Supernumerary Teeth – Symptoms, Causes, Treatment

A healthy mouth of an adult has 32 teeth. However, sometimes there can be more than 32 teeth present. The extra teeth other than the normal are said to be Supernumerary teeth. The presence of these teeth can make your mouth unhealthy. Hence, in this blog we will learn about supernumerary teeth, its symptoms, causes and treatments.

What are supernumerary teeth?

Supernumerary teeth are extra tooth/teeth which can be present along with the normal teeth set. They can be single or multiple in number. They can affect adults as well as children. (Children between 6-12 years of age are undergoing transition from milk teeth to adult teeth. So, only a dentist can tell you about supernumerary teeth in children.)

Symptoms of Supernumerary teeth

• Imperfect Smile: If you see extra teeth. It can be present anywhere along with other teeth. Most commonly it is seen to be present in the middle of upper front teeth which gives an imperfect appearance. (However, it can also be seen along with 2 premolar or 3 molars. Mostly seen in upper jaw teeth.)
• Poor oral hygiene: These extra teeth result in crowding of the teeth which leads to improper brushing and food lodgement.
• Ulcer: Some unattractive piece of tooth which can be of various shapes including cone, peg, round, barrel-shaped or abnormally shaped. Sometimes, it is similar to a normal tooth as well. It can cause ulcers.
• Pain– Sometimes, supernumerary teeth are present in large numbers which can be because of some other disease.
• Swelling– Sometimes, these teeth do not come in the mouth and may remain in the jaw only, may cause swelling. It can be identified by dental x-rays.

Causes of Supernumerary teeth

• They are formed due to genetic and environmental factors.
• They are sometimes linked to syndromes (group of diseases) and disorders like cleft lip and/or palate (presence of space/gap/cleft between lip and/or palate).

Supernumerary Teeth Treatment

Orthodontic treatment is required if crowding of teeth is present.

• Tooth extraction is required if space is not there. Also, if a tooth has not come out of the jaw, which is known as an impacted tooth, then also surgical removal of the tooth (dental extraction) is recommended.
• Regular check ups are a must for children to know if these extra teeth are there.

Conclusion:

Supernumerary teeth are extra teeth that require immediate attention. Aesthetic correction, dental filling, aligner/orthodontic treatment, and extraction are the choices of treatment as per the condition. For children, regular dental checkups are required to know such conditions.

References:

• Parolia A, Kundabala M, Dahal M, Mohan M, Thomas MS. Management of supernumerary teeth. J Conserv Dent. 2011 Jul;14(3):221-4. doi: 10.4103/0972-0707.85791. PMID: 22025821; PMCID: PMC3198547.
• Hajmohammadi E, Najirad S, Mikaeili H, Kamran A. Epidemiology of Supernumerary Teeth in 5000 Radiography Films: Investigation of Patients Referring to the Clinics of Ardabil in 2015-2020. Int J Dent. 2021 Feb 22;2021:6669436. doi: 10.1155/2021/6669436. PMID: 33688347; PMCID: PMC7925020.
• Zhang H, Gong X, Xu X, Wang X, Sun Y. Tooth number abnormality: from bench to bedside. Int J Oral Sci. 2023 Jan 6;15(1):5. doi: 10.1038/s41368-022-00208-x. PMID: 36604408; PMCID: PMC9816303.