In the hit show Stranger Things, Gaten Matarazzo plays Dustin Henderson, who is a fan favorite. The long wait for season 4 has been excruciating.
The last time the show aired, in July 2019, was almost three years ago. Fans have been wondering what happened to Gaten Matarazzo’s teeth in the meantime, and we have some news about his health.
In the first episode of Stranger Things, we hear people bully Dustin for his toothless smile but his comeback was “I told you a million times, my teeth are coming in. It’s called cleidocranial dysplasia.”
As the show goes on, Dustin keeps talking about his illness, but does Matarazzo really have the same illness?
What Happened With Gaten Matarazzo’s Teeth?
Gaten has a genetic disorder called cleidocranial dysplasia (CCD), which affects one in a million people. All of Gaten’s bones are affected by the condition, but his teeth and collarbones are the ones that grow the most slowly.
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Someone with CDD is not born with baby teeth that fall out and adult teeth that grow. This means Matarazzo has had three surgeries to take out his teeth, and he has to wear dentures and use a device to pull his teeth down by hand.
Matarazzo’s real illness was shown in Stranger Things, and this was talked about before filming began. Gaten revealed in a 2018 interview –
“Once I got the part, they said they’re gonna incorporate that and use it in a realistic way. They asked me if it was okay if the kids in the show bullied me because of it. I said it’s totally cool. It’s realistic.”
In the third season’s second episode, Dustin makes a joke about his CDD. Dustin tells Steve when talking about his new girlfriend Suzie –
“She doesn’t even care that my real pearls are still coming in. She says kissing is better without teeth.”
People have praised Matarazzo for telling his story and using his platform to bring more attention to CDD. Even more so because he is an ambassador for CCD Smiles, a group that helps raise money and awareness for people with CCD.
Stranger Things Star Underwent Four-hour Tooth Surgery
In January 2020, Gaten had a four-hour procedure that he hopes will be his last tooth surgery. Matarazzo wrote on Instagram following his procedure –
“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.”
He also revealed that the surgery was a success and went into further details –
“In this surgery, the team of amazing medical professionals extracted 14 supernumerary teeth and exposed six of my adult teeth.”
This was the end of our coverage of Gaten Matarazzo’s teeth and his Four-Hour Tooth Surgery. If you have any thoughts, please leave them in the comments area.
