, she had worn braces.  As soon as the treatment was completed and her teeth were moved to their correct position, leaving space for a bridge and replacement incisor to be fitted, both her upper and lower teeth began moving again as there was nothing to keep her teeth in position.  The treatment was repeated with the second set of braces and a new bridge but all to no avail.  By the time she visited the Same Day Teeth Suite, she was very unhappy with her smile.  She persevered with new, discreet braces fitted top and bottom, followed by retainers that will keep her teeth permanently in place and a new bridge with a natural-looking replacement tooth.  She now has a perfectly symmetrical smile, and her trials are behind her.

If you suspect your child may not be developing his, or her, adult teeth or if you have grown up with missing and misaligned teeth, visit the Same Day Teeth Suite for a free consultation.

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