A child was born with a tooth - what to do with natal teeth. Natal and neonatal pathologies of dental development, what does it mean if a child is born with teeth

Are babies born with teeth? As a rule, children’s first teeth begin to appear after they reach six months of age, but in medical practice there are often cases of children being born with teeth. Such deviations from the norm are much more common in girls than in boys.

According to statistics, no more than 2000 such cases are diagnosed annually, therefore, when identifying teeth in a newborn medical staff is surprised, and the parents worry about their child. Today we will try to figure out what this deviation is connected with, what it entails and what to do in this case.

Newborn girl with teeth.

Why was the child born with teeth?

If a child is born with a tooth in his mouth, what does this mean? This is the question that modern doctors and parents ask when they discover teeth in a newborn baby. Most often this phenomenon is associated with:

  • the content of calcium and vitamin D in a woman’s body during pregnancy;
  • superficial location of the primary sources of teeth;
  • infectious diseases in a severe stage of a pregnant woman, accompanied by an increase in body temperature;
  • various congenital pathologies and ailments;
  • taking certain medications in the first three months of pregnancy, when the effect on the fetus is most significant;
  • endocrine disorders and disruptions hormonal levels in the maternal body;
  • genetic predisposition;
  • environmental features

Important! The formation of tooth primordia occurs during the development of the child in the mother’s womb.

In this regard, it must be remembered that the nutrition and lifestyle of a woman during pregnancy have a direct impact on the development of the baby. If a child is born with teeth, genetic testing will most likely be ordered. This will allow us to determine the reasons for the development of natal teeth.

Child with Sotos syndrome.

What types of teeth do children have at birth?

The teeth found in the oral cavity of a newborn child may be complete or spare. Regardless of the variety, such teeth are characterized by inferior structure, softness, weakness and rapid wear.

Depending on the variety, “early” teeth also have certain characteristics:

  • Teething complete teeth occurs during the intrauterine development of the baby. Their main drawback is represented by the weakness of the structure. These bone structures deteriorate and wear down very quickly and most often fall out before the child reaches the age of four, causing a lot of inconvenience to caring parents and the child. The main inconveniences are associated with the inability to ensure normal breastfeeding of the child, because the woman will constantly face injury to her nipples. Sharp teeth in the child’s oral cavity may also be the cause regular violation integrity of soft tissues, accompanied by the formation of ulcers and wounds.
  • Spares teeth are represented by an additional row of milk teeth, the formation and eruption of which also occurs during intrauterine development. Most often, spare teeth fall out soon after the baby is born, but they can also remain for a long period. In this case, they most often resort to removing these teeth so that a full-fledged dentition can be formed. Spare teeth also cause a lot of inconvenience, limiting normal feeding and causing many wounds and ulcers in the baby’s mouth.

Should I worry?

If a child was born with a tooth, what does this mean and whether this deviation poses a danger, only a specialist can tell after comprehensive examination, the need for which is due to the fact that the phenomenon is often associated with dangerous syndromes represented by:

  • Ellis-Van Creveld syndrome – very rare genetic disease influencing the growth of bone structures;
  • Hallerman-Streiff syndrome - maxillofacial dysmorphia;
  • craniofacial synostosis, in which early closure of the sutures of the skull occurs, making it limited and deformed ( this pathology most often diagnosed among boys);
  • multiple steatocystoma - benign disease, accompanied by the development of numerous skin cystic nodules;
  • congenital form of pachyonychia, characterized by damage nail plates, their compaction and the appearance of longitudinal grooves;
  • Sotos syndrome - a congenital disease characterized by tall stature, convexity of the frontal lobe of the skull and accelerated development of bone tissue;
  • Robin's anomaly congenital defect characterized by inadequate development lower jaw and recessed tongue;
  • cleft palate - congenital pathology, in which the halves of the palate do not grow together (in society the anomaly is called a cleft palate).

Attention! When identifying teeth in a newborn, you should not immediately panic, because the likelihood that the deviation is associated with one of the listed pathologies is very small.

The baby should be shown to the dentist even if the first milk teeth erupt in the first month after birth. Ignoring the situation is fraught with disturbances in the development of the jaw and facial skeleton as a whole.


A child chews on a teething rattle.

Do these teeth need to be removed?

