In a rare, first-of-its-kind case, doctors in Gujarat, India, discovered that a one-month-old infant had 7 teeth. The doctors immediately carried on a procedure to extract the teeth from the baby’s gums so that the premature eruption of teeth did not pose any possible health risks.
Dr Meet Ramatri carried out the dental surgery with the procedure being divided into two stages where first the four teeth were removed. The second stage of the dental surgery was aimed at removing the other three remaining teeth.
The doctor told BBC Hindi that he was forced to remove the teeth as the teeth were not very strong and firm and posed a great risk - if they fell off they could have choked the baby by getting stuck in the windpipe.
For the doctors, the situation was very precarious because reportedly they were praying that the baby’s teeth did not come off before they could carry on the dental surgery.
Doctors discovered that the baby had begun erupting teeth...
The doctors discovered that the baby had begun erupting teeth much before the normal timeline when the baby’s parents had taken him to a paediatrician when they felt that the baby had difficulty in breastfeeding.
The pediatrician then referred the baby to the dentist. According to Dr Ramatri, the baby had seven teeth and what was unusual in this case was that the baby’s teeth were fully out. The doctor informed that the baby’s case was a rare one also because sometimes newborns have tips of teeth that can be seen from the gums.
And in most such cases the teeth do not grow for a while but in this baby’s case, the teeth were already out fully. The doctors termed the case as rare but not abnormal.
Post surgery the baby is doing fine and is breastfeeding without any difficulty now.
When does a baby get his first tooth
Most babies begin cutting their first teeth at about six months from the time of their birth. However, the eruption of teeth anywhere between three to twelve months is also considered normal. Here are a few points that you must keep in mind:
- By the time a baby is 3 years old they already have 20 teeth. These are called the primary teeth and comprise incisors, molars, second molars, and canines.
- Children often become fussy and restless when they are teething because of the pain associated with teething. An infant, unable to express her discomfort is often seen trying to soothe her gums by chewing her fingers.
- The common remedies that parents can try to soothe a baby who is teething can be to offer them a chilled teething ring that can help numb the pain.
- The right time to begin an oral hygiene for babies begins as early as the time when the first tooth appears and should be no later than when the baby is 12 months old. Parents can take wet clean gauze and wipe babies’ teeth every day to ensure that it has no residual milk deposits.
- For children less than 3 years old, ensure that they set the routine of brushing their teeth twice. The dental association recommends using a fluoride toothpaste but in an amount less than a grain of rice. For the older children, you can increase the amount to a pea-sized blob of paste.
- It’s never too late to take your child to a dentist if you haven’t already. Setting a good dental hygiene is important to ensure that your child’s teeth are healthy and remain in good strength. Chart out a plan for a yearly dental visit with your child even though there may be no active issues.
*This article first appeared on theIndusparent
Read: How to look after your baby's first Teeth
[Image grabs courtesy: YouTube]
