Question:
My son is missing two lower adult teeth. Is this a common problem?
Answer:
Hypodontia is the most prevalent tooth disorder in which a person is missing at least one adult tooth, excluding wisdom teeth. The population prevalence is 4%-7% with it being slightly higher in females than males. Hypodontia occurs 49% of the time with just one tooth missing, 35% of the time with two teeth missing and only 13% of the time when three or more teeth are missing. If a child is missing a permanent premolar, I try to keep the baby tooth as a substitute and have found that these teeth can actually last a person into his or her 40’s. If for some reason a child’s baby tooth cannot be used, then closing the space with braces or an implant in someone’s late teens are other viable options.