Tooth agenesis is a rare genetic dental condition that causes missing teeth. Missing teeth can significantly affect your teeth’s functionality by exerting pressure on your existing teeth when speaking or chewing. The gaps can also lead to low self-esteem, jaw bone deterioration, and an increased risk of developing other dental health conditions. The dental condition is treatable with dental implants, dentures, or bridges. Please continue reading this article to learn more about dental agenesis, its causes, symptoms, treatment options, and diagnosis.

Disease Overview

Tooth agenesis is a health condition in which an individual is born without some teeth that will never develop.

The condition can involve permanent or baby teeth, but many cases involve permanent teeth. It happens after a particular pattern of missing teeth. You should consider both the number of missing teeth and the form of missing teeth.

There are three types of conduction, namely:

  • Anodontia — Complete lack of teeth
  • Oligodontia — Describes not having at least six teeth
  • Hypodontia — Involves lacking one to five teeth

Tooth Agenesis Prevalence

The prevalence of anodontia is unknown. It affects men and women equally.

Oligodontia’s prevalence is between 0.09% and 0.3% of the total population, while hypodontia is two to eight percent (excluding the third molar).

While agenesis can develop in any part of the mouth, it is more common in the following:

  • Upper lateral incisors (tinier teeth on all sides of the top front teeth)
  • Lower second premolars (teeth in front of the molars on your bottom)
  • Upper second premolars (teeth in front of the molars on your top)

Tooth Agenesis’ Signs and Symptoms

The predominant sign of this condition is missing teeth. The following symptoms might also manifest in some patients:

  • Tiny teeth
  • Peg-like teeth
  • Spaces and gaps between teeth
  • Taurodontism teeth (rectangular, huge teeth with huge pulp chambers)

It is rare for dental agenesis to occur without ectodermal dysplasia; medical experts attribute the issue to an unknown genetic change or mutation. Ectodermal dysplasia patients experience the following signs:

  • Thinning hair
  • Cleft palate or cleft lip
  • Poor vision
  • Poor hearing
  • Missing fingernails
  • Missing sweat glands

The Causes of Tooth Agenesis

In layman’s language, a genetic mutation causes dental agenesis that hurts your oral lamina or tissue under the gums where teeth form. Individuals with the condition get it from their parents in an autosomal recessive pattern. This means that two (2) copies of abnormal genes, one from every parent, are a prerequisite for developing a dental condition.

You can inherit dental agenesis in any of the following ways:

  • Autosomal dominant — One copy of an abnormal gene from one parent is enough to cause dental agenesis.
  • X-linked recessive — There are two recessive abnormal genes on the X chromosomes. That means a female has a fifty percent likelihood of delivering a baby with dental agenesis.
  • X-linked dominant — There is one dominant abnormal gene on the X chromosomes. Therefore, a male with X-linked tooth agenesis will pass the condition on to all his daughters.
  • Autosomal recessive — Two copies of an abnormal gene from one parent are enough to cause dental agenesis.

Please note that dental agenesis can also develop after the child undergoes cancer treatments, like radiotherapy and chemotherapy.

Diagnosis of Tooth Agenesis

Since all baby teeth are present by age three, you should consult a dentist once you note their absence. You should also visit your dentist if all your permanent teeth, besides wisdom teeth, appear by ages twelve to fourteen.

The dentist will examine your teeth and mouth, and if they believe you might have this dental condition, they will perform diagnostic imaging to diagnose the issue. 

How Tooth Agenesis Can Affect Your Oral Health and Overall Health

Missing teeth affecting your appearance is the most negligible negative impact of tooth agenesis. The section below discusses some of the most adverse effects and how they affect overall and oral health.

Bone Loss

Your bones depend on your teeth. Dense, strong jaw bone anchors your teeth by holding them in place. Whenever you chew, it supports and stimulates your jawbone, just like exercise helps maintain bone muscles. When you have a gap, it could trigger jaw bone loss because the missing teeth have no other teeth to make contact with, which assists in stimulating your bone. Over time, the gap will result in jawbone deterioration.

Can Cause Tooth Misalignment

Teeth apply pressure on one another due to their proximity. When you have missing teeth, the existing ones move closer to the gap to close it up. This causes your teeth to move out of their proper alignment, resulting in an aesthetic problem for your smile.

Practicing proper dental hygiene is challenging. As your teeth crowd into each other, it is difficult to floss and brush effectively, so plaque and tartar build up on the teeth and increase the risk of developing gum disease.

Causes Challenges With Your Bite

When your teeth shift, they can change your bite. An improper bite increases the risk of bruxism (habitual teeth grinding) and jaw disorders like temporomandibular joint (TMJ). These dental issues can damage your enamel and cause tooth sensitivity and headaches.

Increase the Risk of Developing Other General and Dental Health Issues

The longer you wait to treat the gaps, the higher your likelihood of suffering from gum disease. Gum disease is also linked to other severe health conditions, like cancer, Alzheimer’s, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases.

You are also likely to lose more teeth and incur higher dental expenses.

Other effects of the missing teeth include the following:

  • Challenges with swallowing and chewing
  • Lowered self-confidence, self-esteem, and sense of attractiveness
  • Insufficient eating and dietary issues
  • Weakened jaw structure and muscles
  • Speech impediments

How to Treat Tooth Agenesis

Since tooth agenesis is hereditary, you can do nothing to prevent it. However, even if you have the condition, it does not mean you will pass it on to your children.

