The teeth of Hutchinson, Pfluger and Fournier are a type of tooth enamel hypoplasia. This disease appears, as a rule, due to mechanical injuries of the follicles or when an infection enters the rudiments of the teeth. The most common cause of occurrence is the incomplete development and even the absence of tooth tissue. Let's find out how Hutchinson's teeth develop.
Causes of hypoplasia
Often the disease occurs due to congenital pathology, although it develops only after the birth of the child. What causes Hutchinson's teeth to develop? The causes are as follows:
- Conflict of Rh factors in the blood of the child and the mother.
- Infectious diseases suffered by a woman in the first 3 months of pregnancy.
- Severe and prolonged toxicosis during the 2nd and 3rd trimester.
- Injuries sustained during childbirth.
- Birth before 40 weeks (preterm).
- Rickets.
- Dystrophy of a child (with poor appetite and other reasons).
- Diseases of the gastrointestinal tract.
- Breaking exchangesubstances in the body.
- Somatic diseases.
- Incorrect brain function in the first year of life.
- Infectious diseases transmitted by a child in utero or after birth up to 6 months.
- Jaw and face injuries.
Symptoms of disease progression
Doctors divide hypoplasia into two main types. The reasons for their appearance are the same, but the symptoms are different. Let's look at how the systemic and local form of the disease proceeds.
Systemic hypoplasia
- All teeth are affected.
- White or tan spots appear on the front surface.
- Enamel is thin or completely missing.
- The layer covering the core of the tooth is not fully developed.
Hypoplasia local
- Multiple teeth are affected.
- Inflammatory processes may occur due to the fact that the deep layers are damaged.
- Design defects appear on the teeth.
- Affected teeth may be partially or completely missing enamel.
In addition to the two main forms of the disease, doctors also distinguish 3 special forms.
These include:
- Hatchinson's teeth. Usually some or all of the teeth change shape. They take on a rounded or oval appearance, and their cutting edges become concave and resemble a crescent moon.
- Pfluger's teeth. This form outwardly strongly resembles the disease described by Hutchinson. The only difference is the appearance of the incisal edge, whichlooks the same as a he althy person.
- Fournier's teeth. Permanent teeth, namely "sixes", have the shape of a cone. From the root they are wide and taper downwards. On their surface there are tubercles that almost do not stand out. Often this form develops with syphilis (intrauterine).
The Hutchinson triad is defined by the following criteria:
- Deformation of a pair or all of the teeth due to the influence of the pale spirochete on the rudiments.
- Parenchymal keratitis.
In most cases, patients develop hearing loss. This is due to the degeneration of the nerve (vestibulocochlear), which is located in the petrous part of the bone of the temporal lobe and is called the syphilitic labyrinth. The triad is often a sign of syphilis (congenital) at a late stage of development. Patients have one or two signs, but all of them are extremely rare. In the photo of the teeth you can see what the pathology looks like.
Degrees of disease
There are 3 degrees of disease. They vary in complexity and form.
- The initial degree of hypoplasia appears as small pigment spots located on the surface of all or several teeth.
- The average degree of hypoplasia appears when convex or concave furrows and pits appear on the surface of the enamel. Often against this background, the Hutchinson triad develops.
- A strong degree of hypoplasia is observed when the tooth is deformed or the enamel is erased.
Treatment is carried out at anydegree, but therapies vary.
Disease forms
Dentists divide enamel hypoplasia into 6 forms:
- Spotted. With it, white spots appear on the surface of the teeth, because of this, a change in the structure of the tissue occurs. Sometimes the color of the spots can be yellow or light brown. Central incisors stain first.
- Erosive, or bowl-shaped. It manifests itself in the form of round or oval defects, similar to a bowl, which differ from each other in size. The erosive form has a paired character, often it affects the teeth located symmetrically. Enamel may thin towards the bottom of the bowl, and sometimes be completely absent. In some cases, stains may turn yellow due to dentin seeping through.
- Striated. Furrows appear on the surface of the teeth, they are parallel to each other and pass to neighboring teeth. This form mainly affects all teeth. The depth depends on the severity of the disease. The upper incisors are usually more affected than other teeth.
- Linear and wavy shapes. Visually, grooves are visible on the teeth, which are arranged vertically. Most often they are on the vestibular side. This makes the enamel look wavy.
- Aplastic. This is the most severe form of hypoplasia. Enamel on the teeth with it is completely absent, or only small parts of it are present.
- Mixed. With it, a person has most of the forms at the same time. Each affects only a couple of teeth. More oftentogether, the spotted and bowl-shaped forms appear.
