Baby born with teeth!
Recently a mother came to me with a five days old newborn. It was a term baby and born by caesarean section without any problem. The only problem they noticed is that the baby was born with a tooth in the lower gum. After proper examination, I found a loose incisor tooth in the lower gum and advised to extract the tooth which was later safely done.
There are two terms — natal and neonatal teeth. Natal teeth are already present at time of birth but neonatal teeth grow gradually during the first 30 days of life.
However, with 1 in 2000-3000 live births, natal teeth are not common. Mostly developed in lower gum, they have very little root structure, as most of them are loose.
Often they cause discomfort to the mother while nursing the baby. Sometimes they cause ulceration to the nipple as well. Usually they are removed after birth.
The author is a Professor of Paediatrics at Community Based Medical College, Mymensingh.
E-mail: [email protected]
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