While the dental condition is not life-threatening, it can interfere with daily routine, like speaking, and affect your quality of life. Consult your dental healthcare provider about treatment. They will comprehensively discuss your options and help you find the appropriate solution that meets your preferences and needs.

Some treatment options to consider include dental bridges, implants, and dentures.

Dentures are removable artificial teeth that can help chew and improve your mouth’s appearance. You can start treatment early, depending on your needs or if you have oligodontia. Typically, dentists recommend dentures for children aged three and four. You can renew the prostheses as your child grows.

If you have oligodontia or hypodontia and only your front teeth are missing, your dentist can recommend dental bridges. The bridges bond your acrylic tooth to an abutment using orthodontic wires. Dental implants are the permanent option to replace the gap.

Dental agenesis treatment needs a multidisciplinary team of orthodontists, prosthodontic specialists, maxillofacial surgeons, and pediatric dentists.

To determine the right treatment option, you can ask your dentist the following questions:

  • The number of missing teeth
  • Whether the condition is affecting your digestion or nutrition
  • The most effective treatment option
  • Whether you or your baby should undergo further testing to learn whether you have other genetic disorders
  • How long your treatment will take

Dental Dentures

Dentures are removable appliances that replace gaps in your lower or upper jaws. They can be made from porcelain, metal, nylon, resin, or acrylic.

There are four main kinds of dentures: full dentures, partial dentures, implant-supported dentures, and immediate dentures. Your ideal option depends on your dental health needs.

Your dentist will examine your mouth, jaws, teeth, and gums to determine whether you qualify. They will conduct diagnostic imaging to check your jawbone’s thickness.

If you are eligible, they will follow the steps below to make and fix your dentures:

  • Take your dental impressions — First, the doctor will take impressions of your jaws, teeth, and gums.
  • Second, the physician will send your impression to a laboratory, where a technician will use it to make a replica of your mouth. They will use the model to create a custom denture.
  • After creating the new denture, the technician will polish it to give it a natural-looking shine before returning it to the dentist for fitting.
  • Finally, the physician will place the dentures in the mouth. They will look for regions of exact pressure in the gums before making final adjustments.

You will visit your dentist regularly to realize your desired fit. This is because your mouth’s soft tissues require time to adjust to the treatment.

Dental Implants

Replacing your missing tooth with an implant significantly enhances your standard of living and overall health.

Dental implants are made up of a body, an abutment, and could also include an abutment fixation screw. The implant’s body is surgically inserted into your jawbone to replace the missing tooth root. The implant’s abutment is mainly attached to the body of the dental implant using a fixation screw and extends through the gums into the mouth to reinforce the attached artificial teeth.

When choosing implants, you should discuss potential pros and cons with your dentist and whether you qualify. Your dentist will also help you consider the following:

  • Your general health — It plays a vital role in determining your eligibility for implants, the recovery period, and how your dental implant will stay anchored in place.
  • Whether you are a smoker — Smoking affects the recovery process and the implant’s eventual success. Your dentist can give you guidelines on how to quit smoking.
  • The dental implant type and model that would best suit your needs
  • The dental implant treatment recovery duration

To increase the longevity and success of your dental implants, you should practice the following aftercare tips:

  • Carefully adhere to the dental hygiene instructions your dentist gives you, like regularly cleaning your implants and the nearby teeth
  • Schedule regular dentist appointments.
  • Inform your dental professional immediately if your dental implants are painful or loose.

Dental Bridges

A dental bridge is a prosthetic device that bridges the gap formed by missing teeth. Dental bridges consist of at least one artificial tooth called a pontic held in place by crowns on both ends. Next, the dentist fixes crowns (abutment teeth) on the surrounding teeth, reinforcing the bridge. Bridges are custom-made to complement the existing teeth' size, color, and shape, ensuring an effortless and natural-looking fit.

The main categories of dental bridges include the following:

  • Cantilever bridges — Regarding cantilever bridges, a pontic is attached to the abutment teeth on one end, offering a functional solution for patients with a missing tooth at the end of a dental arch. The dental professional could suggest cantilever bridges if you have one nearby tooth for support.
  • Traditional bridges — Traditional bridges are the most popular type. They involve creating crowns for the teeth on both ends of your gap and fixing pontics between them. The approach is appropriate for people with healthy surrounding teeth and a single missing tooth or several missing teeth in a row.
  • Implant-supported bridges — If you have several consecutive missing teeth, implant-supported bridges can be your ideal choice. During the procedure, the implants are fixed in your jawbone to reinforce the bridge, providing a stable and long-term solution.
  • Maryland bridges — Maryland bridges are also called resin-bonded dental bridges. The bridges use porcelain or metal frameworks that support the pontics. They are fixed on the back of surrounding teeth with few alterations to your natural tooth structure, making them a traditional option.

Find a Skilled Dentist Near Me

Missing at least one tooth due to dental agenesis can affect your smile’s aesthetics and oral health. The existing teeth can shift to fill the gap, making cleaning challenging and increasing the risk of developing tooth decay and gum disease. For many years, Washington Dental has helped residents of Carson, Los Angeles, Lomita, and Torrance restore their teeth functionality and improve their smile’s appearance. We can examine your jaws, mouth, and teeth to determine the most effective treatment for your needs, budget, dental history, and oral health. Contact us at 310-217-1507 to learn how we can help you.

We look forward to helping you improve your quality of life.