What Is Hyperdontia? Causes, Symptoms, And Treatment For Extra Teeth

Hyperdontia means having more teeth than the usual 20 baby teeth or 32 adult teeth. The extra teeth are called supernumerary teeth. Most people with hyperdontia have just one extra tooth, often hidden in the upper jaw, and many never feel it. Treatment ranges from watching the tooth on x-rays to removing it and then straightening the bite with braces or clear aligners.

Here's the quick version:

• Hyperdontia affects up to 3.8% of adult teeth and up to 0.6% of baby teeth, and it is about twice as common in males (Cleveland Clinic).
• The most common extra tooth is a mesiodens, which forms by the upper front teeth.
• Many extra teeth never come in. They stay in the gums or bone and only show up on dental x-rays.
• Not every extra tooth needs to come out. Removal is usually advised when it blocks other teeth, causes crowding, or makes cleaning hard.
• Braces or Invisalign often finish the job after removal by moving the remaining teeth into place.

If you or your child has been told about an extra tooth, our Glendale dentist explains below what it means and what your options are.

Table Of Contents

• What Is Hyperdontia?
• Types Of Supernumerary Teeth
• What Causes Hyperdontia?
• Signs And Symptoms Of Extra Teeth
• How Dentists Diagnose Hyperdontia
• How To Treat Hyperdontia
• Can Hyperdontia Be Fixed With Braces?
• Hyperdontia In Children Vs. Adults
• When To See A Dentist About Extra Teeth
• Get Answers About Extra Teeth In Glendale, AZ

What Is Hyperdontia?

Hyperdontia is the dental term for extra teeth. You may also see it called supernumerary teeth or polydontia. It can affect baby teeth or adult teeth, one or both sides of the mouth, and the upper jaw, lower jaw, or both.

Extra teeth can be erupted, meaning visible in the mouth, or impacted, meaning stuck under the gums or in the bone. They can show up alone or in small clusters.

Is Hyperdontia Rare?

Hyperdontia is uncommon but not rare. A review in the Journal of Clinical and Experimental Dentistry puts it at 1.5% to 3.5% of people for adult teeth and 0.3% to 0.8% for baby teeth. The same review found that most people have a single extra tooth, and that multiple extra teeth make up less than 1% of cases.

Adults are not off the hook. A study of 7,348 adults found extra teeth in 2.14% of them, and 84% of those teeth were impacted, so most were found only on x-rays (Demiriz et al., 2015).

Types Of Supernumerary Teeth

Dentists describe extra teeth by where they grow and by their shape. Both details shape the treatment plan.

By Location

• Mesiodens: Grows in the midline, between or behind the two upper front teeth. This is the most common type.
• Paramolar: Grows beside a molar, toward the cheek or the tongue.
• Distomolar: Grows behind the last molar, in line with the other molars. It is sometimes called a fourth molar.

By Shape

• Conical: A small, cone or peg-shaped tooth. This is the shape most often seen with a mesiodens.
• Tuberculate: A barrel-shaped tooth that often stays under the gums and can delay the upper front teeth from coming in.
• Supplemental: Looks like a normal tooth, just one more than expected.
• Odontoma: A harmless growth of tooth tissue that looks like a lump or an oddly shaped tooth.

What Causes Hyperdontia?

There is no single known cause. The leading theory is that the dental lamina, the tissue that forms tooth buds, is overactive and makes an extra bud. Genetics also seem to play a role, and some researchers think a tooth bud can split in two.

Extra teeth are more common in people with certain conditions, including:

• Cleft lip and cleft palate: One study found extra teeth in 11.7% of 205 patients with cleft lip and palate.
• Cleidocranial dysplasia: A rare inherited condition that affects bone and tooth development.
• Gardner syndrome: An inherited condition linked to growths in the colon and other tissues.
• Down syndrome, Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, and Fabry disease: Each is linked to a higher chance of extra teeth.

Most people with one extra tooth do not have any of these conditions. Several extra teeth at once is a bigger reason for your dentist to look further. Hyperdontia cannot be prevented, but finding it early helps avoid complications.

