Most parents are excited to see their child's first 'baby' tooth emerging. Generally, the eruption of baby teeth happens without drama. However tooth gemination is an unusual condition that does sometimes occur.
So, what is tooth gemination and how can your dentist help?
Geminated Teeth
Tooth gemination happens when two teeth develop from one single tooth bud. The result is an overlarge or double-crowned tooth with one root but two chambers of tooth pulp.
Geminated teeth can cause problems with the child's bite. They can also make the mouth overcrowded, causing issues when the other teeth erupt. Tooth decay can also occur in the area where the tooth chambers join.
Problems can occur when the adult teeth come through as the geminated baby teeth can interfere with spacing.
Geminated teeth usually just affect children's baby teeth, although very occasionally the condition can occur in the adult teeth too.
Treatment
If the geminated tooth does not cause any problems, your dentist will probably recommend leaving it in situ until it sheds. However, if the tooth is adversely affecting your child's mouth, it may be necessary to extract it.
Because geminated teeth can't be flossed like normal teeth, it's a good idea to get your child to rinse with an antibacterial mouthwash to prevent gum disease and bad breath. If the groove between the 'two' teeth is likely to develop cavities due to problems in cleaning it, your dentist may opt to place some sealant in it as a preventative measure.
Sometimes there are no adult teeth developing under geminated teeth, and your dentist may X-ray the teeth to check for this.
The dentist may suggest shaving and smoothing the double-headed tooth so that it isn't as noticeable, although the practicality of this will depend on the tooth pulp's proximity to the surface.
If the double tooth is a permanent one, your dentist may be able to surgically divide the two crowns. This can usually only be carried out if the two joined teeth have separate pulp chambers and roots. If the teeth are divided, both will require root canal work and this can be very expensive.
In Conclusion
If you notice that one of your child's baby teeth does not look 'normal' and appears to have two crowns joined together, it could be that the problem is due to tooth gemination. Your dentist will advise you on the appropriate treatment for the condition, but in all probability the tooth will simply shed as normal. Talk to a cosmetic dentist for more information.
