Learn about the phenomenon of newborn teeth when your baby is born

Many people are surprised to see that the newborn baby has a newborn tooth. Some people even think that the baby has a jewel in his mouth, and he will be happy later. However, there are some problems when children have newborn teeth, you need to pay attention to monitor and take care of this tooth to promptly handle if the tooth is broken.

Baby has started to form the first teeth at 6 weeks old in the womb. Teeth develop in the gums and usually won't be visible until they are fully formed a few months after birth. Occasionally, a newborn baby has a few teeth growing up. These teeth are called newborn teeth and are rare.

1. What are newborn teeth and are they common?

Newborn teeth are teeth that have been in existence since the baby was born. According to many studies, the incidence of newborn teeth is about 1 / 7,000 to 1 / 30,000. Usually the baby will not have more than 3 newborn teeth, regardless of boy or girl.

2. Can newborn teeth harm the baby?

The answer is yes. Newborn teeth can have complications such as:

Difficulty latching: This is one of the leading complications in babies with newborn teeth. The presence of these teeth makes it difficult for the baby to latch on properly, including a pacifier or a breast. Therefore, the baby will have difficulty feeding continuously.

Poor feeding and affecting baby's health: Because the baby cannot suckle properly and continuously, the baby is not provided with enough nutritional needs, affecting the development.

Irritability, fussiness: In the case of teeth coming up in the gums, the baby will hurt, irritate and make the baby cry .

Biting the nipple: Babies with newborn teeth may bite the breast or bottle. This can cause pain for the mother or the pacifier to be damaged easily and interfere with breastfeeding.

Asphyxiation: Loose newborn teeth can break and fall into the baby's airway, causing the baby to suffocate and possibly die if the mother does not detect it in time.

3. How to remove newborn teeth?

Surgery is the only way to remove a baby's teeth.

Preparing before surgery: Surgery will be done after your baby is at least 10 days old. At this time, the baby has intestinal microflora, producing vitamin K to help blood clot. Therefore, when surgery bleeds, the baby's body can stop bleeding and heal the wound better. Usually before the surgery, your baby will be supplemented with vitamin K.

Extraction of newborn teeth: Surgery is carried out by anesthesia method, enough for the baby to keep quiet while performing.

Post-operative care: Vitamin K will be given intramuscularly to the baby, depending on the wound's healing level. Your baby will be home in a few hours and monitored for the next few weeks.

You should take your baby to the pediatrician to examine the baby to decide whether or not to have teeth extracted and consider the impact of teeth on the baby's development. If the teeth have grown firmly and have no effect on the baby, it is not necessary to remove the teeth.

4. Do baby teeth replace baby teeth?

About 90 - 99% of newborn teeth are baby teeth that have sprouted before their due date. Only about 1 - 10% are leftovers. If baby teeth are baby teeth, they will be replaced by permanent teeth after they grow up.

5. Types of newborn teeth

There are 4 types of newborn teeth in babies:

Fully erupted : This tooth has grown out of the gum completely and is easily visible. You cannot remove the teeth because they are attached to the gums.

Loose and completely papillae: The teeth are completely visible but attached quite loosely with the gums, this tooth is missing or only partially.

Partial papillae : You will see part of the top of the tooth coming out of the gums, the rest of the tooth still in the gums.

Not yet visible but visible: The teeth are completely inside the gums but you can still see white spots on the gums.

6. Do all teeth grow into baby teeth?

Only the posterior teeth grow and form newborn teeth:

Lower middle teeth - 85%

Upper molars - 11%

Lower canines - 3%

Upper canine teeth - 1%

7. Why are many babies born with teeth?

Here are the common causes when babies have newborn teeth:

Genetics: Babies are usually born with teeth at birth if their parents, siblings or immediate relatives have teeth at birth.

Ellis-van Creveld syndrome (epidermal cartilage dysplasia): This is a congenital bone disorder in children that causes many abnormalities such as excess fingers, no hair growth and teeth at birth. This syndrome is rare and usually occurs only in special populations.

Pierre Robin syndrome: A congenital disorder in a baby that causes babies to have abnormally small lower jaw bones. One of the complications of this syndrome is having teeth at birth.

Hallermann-Streiff Syndrome or Osteoarthritis: This is a rare syndrome causing abnormalities of the skull such as short jaw, arched palate and newborn teeth. Since this syndrome is so rare, its cause and treatment are still limited.

Sotos Syndrome: Congenital disease that leads to rapid growth during infancy and infancy. Babies with this syndrome often have teeth at birth.

Jadassohn-Lewandowski syndrome: Also known as congenital nail thickening, due to a genetic mutation. Babies with this syndrome will have thick nails or legs and have newborn teeth.

Jaw: Newborn teeth also appear in the case of jaw bone deformities such as cleft palate, cleft palate.

Endocrine abnormalities: Endocrine disorders are also the cause of newborn teeth.

Infection: If the baby is born with an infection (transmitted from the mother), the baby may develop teeth due to the side effects of the above phenomenon, such as congenital syphilis. Besides, if the mother has severe illness or fever during pregnancy, the baby may also have newborn teeth.

If your baby has baby teeth, you also need to take good care of them. If you want more information on this topic, you can refer to the article  Do you know how to take care of your newborn baby's teeth?