The rudimentary teeth were removed as doctors feared they may make it difficult for the mother to breastfeed t... Read More

BENGALURU: A new mother was shocked to find her baby girl flashing two teeth immediately after birth. Concerned, she brought the unusual phenomenon to the notice of doctors , who suggested surgery. The rudimentary teeth were removed last week.

The relatively rare occurrence is seen in one among 1,000 in some populations and one in 30,000 in some others. It’s more common in girls than boys. Such growths may make it difficult for mothers to breastfeed infants and also cause ulcers on the baby’s tongue.

Madhu Chandrika, wife of Pradeep Kumar, an HRBR Layout resident, gave birth to the girl on April 3, 2019. Pradeep said the teeth came as a surprise to them. “We noticed them only on the second day of her birth,” he said. Doctors advised the parents to get the teeth removed once the child was a month old, as it required surgical intervention and anaesthesia. The parents also had concerns about the baby swallowing the teeth as they had become shaky.

While the teeth resembled normal teeth, they were yellowish, conical, small and poorly developed. One of the reasons for the growth could be the hormonal changes the mother may have undergone during pregnancy, said doctors.

On May 8, the baby underwent a surgery for removal of the teeth. “These are neonatal teeth, which are rudimentary. They had to be removed as they were shaky. The mother had trouble feeding the baby as she bit her. The teeth could have also caused ulcers on the baby’s tongue,” said Dr Neetu Punhani, chief dental surgeon, Motherhood Hospitals, HRBR Layout.

Neonatal teeth are seen because of some hormonal secretions or fever the mother may have suffered during pregnancy. “They have nothing to do with the calcium supplements consumed by the mother,” said Dr Neetu.

