Small Teeth

What Is Microdontia?

Microdontia is when one or more teeth are smaller than average, and it is a fairly rare condition. It can affect children’s milk or primary teeth, as well as adult teeth.

Different Types of Microdontia

Several types of microdontia exist and are outlined below.

Localized Microdontia

When microdontia is localized, it only affects one or two teeth. Although any tooth can be impacted by microdontia, it’s most likely to be found in the upper lateral incisors. These are the teeth on either side of your upper front teeth.

Relative Microdontia

With relative microdontia, teeth are normal-sized but are found in a larger-than-average jaw. In this case, teeth can appear smaller, even though their size is perfectly normal.

True Microdontia

With this form of microdontia, all the teeth are smaller than average.

What Can Cause Small Teeth?

Microdontia is often genetic, so if close family members have it, your risk of developing it is higher. Several other causes of microdontia can include:

• Hormonal conditions that affect how teeth develop, for example, hypothyroidism.
• Certain infections during pregnancy can affect the way teeth develop in the unborn child.
• The teeth in babies born prematurely may not have developed fully.
• Vitamin deficiencies, especially in vitamins A, C, and D, can increase the risk of developing microdontia.
• Medical conditions like Down syndrome can increase the chances of having microdontia.

It’s also possible for small teeth to be caused by a gummy smile. With this issue, too much gum is exposed when talking and smiling, and it can appear as if the teeth are too small.

However, in these circumstances, teeth may be the right size but are merely covered by excessive gum tissue. Removing the excess gum and exposing the tooth underneath can correct the problem.

Symptoms of Small Teeth

The most visible symptom or sign of small teeth is that the teeth appear too small for a person’s facial appearance or jaw size. Other symptoms can include:

• Spaces between teeth.
• Misaligned teeth.
• Issues with biting and chewing food.
• Pronouncing certain words may be tricky.

Diagnosing and Evaluating Small Teeth

If you feel your teeth are too small or are concerned about another family member, we can quickly diagnose the issue and discuss possible treatments if needed.

Not everyone will need treatment for small teeth. Some people who have only one or two small teeth that do not cause any symptoms can live quite happily with microdontia.

Oral Exam & Treatment Planning

An oral exam will quickly determine whether your teeth are too small, and we will examine how your teeth bite together to check for any issues, such as misalignment. The next step is to discuss suitable options.

We can provide a custom treatment plan outlining possible options we believe will best help you. The plan will also outline the costs of each option.

Treatment Options for Small Teeth

Small teeth in adults can be treated in a variety of different ways, including those outlined below.

• Porcelain veneers.
• Porcelain crowns.
• Dental bonding.
• Gum recontouring.
• Orthodontics

Porcelain Veneers

Porcelain veneers can lengthen and widen teeth, creating a more aesthetically pleasing smile. Our veneers for small teeth are custom-designed and created from a durable, long-lasting porcelain.

Porcelain Crowns

If teeth are very small, covering them with porcelain crowns will provide the right shape, structure, and strength for each tooth.

Usually, when placing crowns, we must first prepare the tooth, reshaping it and removing some tooth structure. This may be unnecessary when a tooth is already quite small, so treatment is minimally invasive.

Dental Bonding

Dental bonding is a procedure that uses composite resin applied directly to tooth surfaces. This might be a suitable option if microdontia affects only one or two teeth that need to be enlarged slightly.

Gum Recontouring

If a gummy smile causes the issue, our cosmetic dentists can carefully recontour the gum tissue to create a more aesthetically pleasing appearance. Sometimes we may recommend placing porcelain veneers as well to create a more beautiful smile.

Orthodontics

Sometimes orthodontics can help treat microdontia by closing or reducing the spaces between teeth. After treatment, we can discuss improving the overall appearance of the teeth, if necessary, with porcelain veneers or crowns.