Dental anomalies can impact both the look and function of the mouth, and one of the rarer conditions that does this is microdontia. This condition results in teeth that are smaller than the average teeth. Microdontia can be quite noticeable and may affect a person’s self-esteem. In this article, we will explain what microdontia is. We will also discuss how you can treat it.
What Is Microdontia?
Microdontia is a dental anomaly where your teeth appear smaller than normal. This condition can affect both baby teeth and adult teeth. It can also affect either a single tooth or multiple teeth. Although it is rare, microdontia is significant and needs an accurate diagnosis to prevent more serious health issues. Microdontia can lead to issues such as food getting trapped, misaligned bites, and cosmetic concerns.
Microdontia in Adults
If you are an adult with microdontia, you will often have gaps between your smaller teeth, giving the impression that you still have your baby teeth. If you have small teeth due to microdontia, you might find it difficult to chew properly, and your teeth may not align as they should.
Over time, this can lead to wear and tear on your teeth. Fortunately, modern dental restoration techniques available today offer several options to enhance your smile and restore your dental health.
Microdontia in Children
In children, microdontia appears as teeth that are noticeably smaller than their roots and gums. Diagnosing microdontia in children requires careful assessment to avoid confusing it with baby teeth. If your child has a mixture of permanent and baby teeth, the difference in size can make the baby teeth look even smaller.
Types of Microdontia
The three types of microdontia are:
Localized Microdontia
Localized microdontia refers to a single tooth smaller than normal or smaller when compared to the neighboring teeth. Localized microdontia can appear as:
- Tooth’s root microdontia
- Entire tooth microdontia
- Crown microdontia
Localized microdontia is common and typically affects teeth in the upper jawbone or maxilla. It mainly affects the lateral incisor. These incisors sit adjacent to the top two frontal teeth and can either have a normal shape or resemble a peg. However, they are smaller than normal.
Sometimes, you might find one lateral incisor smaller on one particular side, while the other has missing permanent lateral incisors that didn’t develop. In such cases, you might have a baby lateral tooth or no tooth at all. Your wisdom tooth or third molar can also be affected and may look tinier than your other molars.
True Generalized Microdontia
True generalized microdontia is the most uncommon type of microdontia. In this case, all your teeth are smaller than normal. It happens because lower growth hormone levels stop teeth from growing to their normal size.
Relative Generalized Microdontia
Relative microdontia happens when your gums are larger or overdeveloped, making your teeth appear smaller than they really are.
Signs of Microdontia
If you have smaller teeth than usual, you might feel like something’s off with your smile, but it can be tough to figure out if there’s something wrong with them. Here are some signs that can let you know that you have microdontia:
- You have many teeth that look short compared to the gums or other teeth
- Your gums look too big or long, or you have a gummy smile
- Your teeth don’t seem big enough for the mouth, or your mouth looks too big for the teeth
- You have big gaps
- Your teeth sit too low on the gums
- You struggle with eating or talking
What Causes Microdontia?
The causes of microdontia can differ among individuals and are usually linked to both genetic and environmental conditions. Some common causes of microdontia include:
Radiation or Chemotherapy
Undergoing radiation treatment or chemotherapy during early childhood or infancy, particularly before 6 years, can impact tooth development and result in microdontia.
Pituitary Dwarfism
This type of dwarfism can lead to true microdontia, where all the teeth appear uniformly smaller than normal.
Cleft Lip and Cleft Palate
If your child is born with a cleft palate or lip, their lip or mouth does not develop well during pregnancy. They can have a cleft palate, a cleft lip, or both. Oral issues are more frequent around the cleft region, and microdontia might be noticeable on the side where the cleft occurs.
LAMM Syndrome
Congenital deafness with labyrinthine aplasia, microtia, and microdontia, or LAMM syndrome, is a syndrome that affects how ears and teeth develop. If your child is born with LAMM, they often have very tiny and underdeveloped structures in both their inner and outer ear and tiny, widely separated teeth.
Ectodermal Dysplasias
This condition consists of a set of genetic disorders that influence the development of hair, nails, and skin, and they can lead to smaller teeth. Typically, the teeth appear conical, and many could be absent.
Down Syndrome
Down syndrome is linked to dental issues in children. Research shows that many young people with Down syndrome exhibit dental abnormalities, such as microdontia.
Fanconi Anemia
Fanconi anemia leads to insufficient blood cell production in the bone marrow, which can cause fatigue. Individuals with this condition may also show physical differences, including short stature, eye and ear abnormalities, deformed thumbs, and genital malformations.
Certain Medications
Sometimes, medications can cause gingival hyperplasia. That means some drugs can lead to gum overgrowth. Medications like anticonvulsants can have this side effect. Gingival overgrowth can make maintaining good dental hygiene hard and cause discomfort while chewing.
Williams Syndrome
Williams syndrome is an uncommon genetic condition that impacts facial feature development. It can lead to widely spaced teeth, a broad mouth, other physical issues like heart and blood vessel problems, and learning difficulties.
Gorlin-Chaudhry-Moss Syndrome (GCMS)
GCMS is a rare disorder characterized by the early closure of skull bones. This condition results in head and facial abnormalities, such as a flat middle face and undersized eyes. Patients suffering from GCMS frequently experience hypodontia and microdontia.
Tooth Eruption
The way teeth grow affects their size and look. Teeth erupt by moving through the gums. If there are problems with how teeth erupt, it can lead to shorter teeth and more visible gums.
