Dowman was omitted from Arteta's squad for the weekend trip to Sunderland and instead played the full 90 minutes for Arsenal's Under-21s against Chelsea, the second time this season he has featured for the age-group side despite a breakout campaign last term.
The teenager is yet to receive any senior minutes in the current campaign, though Arteta insists his chance is coming.
"I wish we could have him here, but we have the limitation with the numbers that we can have," Arteta said, addressing squad restrictions under Premier League rules. "He will have his chance, he will have his minutes, and he will have to earn them like anybody else."
Dowman became the Premier League's youngest ever player and youngest ever goalscorer last season after bursting onto the scene in north London, starting at Crystal Palace before scoring a stunning solo goal against Everton. That form has not yet translated into game time this term, with the winger an unused substitute in wins over Chelsea, Aston Villa and Coventry City before being left out of the squad entirely for Villa Park and Sunderland.
Arteta was at pains to stress that Dowman remains firmly in his plans for the season, even if patience is required in the short term.
"We know the talent that we have, we know the player that we have there, and we need to help him and find a way to make sure that he continues to develop and help the team," Arteta said.
The Arsenal boss could hand Dowman his first involvement of the campaign when the Gunners travel to Ipswich Town in the Carabao Cup fourth round on Tuesday, a competition in which Arteta will be keen to go one better than last season after Arsenal's defeat to Manchester City in the final at Wembley.
With regulars such as Bukayo Saka, Declan Rice and Martin Ødegaard likely to be rotated, the cup offers the clearest route yet for Dowman to finally get his season up and running.
Dowman only turned 16 on New Year's Eve, yet his emergence last season made him one of the most talked-about teenagers in English football. Having broken multiple age records inside the space of a few months, expectation around his progress has only grown, even as Arteta manages his introduction carefully against the demands of a squad chasing success on four fronts.
The Spaniard has been unable to name Noni Madueke, Eberechi Eze and Viktor Gyökeres among his substitutes in recent matches, underlining the strength in depth Arteta has at his disposal in the final third. That competition, rather than any doubts over his ability, appears to be the primary factor behind Dowman's lack of game time so far this season.
For now, Arsenal's approach appears to be building match sharpness through Under-21 football while waiting for the right moment in a busy fixture schedule. A first senior appearance of the campaign at Portman Road would mark a significant step in that plan.