The decision on what to do with baby teeth that appear ahead of schedule should be made only by a qualified specialist after research, one of which is a clinical examination of the baby’s oral cavity.

The diagnostic method includes:

  • External examination of teeth to determine their mobility, shade and shape. More detailed information can also be obtained through radiographic examination. In the case of missing roots, the decision is most often made to remove the tooth. This is necessary to prevent it from getting into Airways newborn baby after sudden loss.
  • Studying the condition of the soft tissues of the tongue and gums to identify possible damage sharp tips of the teeth, granulomatous lesions and inflammatory processes in the oral cavity.
  • Prescribing tests, conducting consultations with specialists of a narrow profile, performing diagnostic studies that will help eliminate dangerous reasons anomalies.

All the results are combined and will help you make a decision regarding the removal or preservation of early teeth and the treatment of associated pathologies. It is impossible to identify a single tactic for the behavior of specialists in relation to such teeth.

Important! Some dentists recommend getting rid of such bone formations, guided by their underdevelopment, weakness, and difficulties in maintaining breastfeeding, high risk soft tissue injuries accompanied by inflammatory processes in the oral cavity.

At the same time, a number of experts insist on surgical interventions only for spare teeth. After removing the reserve row of bone formations that formed in the oral cavity during intrauterine development, healthy milk teeth can emerge in their place in time, which will perfectly cope with their assigned functions until the permanent ones appear.

But the removal of complete teeth is fraught with the fact that the child will lack the necessary bone formations until they appear permanent teeth with root systems. As a result of such a decision, there is a possibility of encountering an abnormal jaw structure, displacement of baby teeth, etc.

Most often, difficulties in determining the further fate of such teeth are associated with the inability to correctly determine their type. Often in such cases, fluoroscopy may be prescribed, but many parents refuse such medical events due to the high risk for the child. As shown medical practice, only in 5% of cases the teeth are spare. In all other cases we are talking about complete teeth.

Doctor Komarovsky's opinion

Dr. Komarovsky is also studying the question of whether a child can be born with teeth, who notes that deviations of 6 months in established deadlines both up and down are considered an acceptable norm.

However, the specialist insists compulsory visit dentist in the event that teething is very late, an uncharacteristic localization of developing milk teeth is observed. The doctor also considers the appearance of teeth before birth to be situations that require additional study.

Important! All of the above deviations may be associated with dangerous pathological processes in the developing body of the baby, therefore they should not be left without due attention. Only a specialist can eliminate dangerous deviations and prescribe timely and effective treatment, if necessary.

Now you know for sure whether children are born with teeth and what this may be connected with, but if such an anomaly is identified, you should not worry, because most often it is a minor deviation from the norm that can be easily corrected.

Is it possible to have a baby with teeth? Invented myth or reality? This is an amazing and extraordinary event, so from the first days of life such a child is surrounded by an aura of mystery, surprising the people around him. Doctors in all countries have so far been unable to explain this phenomenon. There is no way to predict whether a baby will be born with teeth or not, it is just a matter of chance.

Are children often born with teeth?

Often, only after six months does a child begin to erupt a tooth, but if it appears at least three or four months, then it is considered that these are early teeth. There are unique children who are born with teeth, while others erupt teeth within the first 30 days of life. Approximately one baby out of several thousand is born with one tooth, much less often - with two.

Most often congenital are lower teeth, in most cases they are not at all strong, they can wobble, and if they are not removed, they will soon fall out on their own. However, there are also exceptional cases, when the congenital teeth are very strong and remain until replaced by molars.

Causes of early tooth growth

Shaping everyone is vital important organs in a child, not excluding the formation of teeth, occurs in the first few months of pregnancy. During development, tooth buds accumulate minerals, a vascular network is formed and nerve endings. The tooth grows, matures and erupts. The time of teething, the structure and health of a child’s teeth may depend on the following factors:


The most common theory for teeth appearing prematurely is based on the genetics of the embryo. This may also be due to excessive accumulation of calcium and vitamin D during pregnancy in the mother.

Features of natal teeth

The teeth that erupt in the baby inside the mother’s womb are called natal, and those that appear within a month after birth are called neonatal. Only in 5% of cases are these additional supernumerary teeth, in the rest - these are the first incisors. This phenomenon occurs more often among girls than among males.


