It is rare to see a baby born with teeth. When babies are born, they are not expected to have any teeth in their mouth until the age of 6months(could be earlier). However, due to reasons that can’t be explained, a baby may be born with a tooth/teeth in his/her mouth. This is commonly seen in the lower jaw. In the past, such babies were tagged as monsters or abnormal babies and were not allowed to live. In some places, the babies and their mothers were banished from the town.
Babies born with teeth are normal babies said to have a rare occurrence known as ‘Natal teeth’ while babies who grow teeth within 30days of birth are said to have ‘Neonatal’ teeth.
Features
- Tooth may be one of the normal series which came earlier than expected or may be an extra tooth.
- Tooth may be mobile(not firm) posing a serious risk to the baby as it can come off and choke him/her.
Problems associated with Natal tooth
- It may cause sores on the baby’s tongue(underneath)
- If the tooth is not firm, it could come off and may choke the baby.
- Breast feeding may be painful for the mother as the tooth may bruise the mothers nipples or the baby may bite her.
Treatment
The decision to remove tooth or leave depends on the state of the tooth and the parents wishes.
- If the tooth is firm, it can be left in place. The mother may express milk in bottles to feed the baby instead of breast feeding to prevent pain and discomfort.
- The tooth/teeth may be removed if it causes sores on the baby’s tongue/lip or if tooth is not firm to prevent the tooth from falling off and choking the baby.
Many times natal teeth have no medical significance. However, further investigation may be done to rule out the presence of some medical conditions.