By: Dr. Elizabeth Eggert
“Smile and the world will smile with you.”
Lia’s Story
A congenitally missing tooth is one of the most common dental developmental abnormalities. In fact, roughly 20% of adults have at least one tooth that never developed.
Why is that number so high? Well, we’ve all hear of that person who didn’t develop all, if any, wisdom teeth. If you take wisdom teeth out of the picture, the percentage of adults with congenitally missing teeth drops to only 5%. Other permanent teeth we see missing are second premolars, upper lateral incisors, and lower central incisors.
A wisdom tooth that never grew in is a good thing – one less tooth to remove! However, being a child with a missing front tooth is quite a different story. Teenage years are often difficult enough without having to worry about appearance. With the emotional roller coaster of being a teen, we need to give our children any excuse to smile!
This month’s Case of the Month features Lia. Lia is a beautiful 16-year-old patient of ours who never developed one of her lateral incisors. Her goal is to smile big… and with confidence.
Typically, implants are the treatment of choice to replace a missing tooth. However, the golden rule for teenagers is to proceed with implant placement once skeletal growth is complete. Early implant placement, at a time of continuing growth, can lead to unaesthetic results.
In Lia’s case, we chose to use a resin composite bonding material to create a beautiful smile that she can confidently wear until it’s time for an implant.
Don’t let missing teeth affect your confidence. Give us a call today to discuss treatment options. 651-482-8412