17 Sep What is dental hypoplasia?
Hypoplasia is a disease of the teeth that causes them to have less tooth enamel than usual. This alteration occurs during tooth development and, more specifically, in the enamel formation process.
This can produce both white or brown spots and grooves in the teeth.
Depending on the severity of the defect, these signals may be virtually negligible or very visible, giving the tooth a damaged and deteriorated appearance.
Causes and consequences of enamel hypoplasia
Hypoplasia originates in the development of the tooth structure, therefore it is caused by some situation that propitiates it. Some of these situations are such as malnutrition, an infection, fever or illness.
Being a disease that is caused during growth, and can be native to many different reasons, it is often unknown what the real reason that caused it.
And although the causes are not known in each case, it is important to know the consequences. By damaging the tooth enamel, the protective layer of the tooth is damaged, and therefore there is less protection towards external agents, and therefore the tooth is more prone to suffer from periodontal diseases or caries.
Treatments
Depending on the degree in which the disease is found there are different solutions:
- Dental sealing: Dental sealants serve to protect the surface affected by hypoplasia and are used when the signs of it are very mild.
- Teeth whitening: It is carried out when the stains on the teeth are white. In this way, teeth whitening ensures that all teeth have a more uniform color.
- Dental microabrasion: This is a type of treatment that is used when the spots are severe. It consists of polishing the enamel layer that is damaged, so that we remove the stain. Then, the polished tooth layer will be filled with composite.
- Veneers or dental crowns: When the damage is very severe, it will be necessary to resort to other solutions such as veneers or dental crowns.
- Dental implants: Implants would be the last resort that should be used, since the most advisable thing for the patient is that we be conservative with their teeth. However, when the deterioration of the dental piece is extreme, it is necessary to consider the possibility of removing it and placing an implant.