How Gaten Matarazzo Fixed His Teeth And The Truth About His Condition
Quick Links
From the moment that viewers all over the world discovered Stranger Things on Netflix, most of them became huge fans of the show's young cast. Even though he was surrounded by a slew of talented young actors, there was something particularly lovable about Gaten Matarazzo.
Thanks to Matarazzo's Stranger Things role making him rich and famous, many people learned about an ailment they previously were completely unaware of. The reason for that is Matarazzo's character was very vocal about the fact that he was born with a birth defect.
While most people couldn't name the birth defect that Matarazzo and his famous character were born with, they knew it caused his teeth to come in abnormally. After all, Stranger Things' first season featured a scene in which Matarazzo's teeth were talked about.
Since Matarazzo rose to fame, he has notably been open with his fans including the time he revealed he'd been vaccinated. As a result of Matarazzo's willingness to talk about his life and medical issues, a lot is known about what allowed the actor's teeth to look a lot different now than when fans first learned about him.
What Is Gaten Matarazzo's Birth Defect?
When people are born with a rare medical ailment of any kind, it can be very difficult for them to get the kind of treatment they need. After all, when someone is suffering from something rare, doctors often struggle to figure out what is happening, let alone treat their ailment.
Fortunately for anyone who gets born with Cleidocranial dysostosis in the future, Gaten Matarazzo is advocating on their behalf and bringing attention to what they are going through.
A rare genetic disorder, Cleidocranial dysostosis mainly affects a person's bones and teeth. In people born with the disorder, their skulls sometimes aren't fully formed at birth, their collarbones are absent or poorly developed, and they are shorter.
In terms of someone with Cleidocranial dysostosis, their teeth can be prone to cavities, they can have extras, their can be crowded, and they can fail to come out on their own.
While speaking to healthinsight.ca in the past, Matarazzo spoke about how important a person's teeth are to their overall health.
"I wish people would understand that having teeth is not cosmetic and it does affect a person’s well-being and health."
"Teeth will not come in on their own and it’s not just a matter of waiting because if you wait too long, the teeth could fuse to the jaw and you could never have your own teeth and then you would have to get implants."
"I need people, and specifically doctors, to understand that it needs to be done through appliances and through medical procedures and not just time. It’s not always about time. It’s about working for it."
Later in the same conversation, Matarazzo also revealed that his birth defect is a source of strength for him and has provided him with many opportunities.
"Pretty much every part I’ve booked is because of the condition. In some way, it affects me — whether it be my height or my teeth or making me look younger."
While Matarazzo seems thankful, he does wish to find new career opportunities unrelated to his birth defect in the future.
"Hopefully, I can evolve from that and not just get roles because of the condition, I can play parts that don’t have physical disabilities or anything like that. I can play someone who isn’t associated with the condition."
Finally, Matarazzo expressed that he is grateful for how The Duffer Brothers handled his birth defect.
"The Duffer brothers also helped a lot, when they wrote the condition into the show. They weren’t intending on having my character have the condition, but when I told them about it they liked the idea of having a character with a disability to give him more of a unique twist and make him more relatable in a way."
What Happened To Gaten Matarazzo's Teeth?
Over the last several years, Gaten Matarazzo has made a slew of public appearances. In some cases, that has meant that the talented young actor has walked red carpets and in others, it has meant that he has appeared on talk shows.
As a result of Gaten Matarazzo's many public appearances, it has been relatively easy for fans to chart how the actor has transformed physically over the years. Of course, Matarazzo has undergone the same kind of changes that everyone goes through during the puberty process.
More notably, Matarazzo's teeth now look very different then they initially did when fans first caught a glimpse of him. As it turns out, a lot of time and effort has been put into the teeth that Matarazzo has today.
In the past, Matarazzo has undergone four different dental surgeries as the actor revealed on Instagram in 2020. After using the social media service to reveal he was going under the knife just before the process began, he updated fans on the results after the fact as well.
"Though my expression in this picture may not show it, the surgery was a complete success😂. This was such A big one, it may be the last one I need. Hopefully at least."
"Those who suffer from Cleidocranial Dysplasia usually have Supernumerary teeth, which are extra teeth that grow in the gums. I’ve had several surgeries to extract these teeth from within my gums and help expose the teeth that should have already grown in considering my age."
"In this surgery, the team of amazing medical professionals extracted 14 supernumerary teeth and exposed six of my adult teeth. I was under for four hours."
"My recovery for the past few days has been great and I can’t thank the team that did the surgery enough. Thank you all for your kind wishes and prayers. It means a lot. Again, if you’d like to learn more about Cleidocranial Dysplasia, you can go to ccdsmiles.org. Thanks again everyone"
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7tbTErZ%2Bippeoe6S7zGiuoZmkYrWivM%2BepZ6cXam8brPArZynZZ2WwaK%2BwLOxqGWkmrK1tIycpqecmam2sLqO