What are neonatal teeth? Do they need to be removed? Babies are rarely born with teeth, but it does happen.
According to world statistics, 2,000 babies are born “with teeth” every year. Napoleon Bonaparte himself is said to have been born with a tooth. At the time, this was considered a sign of great success, while modern specialists believe the opposite. Parents themselves are often puzzled by it. Opinions on neonatal teeth are divided: some doctors consider them “spare” teeth, while others see them as part of the normal set. How do these approaches differ? And how does this affect the child’s health?
If the doctor considers them part of the “set”, it means they are ordinary baby teeth that simply erupted while the baby was still in the womb. If so, these early teeth have an incomplete structure (after all, they should have spent another half year developing and hardening in the child’s jaw). Weak teeth may soon wear down and quickly become damaged. For all these reasons, pediatric dentists tend to favor removing such teeth. However, parents should know that in this case their child will have no teeth until the permanent teeth come in.
If doctors believe the neonatal teeth are “spare”, it means that because of excess calcium in the body, the child developed extra baby teeth, which erupted first. Unfortunately, such teeth really are incomplete and must be removed, because if they become firm, they can get in the way of the true baby teeth.
The decision to remove the teeth is made by the parents; there is really no need to remove them while still in the maternity hospital. After discharge, you should see a pediatric dentist, who will check for the buds of the baby teeth.
