Abnormal tooth development usually comes under the headings of impacted teeth or misshapened or discolored teeth. Malalignment of the teeth can also occur. Impacted teeth most commonly occur when wisdom teeth have difficulty emerging due to an inappropriate size of the jaw. This leads the wisdom teeth to be rotated, displaced or tilted. This can lead to pain and repeated infections.
Discolored teeth may occur due to trauma, hereditary predisposition, excessive fluoride or the use of tetracycline. Usually, both the primary and secondary, or adult teeth, are affected.
Misshapened teeth are most often the result of infection, fevers or malnutrition during early childhood and infancy.
Causes of Abnormal Tooth Development
Impacted teeth, particularly the wisdom teeth, occur due to disproportions between the space needed for the wisdom teeth and the size of the jaw. The teeth become twisted, tilted or rotated and may be buried in the gum.
Discolored and misshapened teeth can occur from hereditary traits. They can occur from diseases such as syphilis and Down's syndrome. Use of drugs, particularly tetracycline or other antibiotics, and environmental factors can lead to discolored teeth.
Congenital syphilis, cerebral palsy, ectodermal dysplasia, anhidrotic, incontinentia pigmenti achromians, cleidocranial dysostosis, ehlers-Danlos syndrome and ellis-van creveld syndrome can lead to abnormal tooth development.
Signs and Symptoms of Abnormal Tooth Development
Impacted teeth most commonly cause pain in the gums. There are often recurrent infections of the partially buried tooth. Unpleasant tastes and bad breath may, also, occur.
Misshapened teeth can have grooves in them or appear different than normal teeth. Discolored teeth may present with various colors.
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Medical Content Last Updated on 07/12/2008
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