Regardless of their location, these teeth are smaller, with plastic enamel, prone to various damages, they may look like in the photo (see also:). Despite the fact that natal (neonatal) teeth have no connection with physiological or mental acceleration, this phenomenon can have a rather negative impact on development jaw bone and almost the entire facial skeleton. This is why a child with premature or congenital teeth must receive a consultation. pediatric dentist to understand what to do next. The options may be the following:

  1. If the neonatal teeth are firmly attached to the bone and do not affect the bite, then they are left.
  2. If the doctor determines that the teeth that appear are spare (additional) teeth, then they are removed. In order to prevent them from unexpectedly entering the respiratory tract during prolapse.
  3. If neonatal teeth are weak, shaky, have a dangerous sharp chip (edge), and develop with malocclusion, then they need to be removed.

Caring for your natal teeth

The opinions of practicing dentists regarding actions with natal and neonatal teeth are very contradictory. Some doctors advise removing them, given the possibility of injuring the frenulum of the tongue, difficulties with breastfeeding, insufficient development and weakness of these teeth. Others insist that only spare teeth should be removed, while others should be preserved.

The complexity of the decision lies in the fact that it is not always possible to accurately determine which teeth the child has grown, complete or spare. In some cases, fluoroscopy is necessary for diagnosis, which is sometimes unacceptable for an infant.

If a child is born with teeth, what does this mean? Mothers begin to wonder whether this is an unknown disease, or simply accelerated development. Natal and neonatal dental pathology is not so common, but deserves attention. It is necessary to know what causes this anomaly and whether it can lead to complications.

Why was the child born already with teeth?

Many young mothers will confidently answer negatively when asked whether children are born with teeth. But this is not so, the baby may be born with teeth or they will erupt during the first month of life. This phenomenon is rare; for every 1 toothed baby there are about 800 toothless newborns.

Because of what happens similar situations Rarely, many people don’t even know what teething soon could mean. Others believe in omens: the child will snap at loved ones all his life, or all his strength will go into the first incisors, and the child will be weak.

If we turn to medicine, the teeth of newborns are divided into neonatal and natal. The natal ones are already present at birth, and the neonatal ones will appear a little later, a week or two after birth. The development of neonatal teeth occurs more often than the formation of teeth in the womb.

According to statistics, girls are 1.5 times more likely to be born with teeth. IN early age incisors appear, while fangs can be seen in newborns only in 0.5% of cases.

There are several reasons for this natal and neonatal pathology. Experts call increased calcium levels the most common provoking factor, but sometimes children’s teeth can indicate more serious problems in organism:

  1. Maternal infections before and during pregnancy.
  2. Any previous illness of the pregnant woman, accompanied by high fever.
  3. Exposure of the expectant mother to toxins and other harmful substances.
  4. Genetic pathologies. Perhaps these are signs of a disorder bone tissue or the presence of numerous cysts in the oral cavity.

Only neonatologists using diagnostic measures will be able to accurately name the root cause of the early appearance of the baby’s incisors.

Different types of teeth in a child

There may be several teeth, in pairs on top or bottom, or just one. Their quality also varies - it can be a full-fledged strong incisor, or there is an option with only a seal in the gum.

Classification according to teeth characteristics:

  1. The crown is shell-shaped, soft, the tooth has no roots, and is held in place only by the gum tissue.
  2. The crown is somewhat denser than in the first option. There is no root, the tooth is held on by the gum.
  3. Cutting through the natal teeth with the edge of the incisor.
  4. The tooth can be felt, but it is hidden in the periodontal tissues.

By type, early teeth are divided into complete and spare. Complete ones appeared before birth and will cause a lot of problems, since trauma to the soft tissues surrounding the teeth and frenulum is likely. Spare ones are also formed in the womb, but they form an additional row of milk teeth, which are quite weak and will interfere with the eruption of the main row.

Should I brush my teeth or not?

If a child was born with teeth or acquired several incisors in the first days after birth, is it worth removing them, and what should be done? A neonatologist and pediatrician will only be able to tell after a thorough examination whether it is necessary to remove teeth. After diagnosing any pathology, not only removal, but also a course of therapy will be carried out.

A child born with teeth is a rarity, and if this feature does not affect feeding and further development, they are left. Within a few years they will be replaced by new ones. However, it is worth remembering that oral care must begin much earlier: thoroughly brush your teeth every day, and be constantly examined by a dentist.

