Asian Journal of Pharmaceutical Research and Health Care

Kavitha Odathurai Marusamy ¹, Saravanan Ramasamy ², Narendra Basutkar ², Ahmed Hussein Al Kaf ³

Affiliations
1 Assistant Professor, Department of Preventive Dentistry, Ibn Sina National College, Jeddah - 22421, SA
2 Assistant Professor, Department of Oral & Maxillofacial Rehabilitation, Ibn Sina National College, Jeddah - 22421, SA
3 Lecturer, Department of Oral & Maxillofacial Rehabilitation, Ibn Sina National College, Jeddah - 22421, SA

Abstract

Early loss or congenitally missing anterior teeth pose unique challenges for orthodontists. Maxillary arch restricted development may lead to narrow upper arch, drifting of adjacent teeth and creates midline shift to the opposite side. There are many treatment options available to manage the missing anterior teeth which includes canine substitution by closing the space and reshaping the adjacent teeth, create a space for missing teeth and replace with a tooth supported restoration, or a single tooth dental implant. Auto-transplantation and removable partial dentures are other less common options. The paramount consideration of treatment plan should be conservation. This article discusses orthodontic management of different missing anterior teeth cases. Two case reports describe the substitution of adjacent tooth for missing anterior. Another case is about creating space for prosthetic restoration of missing anterior tooth. The factors which play important role while planning the treatment are discussed. Orthodontists frequently encounter patients with congenitally missing teeth. Generally, the treatment of choice should be the least invasive option that satisfies the expected esthetics and functional objectives.

Keywords

Congenitally Missing Teeth, Dental Substitution, Interdisciplinary Approach, Orthodontics.

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