What is hyperdontia?

Hyperdontia is a condition that causes too many teeth to grow in your mouth. These extra teeth are sometimes called supernumerary teeth. They can grow anywhere in the curved areas where teeth attach to your jaw. This area is known as the dental arches.

The 20 teeth that grow in when you’re a child are known as primary, or deciduous, teeth. The 32 adult teeth that replace them are called permanent teeth. You can have extra primary or permanent teeth with hyperdontia, but extra primary teeth are more common.

SYMPTOMS

What are the symptoms of hyperdontia?

The main symptom of hyperdontia is the growth of extra teeth directly behind or close to your usual primary or permanent teeth. These teeth usually appear in adults. They’re twice as common in men than they are in women.

Extra teeth are categorized based on their shape or location in the mouth.

Shapes of extra teeth include:

Supplemental. The tooth is shaped similarly to the type of tooth that it grows near.

Tuberculate. The tooth has a tube or barrel-like shape.

Compound odontoma. The tooth is made up of several small, tooth-like growths near each other.

Complex odontoma. Rather than a single tooth, an area of tooth-like tissue grows in a disordered group.

Conical, or peg-shaped. The tooth is wide at the base and narrows out near the top, making it look sharp.

Locations of extra teeth include:

Paramolar. An extra tooth grows in the back of your mouth, next to one of your molars.

Distomolar. An extra tooth grows in line with your other molars, rather than around them.

Mesiodens. An extra tooth grows behind or around your incisors, the four flat teeth at the front of your mouth used for biting. This is the most common type of extra tooth in people with hyperdontia.

Hyperdontia usually isn’t painful. However, sometimes the extra teeth can put pressure on your jaw and gums, making them swollen and painful. Overcrowding caused by hyperdontia can also make your permanent teeth look crooked.

CAUSES

What causes hyperdontia?Continue reading..