HYPERDONTIA (SUPERNUMERARY/EXTRA TEETH): Excess teeth in the mouth

OVERVIEW

 Hyperdontia is an oral condition characterized by an excess of teeth and the additional teeth are referred to as Supernumerary teeth or Extra teeth. They are mostly permanent teeth and commonly erupts in the upper jaw. Causes include: Continuous growth of the dental lamina, heredity and underlying conditions such as Gardner's syndrome. Extraction/removal is the only treatment.

Notice the 2 extra teeth at the back of the incisors. These type of extra teeth are
called MESIODENS

The standard number of primary (milk or temporary) teeth is 20, while the standard number of permanent teeth is 32. Primary teeth are the first set of teeth that erupt in a person's mouth by the age of 36months. At 12years of age, the primary teeth starts to get replaced by the permanent teeth. At age 21, permanent teeth are fully erupted.

When a person develops more than 20 primary teeth or more than 32 permanent teeth, the person is said to have Hyperdontia, and the additional teeth are referred to as Supernumerary teeth or extra teeth.

Supernumerary teeth can erupt among the primary or permanent and in any part of the dental arch (or jaws), but the most common are permanent and occur in the upper jaw among the front teeth. After this position, it is next common behind the wisdom* teeth

*Wisdom teeth are the 3rd and final set of molars that most people get in their late teens or early twenties

Supernumerary teeth occurrence is the same for primary teeth in both males and females. But for permanent teeth, it occurs twice as common in males compared to females

CAUSES

• Overactivity or continuous growth of the Dental Lamina: This is the tissue that forms teeth. It is a zone of cells that initiates the formation of the tooth germ which forms the teeth
  
• Hereditary: The disorder can also be inherited
  
• Underlying conditions: Two major conditions that causes the eruption of ST are: Gardners's syndrome and Cleidocranial Dysplasia. if this is the case, the ST are usually multiple

Extra teeth growing around the molar teeth. This type is called Paramolar
because it is supplemental. Notice that it caused misalignment of the molars

CLASSIFICATION

Supernumerary teeth are classified based on their location and morphology (i.e. what they look like or shape)

BASED ON SHAPE

1. Mesiodens: If it is located among the front teeth
   
2. Paramolar: If it is located around the normal molar teeth
   
3. Distodens or Distomolar: If it is located behind the wisdom teeth

BASED ON MORPHOLOGY

1. Supplemental tooth: If it is shaped normally like the other teeth where it is found
   
2. Rudimentary tooth: If it is not shaped like a normal tooth. Rudimentary teeth are then classified based on what they look like
   
   
   • Conical Rudimentary tooth: If it looks small, triangularly or peg-shaped. It occurs commonly among the front teeth
   • Tuberculate Rudimentary tooth: If it is barrell-shaped
   • Molariform Rudimentary tooth: look similar to premolar or molar teeth but enough to be called a supplemental teeth

PROBLEMS ASSOCIATED WITH SUPERNUMERARY OR EXTRA TEETH

The presence extra teeth may cause the following problems

• Cosmetic and aesthetic problems: Extra teeth causes the mouth to look crowded, unsightly and misalignment of dentition. In most cases, the hinders the person from having a beautiful smile
• Delayed eruption or maleruption (abnormal eruption) of adjacent teeth: Extra teeth can also prevent the normal eruption of adjacent teeth
• It may also lead to the re-absorption of the roots of adjacent teeth

TREATMENT

Removal or extraction of extra teeth is the only currently known treatment. However, it should be done only when they pose the problems mentioned above Thanks For Making This Possible! Kindly Bookmark and Share it.