The photo of the teeth above shows a vertical groove that erodes the enamel.
Hypoplasia of milk teeth
The disease occurs in many children. This is due to the fact that it can develop even in the prenatal period. There are cases when a child has hypoplasia, which disappears on its own when the bite changes. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't do anything about it. After all, weakened milk teeth will be prone to caries, and this, in turn, will lead to problems with permanent ones. During hypoplasia, immunity decreases, so the baby can often get sick.
The child may face the following diseases in the future:
- Increased tooth wear.
- Destruction of dental tissues.
- Complete loss of affected teeth.
- The appearance of an abnormal (abnormal) bite.
Diagnosis of dental hypoplasia
Detecting the disease is quite easy, especially in the later stages. However, in the early stages, the disease can be confused with the initial and superficial types of caries.
| Symptom | Caries | Hypoplasia |
| Spots | A single white spot is located on the surface near the neck of the tooth. | Multiple stains are white or tan and spread over the entire surface of the tooth. |
| Enamel condition | Enamel has a smooth and even surface. | The surface of the enamel is covered with furrows and pits, in rare cases it may be partially or completely absent. |
| Shape | Teeth have the same shape. | Teeth in some types of disease are modified, barrel-shaped, and the cutting edge resembles a crescent. |
If you find signs of illness, consult a doctor and he will make an accurate diagnosis.
Treatment
If the hypoplasia is mild and there are stains on the teeth that are invisible to the naked eye, then treatment may not be carried out. When the spots are noticeable or the process of tooth decay has begun, it is urgent to consult a doctor who will immediately take appropriate measures. As unfortunate as it may sound, the disease cannot be cured completely. Dentists can correct cosmetic defects, but there is a possibility that after a while you will have to return to them.
The main treatment is teeth whitening. This helps to remove stains from the enamel. However, this method is not used in severe stages of the disease. Sometimes doctors do a tooth grinding, which helps to get rid of bumps and jagged cutting edges.
Also, doctors often use the method of remineralization of tooth enamel. This procedure is carried out with the help of special preparations, such as "Remodent" and "Calcium gluconate" in solution. If the teeth are damagedstrongly, then the dentist will offer you to install a veneer, bridge or crown. For the best effect, it is necessary to cure all existing diseases that affect the state of the oral cavity.
To reduce the impact of hypoplasia on the teeth, it is necessary to carefully monitor hygiene and, if necessary, brush your teeth more than twice a day. It is also possible to cure tooth decay with orthodontic therapy. Doctor's advice: orthopedic treatment should not be carried out when the child's dentoalveolar system is not formed. This will help to avoid the occurrence of pulpitis and periodontitis.
Disease prevention
In order to prevent the appearance of hypoplasia in adulthood, it is necessary to carry out preventive actions. They will help prevent illness. If you follow simple rules, you can significantly reduce the risk of hypoplasia in any form and degree. It is recommended to start prevention in advance.
Food
Proper and balanced nutrition plays a big role in prevention. It must be observed at the stage of pregnancy planning. Also, nutrition should be monitored in the child after his birth. When doctors allow the baby to use new foods, and not milk and mixtures, the main thing is to include the following in his diet:
- Milk, cheese, cottage cheese and other foods that contain calcium and fluoride.
- Vitamin D. You can give your child special preparations and spend more time in the sun.
- Foods rich in vitamin C. These are broccoli, oranges, tangerines, spinach.
- Products containingvitamins A and B. These are seafood, legumes, poultry and mushrooms.
Hygiene
It is necessary to teach the child to oral hygiene from the age of one. It is recommended to brush your teeth in the morning and in the evening. If your baby is acting up, then turn this action into a game that the child loves and turn on the fantasy. Also, rinse your mouth with water after eating. And don't forget to visit the dentist twice a year. This will help identify problems before they occur.
Advice to parents
Many parents do not even suspect that dental hypoplasia is a very common disease among children. In order to alleviate the condition of the child, you need to carry out the following actions:
- Remove all sour and sweet foods from your diet.
- Use special toothpastes.
- For small children, buy silicone fingertip brushes for oral hygiene.
- Get your teeth silvered regularly.
- Monitor their condition and fill their teeth in a timely manner if necessary.
Doctor's advice: watch your children while playing and don't let them run fast. This way you can prevent injury to the jaw.
Enamel hypoplasia in any form is regarded as a malformation. It appears due to a failure of metabolic processes in the development of teeth and manifests itself as a qualitative and quantitative violation of the enamel. Many dentists believe that these changes are due to problems in the formation of tooth tissues and due totransformation of enamel cells.