Most children are born without teeth; they do not need them, because the child only eats liquid food. Typically, a child's first teeth erupt at 6 months. Sometimes they appear 3-4 months earlier or later.

But, very rarely, in one child out of 4-7 thousand, the first teeth are visible at birth or erupt during the first 30 days of life. They are called natal and neonatal. According to statistics, this phenomenon occurs more often in newborn girls than in boys.

Causes of teething in a newborn

If a newborn has teeth in the oral cavity already at the time of birth, then they are called natal. Neonatal ones appear about a month after birth.

Most often, a child may be born with incisors due to some events that occur during a woman’s pregnancy. In most cases, the causes of early teething are absolutely safe for the newborn, but there are unpleasant exceptions.

The main reasons include:

  • poor nutrition of the mother during pregnancy;
  • insufficient content of vitamins and microelements in a woman’s body during gestation;
  • superficial location of the primary sources of teeth;
  • high fever and other serious infections of a woman during pregnancy;
  • congenital diseases;
  • action of toxins;
  • ecology.

The timing of teeth appearance in children may be influenced by factors related to environment and the course of the mother's pregnancy. For example, eruption occurs later than expected in premature infants or those who have received intracranial birth trauma. Eruption also slows down in children whose mothers, during pregnancy, were susceptible to toxicosis or Rh conflict.

Diagram of the sequence of teething in a child

Experts note that disruption of teething also occurs in the case of serious illnesses or frequent acute respiratory infections, breast refusal and pathology of the pituitary gland.

What are early teeth and why are they dangerous?

Newborn teeth differ from regular milk teeth in that they have an inferior structure. They wear down quickly and have a soft surface. Such teeth usually do not have a root; they are held in the gum by its tissues. The crown of natal and neonatal teeth can be shell-like or dense.

After examining neonatal and natal teeth, they are classified according to Hebling:

  • the crown is shell-shaped, has no root;
  • dense crown, either no root or very small one;
  • breakthrough of the sharp edge of the incisor through the gum;
  • the tooth is not visible, but is palpable in the gum, the gum is swollen.

Typically, natal and neonatal teeth appear in place of the lower incisors.

Complete and spare natal teeth

A baby’s natal teeth can be complete or spare.

Complete teeth are usually called teeth that appeared during the mother’s pregnancy. They have a weak structure, wear off easily and quickly deteriorate. A newborn can injure the oral cavity with these teeth. Complete incisors can cause harm not only to the baby, but also to his mother. The teeth are very sharp and this can cause a woman painful sensations when breastfeeding. They often fall out before the age of 4.

The second type of natal teeth are spare teeth. During fetal development, a baby may develop a second row of baby teeth. These teeth usually fall out on their own during the first month of a baby’s life. However, if this does not happen, they are deleted. After this, normal baby teeth erupt due date. Spare incisors can also cause discomfort mother and baby.

What are the dangers of early teething?

In addition to the discomfort that natal and neonatal incisors can bring to the baby and mother, they can be the result of some serious syndromes. Therefore very important point is a thorough examination of these teeth.

Child with Sotos syndrome

Early teething may be a symptom of one of the following syndromes:

  • multiple steatocystoma;
  • Hallerman-Streiff syndrome;
  • Robin's syndrome;
  • Sotos syndrome;
  • Ellis-Van Creveld syndrome;
  • cleft palate;
  • congenital pachyonychia.

An experienced doctor will be able to determine whether teething is a symptom. dangerous disease, and also exclude it if the child is healthy. The likelihood of identifying one of the above syndromes is very low. Therefore, parents should not be afraid, but they should not neglect the examination of early teeth either.

If a baby is born with natal or neonatal teeth, dentists advise removing them, as they can cause injury to the lower surface of the tongue during sucking. A cyst can form near these teeth, which often bothers the baby and can cause suppuration. In this case, the cyst is also removed.

There is no need to worry about extracted teeth, since at about 6-7 years of age a molar will erupt instead. The baby only needs to undergo regular examinations by an orthodontist, who will monitor the child’s bite. It is also necessary to consult with a specialist before a permanent incisor appears.

What to do if a child was born with teeth?

If a mother notices her baby’s teeth, the first thing to do is consult an experienced doctor: a pediatrician or a dentist.

