A fresh newborn baby…soft skin, a sweet face, tiny toes and fingers…and teeth?? Immediately, a visual image is conjured in your head of a newborn baby looking up at his adoring parents and flashing a twinkling Hollywood smile. Well…not exactly.
Natal teeth, as these teeth are called, are extremely rare and only occur once in every 2,000 babies. When parents are expecting that first tooth to pop a few months in, they can be quite shocked(understandably)to find that their newborn has natal teeth. Luckily, these teeth aren’t usually a danger to the little one. Sometimes an underlying medical issue or malnutrition can lead to natal teeth. Other times, it can be the result of an issue with dentin, calcified tissues that make up teeth. Or, it may just be a genetic rarity. Roughly 15% of babies born with teeth are from families where other members have been more with teeth as well. And before your imagination wanders too far, almost always, a baby with a predisposition for natal teeth is born with just one tooth, not an entire set. As if that isn’t intriguing enough, if a baby gets teeth within the first month of being born, these are called neo natal teeth, which is even less common than the natal teeth phenomenon.
A dentist can guide any family through this type of process and make sure the teeth aren’t cause for concern, putting a new mom and dad’s fears to rest! Your little miracle and their dental health is important to us. We’re always here to help.