Signs And Symptoms Of Extra Teeth

Many extra teeth cause no symptoms at all. When they do cause problems, it is usually because they press on or block nearby teeth. Watch for:

• A tooth you can see behind or beside the normal row.
• A baby tooth that stays put long after it should fall out.
• An adult front tooth that is late coming in, or comes in crooked.
• A gap between the two upper front teeth.
• Crowding, rotated teeth, or teeth that shift.
• Pain, swelling, or tenderness around the gums or jaw.
• Trouble brushing and flossing, which raises the risk of cavities and gum disease.

Delayed eruption is the most common problem. Studies summarized in the 2014 review found delayed eruption in 26% to 52% of cases and displacement or rotation of nearby teeth in 28% to 63%. Less often, a fluid-filled cyst can form around an impacted extra tooth.

How Dentists Diagnose Hyperdontia

An extra tooth that has come in is easy to spot during an exam. Hidden ones need imaging. A panoramic x-ray is the most effective way to find them, and smaller x-rays help check the front teeth. Before surgery, a 3D cone beam CT scan can show the exact position of the tooth and its distance from roots and nerves.

Most extra teeth are found during a routine checkup, which is one more reason to keep up with regular visits. If you are new to our office, a new patient exam includes the x-rays needed to check for them.

We take the time to walk you through what the x-rays show and what each option means, so nothing about the plan is a surprise.

How To Treat Hyperdontia

Treatment depends on the type, position, and number of extra teeth, and on whether they are causing problems. There are three main paths.

Watching And Waiting

An extra tooth that is not affecting other teeth, your bite, or your cleaning can often be left alone. Your dentist will check it at regular visits and take x-rays from time to time to make sure nothing changes.

Monitoring works best with a dental team you see consistently, year after year, who can spot small changes between visits.

Removing The Extra Tooth

Your dentist may recommend taking out an extra tooth if it:

• Blocks an adult tooth from coming in.
• Crowds, shifts, or damages the roots of nearby teeth.
• Gets in the way of braces, implants, or other dental work.
• Makes it hard to brush or floss.
• Causes pain, swelling, or a cyst.
• Bothers you because of how it looks.

A visible extra tooth is usually a simple tooth extraction. An impacted one needs a minor surgical procedure where the gum is lifted and, if needed, a thin layer of bone is removed. Our office handles oral surgery of this kind, and sedation is available for nervous patients.

Feeling at ease matters, especially if the word "surgery" makes you nervous.

Timing For Children

There is no clear consensus on the best time to remove an unerupted extra tooth in a child. Some dentists remove it soon after diagnosis. Others prefer to wait until around age 8 to 10, when the roots of the nearby front teeth have formed, to lower the risk of damaging them.

After an extra tooth is removed, the blocked adult tooth can take anywhere from 6 months to 3 years to come in (WebMD). Our pediatric dentistry team keeps an eye on that progress at each visit.

Can Hyperdontia Be Fixed With Braces?

Yes, braces are often part of the fix, but usually not the whole fix. In most cases the extra tooth is removed first. Then braces, Invisalign®, or Brius move the remaining teeth into place and close any gaps.

The right plan depends on your age, where the extra tooth sits, and other issues like crowding or missing teeth. A small supplemental tooth sometimes can be worked into the bite with orthodontics alone. An impacted tooth that blocks or tips other teeth usually needs to come out first.

Hyperdontia In Children Vs. Adults

When To See A Dentist About Extra Teeth

Book a visit if you notice an extra tooth, if a baby tooth will not fall out, if an adult tooth is very late or comes in crooked, or if you have pain or swelling around a tooth. For kids, regular checkups with x-rays are the best way to catch a hidden extra tooth before it causes problems.

Get Answers About Extra Teeth In Glendale, AZ

Whether you have supernumerary teeth or another dental concern, we are glad to help. At Aesthetic Dentistry of Arrowhead, Dr. Greg Ceyhan and our team can check for extra teeth, explain your options, and coordinate extraction and orthodontic care in one office. We are at 17100 N 67th Ave, Suite 500, Glendale, AZ 85308. Call (623) 979-1515 or contact us to schedule a consultation.

Many of our patients have trusted us with their family's smiles for years.

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