The examination of the baby takes place in several stages:

  1. First of all, the doctor examines the shape and color of the teeth, and also determines how mobile they are in the gums. In some cases, the doctor may order an x-ray. If the incisor does not have a root, it must be removed, since it will soon fall out anyway, and the child may choke on it.
  2. Next, the doctor examines the entire oral cavity newborn, to identify damage and inflammatory processes.
  3. After the examination, the doctor prescribes tests and other specialists who can check for the presence of dangerous syndromes. The doctor needs to find out the reason that caused the abnormal appearance of the baby’s teeth during the prenatal period or shortly after birth.
  4. Based on the information received, he must decide whether it is necessary additional examination. The most important thing is to carry out this diagnostic stage in a timely manner in order to efficiently and effectively help the newborn baby.
  5. After the examination, the doctor must make a verdict on whether tooth extraction is necessary in a particular case.

Natal and neonatal incisors must be removed if they are additional: they are loose, have a weak structure and sharp edges that can injure the baby. If such teeth are not removed, then if they accidentally fall out, they can get into the baby’s respiratory tract.

When the natal teeth do not affect the child’s bite, have a root and adhere well to the gums, then they are not removed. You need to take care of these teeth carefully, as they are weaker than regular milk teeth and are the first to be susceptible to caries. It is enough to brush your teeth twice a day with a soft toothbrush and baby toothpaste.

Doctors' opinions and forecasts

In most cases none unpleasant consequences for a baby born with teeth is not expected in the future. If the teeth have not been removed, it is important proper care and timely visits to the dentist.

In cases where teeth have been removed, observation by an orthodontist is also important to monitor the formation correct bite The child has.

Subject to these simple rules, a child born with teeth will be no different from other children.

What people say

There is a popular belief that if a baby is born with incisors, this will ensure good health and happiness in life. It is also believed that such children will be brave, will be able to fight back and stand up for themselves.

Another superstition is the opposite and promises poor health for the baby. It is believed that such children will not have enough strength in the future, since early teeth took it away.

There is no need to be afraid or worry if a child is born with one or more teeth. This phenomenon has been studied for a long time and in itself does not pose any danger to the baby’s health. It is only important to consult a doctor in time and follow his recommendations.

The eruption of a child's first teeth is greeted with joy by all parents. Usually the lower incisors appear first, at 5-7 months of age. This means that the baby is developing normally, is ready for complementary feeding and no longer suffers from itchy gums. Situations where children are born with teeth can cause fear in the mother and surprise in the doctors. There is no need to panic, this phenomenon is episodic and usually does not pose a threat to the child’s health.

The formation of the baby's gums begins in the first trimester of pregnancy. At the same time, the rudiments of teeth are formed. As they grow, undergoing a process of mineralization, they become stronger and covered with thin enamel. By the end of the third trimester, there are 20 baby teeth in the bone tissue of the fetal jaws that have not erupted outward.

Typically, the next stage of odontogenesis - protrusion beyond the gum - begins after birth, on average after 6 months. If the appearance of the first incisors occurs at 3-4 months, then they are called early. Sometimes the timing of teething does not correspond to average standards, and this happens in the womb or in the first month of the baby’s life.

Can a baby be born with teeth? Yes, the phenomenon is called natal teeth. Mostly the lower central incisors are pecked, less often the lateral ones. And usually a couple performs at once. If teething occurs in the first 28-30 days of a newborn’s life, they speak of neonatal teeth.

Modern medicine views the situation as a deviation from the norm. According to various sources, statistics range from 1:700-30,000 births. On average, it is generally accepted that the birth of children with teeth occurs once every 2000-3000 cases. In boys, this developmental anomaly is observed somewhat less frequently than in girls.

In their structure, natal incisors differ from ordinary primary incisors. They are quite mobile, have an immature root and are attached to the gum soft tissues. In more than 90% of cases, teeth from birth are milk teeth that appeared prematurely in the womb, that is, complete ones. And only in 1-10% are they supernumerary or additional, spare.

Normally, baby teeth precede molars. When diagnosing natal supercomlets, they are first replaced by milk ones and only then by permanent ones.

Reasons for appearance

Discussions regarding the factors that provoke the birth of a child with teeth are currently ongoing. There are several hypotheses that supposedly explain the phenomenon.