Bruxism
Bruxism, or grinding your teeth, wears them down and can make them shorter over time. Many people grind their teeth in their sleep without even realizing it. A recent study found that nearly 10 percent of people grind their teeth. If someone notices their teeth looking smaller and experiences headaches or jaw pain, they should check in with their dentist to see if bruxism is the cause.
Rieger Syndrome
This syndrome is an uncommon genetic disorder that leads to missing teeth, eye abnormalities, underdeveloped, and various craniofacial malformations.
Ullrich-Turner Syndrome
This syndrome, also known as Ullrich-Turner, is a disorder of the chromosomes that affects women more than men.
Common traits of this condition include webbed necks, heart defects, short stature, and ovarian failure. Additionally, it can lead to a reduction in the size of teeth.
Rothmund-Thomson Syndrome (RTS)
RTS begins with redness on your child’s face that gradually spreads. This syndrome can cause you to have slow growth, sparse hair and eyelashes, and thinning skin. It may also cause skeletal abnormalities and issues with your nails and teeth.
Hallermann-Streiff Syndrome
Hallermann-Streiff syndrome, or oculomandibulo facial syndrome, results in skull and facial malformations. Individuals with this condition often have a short, broad head and an underdeveloped lower jaw.
Oral-Facial-Digital Syndrome (OFDS)
OFDS can cause deformations inside the mouth and the teeth.
What are the Effects of Having Microdontia?
Microdontia has several effects that extend beyond just how the teeth look. Some of these effects are:
- When microdontia impacts specific teeth, especially the incisors, it can lead to speech difficulties and issues with pronunciation
- Since microdontia visibly alters the size and shape of the teeth, it can harm the self-esteem of the individual affected
- Having smaller teeth can hinder efficient and proper chewing, which may cause digestive problems
- Additionally, the presence of small teeth often creates large gaps, which can trap food and bacteria, increasing the risk of further dental issues like tooth decay
Diagnosing Microdontia
Detecting microdontia is quite straightforward because it typically occurs at a dental clinic. Dentists examine the shape, width, and arrangement of the teeth. They may also request X-rays to check if the teeth are fully developed or only part of the crown is visible. In these situations, the dentist considers the patient’s bone structure, which could contribute to the issue, to provide an accurate diagnosis, whether true or relative microdontia.
A good dentist can spot microdontia in your kids early on. It can be tricky since microdontia sometimes looks like baby teeth. However, an experienced dentist can differentiate between the two.
Testing For Underlying Genetic Causes
Many cases of generalized microdontia contain a genetic element. Research indicates that generalized microdontia affecting most teeth is rare in individuals without any condition.
If you don’t have a history of microdontia in your family but notice that some of your child’s teeth are smaller than usual, consider asking your child’s dentist to assess them. The dentist could refer you to a specialist who will perform blood tests to check if your children have undiagnosed conditions.
Treatments For Microdontia
Treating microdontia varies based on what each patient needs and how serious their case is. Here are some common treatments for microdontia:
Veneers
Treating microdontia with veneers involves applying thin shells over your existing teeth. Veneers can instantly change your teeth's size, shape, and color. Many patients prefer veneers because they provide naturally beautiful and long-lasting results.
Composites
One of the fastest ways to enhance the appearance of your teeth is through composite bonding. People often refer to this process as dental bonding. This straightforward procedure involves applying a tooth-colored resin directly to your teeth, which helps to increase their size. The dentist begins by roughening the affected teeth's outer layers and then adding composite resin materials to them. A light is used to harden the material. Once it hardens, it looks like a regular-sized tooth.
Composites can also shield your teeth from the deterioration caused by microdontia.
Dental Implants
Dental implants provide a long-lasting solution for individuals with microdontia. This procedure involves placing a dental post into the jawbone, with an artificial crown secured on top. Before getting a dental implant, any teeth affected by microdontia must be extracted.
Crowns
In more challenging situations where teeth are small and fragile, using ceramic crowns is likely the best solution. Crowns provide comprehensive dental protection and can be customized to fit any size.
Can I Make My Teeth Bigger?
You can actually make your teeth look bigger. Cosmetic dentists can help you increase the size of your teeth using porcelain veneers, which are an excellent option for this purpose.
Veneers are ultra-thin yet strong materials placed on the front of your teeth to enhance their appearance. Even though porcelain might seem delicate, these veneers can handle the wear and tear that regular tooth material faces.
If you have small teeth, your dentist can apply veneers to make them appear longer. They will take impressions of your natural teeth and create custom veneers that fit your needs perfectly.
After your fitting appointment, you’ll leave the clinic with temporary veneers. Temporary veneers will allow you to see how your new smile will look while you wait for the final ones to be made.
Veneers are customizable. You can match them to your natural tooth shade, or if you want a brighter smile, you can whiten your teeth first and then have the veneers matched to your new shade.
Find a Skilled Dentist Near Me
It’s normal to have one or two shorter teeth. But when you notice that all your teeth are smaller than usual, you may have microdontia. This condition causes teeth to be unusually small and increases the risk of tooth damage.
We at Lasting Impressions Dental Spa provide various treatment options for our patients with microdontia. You can visit our clinic in Encino, CA, to meet our dentist. You can also schedule a free consultation by calling us at 818-751-5100 today.
