Some of My Permanent Teeth Did Not Come In. Is That Okay?
Posted on 8/1/2024 by Randolph Center for Dental Excellence
The average adult has 32 teeth once all of their permanent teeth come in, but most adults live throughout their adult lives with 28 teeth because nearly 85 percent of adults have their wisdom teeth removed during adolescence or adulthood. There are adults that reach adulthood with missing permanent teeth that never came in, which is called hypodontia. Here is some information about hypodontia and what to do if you have it.
About Hypodontia
Hypodontia is a fairly common condition. The American Dental Association states that about 8 percent of adults are missing some permanent teeth. Males are more than twice as likely to have missing teeth than females. Many adults are missing one or more wisdom teeth, for example, which is the most common set of teeth to never erupt. Adults have four wisdom teeth overall, which are a third set of molars.
You may be missing other teeth in addition to your wisdom teeth, such as your molars, premolars, or incisors. Usually, adults with hypodontia are missing teeth due to genetics, but it can also happen if you had poor dental care as a child or if you experienced dental trauma in childhood. If you have missing teeth, what should you do?
Resolving Hypodontia
If you have missing teeth that never erupted, whether you need treatment depends largely on how many teeth you are missing and where they are located. Usually, if you are merely missing your wisdom teeth, our dentist will recommend that you do not need treatment because many adults get by without wisdom teeth throughout their lives.
When you are missing a molar or two molars that are not your wisdom teeth, you should discuss with our dentist whether you need to get dental implants to replace them. For example, if you have your second set of molars in your bottom jaw but are missing those molars in your top jaw, you may need dental implants so that your bite pattern is not affected.
If you are concerned about your hypodontia, we can help. Why not reach out to our office today so that we can schedule an appointment with our dentist?
Randolph Center for Dental Excellence Dr. Bryan Freeman and Dr. Cheryl Freeman
Dental Blog | Dentist Asheboro, NC | Randolph Center for Dental Excellence Drs. Bryan Freeman & Cheryl Freeman are offering this educational blog as a resource to the great Asheboro, NC community. Click here to read our latest posts! Randolph Center for Dental Excellence, 134 Davis Street, Asheboro, NC 27203, (336) 444-2772, freemandds.com, 9/10/2024, Related Terms: dentist Asheboro NC,
The average adult has 32 teeth once all of their permanent teeth come in, but most adults live throughout their adult lives with 28 teeth because nearly 85 percent of adults have their wisdom teeth removed during adolescence or adulthood. There are adults that reach adulthood with missing permanent teeth that never came in, which is called hypodontia. Here is some information about hypodontia and what to do if you have it.