Why are children born with teeth?

  • heredity;
  • endocrine disorders;
  • toxic lesions;
  • congenital diseases;
  • severe infections of a woman during pregnancy;
  • the location of the dentition is close to the edge of the gum;
  • excess calcium and vitamin D in the mother’s body.

The last two factors occupy a leading place among the reasons why a child is born with teeth. IN in rare cases, inflammatory processes, accompanying an increase in temperature and exanthema, provoke premature eruption. Some researchers argue that syphilis in a pregnant woman causes a delay in fetal development in some, and an early start in others.

If a child is born with teeth, he will be examined for severe congenital diseases. Such non-compliance with norms may be a symptom of Ellis-Van Creveld, Hallerman-Streif, Pierre-Robbin, Sotos syndrome and other pathologies. But then, in addition to the appearance of incisors in the womb, there are other signs of disease.

Poor ecology, oversaturation of everyday life with “chemicals”, irrational use of antibiotics have an unpredictable effect on the developing fetus. Hypersecretion of hormones by the pituitary gland or thyroid gland during pregnancy, it also provokes intrauterine development disorders.

Children born with teeth are more common in those families where there have been cases of early and neonatal teething. That is, the quality of nutrition and the health of the child as a whole have much less than value for the time of appearance of the first incisors than genetic predisposition.

Consequences and solutions to the problem

The decision to remove natal teeth is made after assessing the possible risks and discomfort for the newborn and mother. On the part of the baby, damage to the tongue and frenulum most often occurs due to uncontrolled movements of the gums. For mothers, children born with teeth can injure their nipples when feeding. This often causes difficulties in establishing lactation.

The most dangerous consequence phenomenon is the potential risk of tooth inhalation, during feeding, for example. This is possible due to its high instability, associated with initially insufficiently strong adhesion to the gum tissue. In fact, this is the main real argument in favor of extraction.

Only a pediatric orthodontist can determine a clear algorithm of actions in a situation where a child is born with teeth. An irrational decision to remove natal incisors, especially complete ones, provokes problems with bite in the future. In fact, until the molars appear, he will experience difficulty speaking, chewing and biting food.

For precise definition complete or spare teeth erupted in a newborn, sometimes an in-person consultation with a dentist is not enough. In such cases, radiography is considered. Additionally, the condition of the soft tissues of the gums is assessed, the level of their mobility is determined, color, size, and density are studied.

Oral care is no different from modern views about hygiene in general. Wiping twice a day with damp gauze soaked in clean water, usually enough. Less often, cleansing should be done after each feeding. If removal was carried out, then the recommendations consist of treating the gums and monitoring the nature of its healing.

Signs and incidents in history

The world knows a lot historical figures who were born with teeth. Among them is Julius Caesar, Louis XIV, Ivan the Terrible, Napoleon, Mussolini, Hitler and others. People say that such children are distinguished by tenacity, perseverance and a desire to achieve success.

What does it mean if a child is born with a tooth? From the medical side, the phenomenon indicates an anomaly, a deviation, but not necessarily a developmental pathology. In fact, the situation requires a thorough examination of the baby for timely detection and control. possible diseases. As for signs, opinions are diametrical.

Different peoples and religions interpreted the birth of a baby with protruding incisors in different ways. IN ancient China and in India, such children were considered the embodiment of the devil, they were credited with demonic powers. That's why the only solution at that time it was their immediate killing shortly after birth.

In Europe they said that a new leader, a commander, had come. In England and Italy they believed that this would guarantee the conquest of the world. By the way, in the work Henry VI, Shakespeare, in his address to Richard III, mentions natal teeth, speaking of them as a sign of the birth of a person who is going to bite the world.

Malaysian beliefs prophesied great happiness for such children. The Slavic peoples believed that if a baby was born with teeth, this means that he will have strong physical health, intelligence and luck.

Along with these, there were opposing beliefs. Thus, there was an opinion that such children would grow up weak and sickly due to the fact that all their strength “went into their teeth.” This is partly due to the presence concomitant diseases, which were previously unknown. What to believe or not is up to parents to choose.

Teeth appear on the surface of the gums when they are ready. It is impossible to influence this. The only thing that needs to be done is to exclude serious illnesses child. Fortunately, the likelihood of this happening is low. Otherwise, “biting kids” are no different from others.



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