The tooth is an important part of the human body. It helps us to speak and chew food. It will grow right from our childhood. For some people, two teeth will grow together, and a single tooth will look like a double tooth. We call this growth Gemination and Fusion. It will occur in human beings and can be cured depending upon the growth and the patient’s cooperation.
Gemination vs Fusion
The main difference between Gemination and Fusion is that when we count the doubt teeth as two separate teeth, then they will come under gemination. But in the fusion, two separate teeth will grow into one single tooth. Gemination is very common in human beings. But fusion is not very common, and it will occur in some rare cases in humans.
Gemination means the teeth will look like two teeth. It will be seen in some children. By visiting a dentist, they can solve this issue in their children. But some parents choose to not go to treatment for the germination of their children. Because they think that if they remove the teeth at an early age, then there are chances that the teeth might not grow back when they grow.
Fusion is a teeth issue that happens PDL disrupts that results in the bone growth. Because of this issue, two teeth will grow simultaneously, and eventually, they will fuse. When people count these teeth, they will count them as one instead of counting them separately. It will also depend upon the stage of development in the teeth.
Comparison Table Between Gemination and Fusion
| Parameters of Comparison | Germination | Fusion |
| Teeth | The child will develop a tooth | The child will lose a tooth |
| Tooth count | It will be counted as normal even though we count anomalous tooth as one | It will reveal the missing tooth when we count the anomalous tooth as one |
| Roots | It has single and root canals | It has separate and root canals |
| Occurrence | It will occur because of abnormal odontogeny | It will occur because of physical forces |
| Crown | It has separated crowns | It has wide crowns |
What is Gemination?
Gemination will occur when teeth develop from one tooth bud. This will lead the patient to have an extra tooth. It will happen during the proliferation stage. This can be treated by a dentist if you find it annoying. They will shave down the double tooth and makes them smooth. But if the pulp is very close to the surface, then this cannot be done. When you count those two teeth as one, then you will get a regular count. But if you count them as separate ones, then they will exceed in number.
This will happen in children during their teeth development stage. This will be common in the upper front teeth. Sometimes, it can also occur in the lower teeth. One of the rare occurrences is that they will occur in permanent teeth as well. It will create some common problems in humans such as atypical spacing, if any problems or delays happen in the permanent teeth eruption, and crowding. If your children suffer from any of these problems, then a pediatric dentist will help you in solving the problem.
They will make sure that the teeth emerge normally. In some cases, for the treatment, they might remove that double tooth to make them even. If they can’t find the pattern of these permanent teeth, then they will take an x-ray and make sure that they are in order. In some rare circumstances, the patient might need surgery for this problem.
What is Fusion?
Fusion is nothing but when two teeth join together and develop like a single tooth. This will sometimes look like a gemination. If you count these fused teeth as one, then you will miss the correct count. This is not a common problem and cannot be found in many people. Once it forms, then it will be formed with an enlarged crown. It follows the same treatment that is involved in germination as both problems look the same.
The first step in solving this issue is by visiting a dentist. So, that they will help you in treating the problem. If they do extraction or fall out, then they will be fused as a single tooth. It can also be caused due to genetic or environmental issues. This diagnosis should be carried out clinically. If you do not diagnose them clinically, then it will be difficult to diagnose as we cannot know which category it falls, whether under gemination or fusion.
The treatment will depend on the patient’s requirement, the degree of involvement, and the teeth that are involved. So, some patients may experience an easy treatment, and some others might experience a difficult one. This issue is more commonly found in mandibular molars as they involve 35% to 24%. This will be commonly found first in third molars, then it will follow second molars, and then eventually it will be formed in both the jars.
Main Differences Between Gemination and Fusion
- In gemination, the child will develop a tooth. On the other hand, in the fusion, the child will miss a tooth.
- During anomalous tooth count as one, the teeth will be counted as normal. On the other hand, it will reveal the missing teeth.
- The roots that are involved in gemination are single and canal roots. On the other hand, the roots that are involved in fusion are separate and canal roots.
- Gemination happens due to abnormal odontogeny. On the other hand, fusion happens due to physical forces.
- The crown that is involved in gemination is separated crowns. On the other hand, the crowns that are involved in fusion are wide crowns.
Conclusion
Both these problems can be cured with the help of a dentist. If you find this issue occurring in children, then visiting a pediatrician will help you in treating them as the clinical diagnosis is very important in both these problems. Without a clinical diagnosis, we cannot come to any conclusion whether it falls under the category of Gemination and Fusion.
Some children’s parents will not do anything as they are afraid about their child’s teeth growth. Because in some rare cases, the dentist might remove the entire teeth of the child as part of the treatment if they can’t do anything with the early treatments. Depending upon the patient’s requirement, they will proceed with the treatment.
References
- https://www.jisppd.com/article.asp?issn=0970-4388;year=2017;volume=35;issue=1;spage=56;epage=62;aulast=Shilpa
- https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-the-international-phonetic-association/article/phonetic-variation-in-italian-consonant-gemination/C52F31BDE54E17C21E3605A93C1680E0