Why do children have extra teeth

Although it is not present in all children but to find extra teeth inside the mouth of a child is not uncommon at all. Usually, a child has twenty milk teeth before he/she starts to develop the permanent set of thirty two teeth. When the child grows more teeth than the set of twenty teeth, the extra tooth is known as a supernumerary and the dental condition is known as hyperdontia in medical terms. The condition in most cases is nothing to be worried or alert about; it is often not even realized by the child or the parents that a supernumerary has grown unless they go for a dental check up because it is painless and harmless in most cases. Earlier the only cause which was thought to be responsible for the growth of supernumerary teeth was heredity and was not regarded as anything to worry about at all, but, in recent times, other concerns have been raised.

Some scientists have stated that extra teeth may be a result of external environmental factors as well, but the exact specifications of this factor are still not clear, which means what in the environment affects the dental growth of a child and in which way, is something that is yet unclear. Although growing an extra tooth has always been considered to be a hereditary factor, it is also now believed that it could in some cases be a genetic defect as well. The sixth gene is responsible for the dental growth and a mutation in this sixth gene can result in the growth of the supernumerary teeth along with a few other genetic defects.

Finally, children with severe medical conditions may also exhibit hyperdontia as a side effect of the primary problem or disorder. Such disorders include Down syndrome, Gardner’s Syndrome, Leopard Syndrome and a few others. The important thing to remember is that hyperdontia is not something that should make you panic if you notice it in your child. The right thing to do is to set up a meeting with your dentist and take your child to the clinic. After consulting with the dentist you can decide whether it is necessary remove the supernumerary or not.