A newborn baby has her mother feeling nervous about breastfeeding. Ella-Rose Lines came into the world at a Nuneaton hospital with her bottom two front teeth already formed.
Babies usually begin teething around six months old but Samantha Lines' daughter has teeth already protruding on her lower gums. The 29-year-old mom anticipates that breastfeeding would be difficult.
"Her teeth are only small so hopefully it won't be too painful," Samantha said, per Daily Mail. Just in case, she and husband Jason Doombs are prepared to bottle-feed baby Ella-Rose.
Hospital staffers were also surprised to see Ella-Rose's teeth when she came out of the womb. "The doctors have told me that it's very rare for this to happen," the mom said, per Nuneaton News. The mother was also advised to "keep an eye on the teeth in case they fall because they could be a choking hazard."
According to a study in The Journal of Pediatrics, premature teeth eruptions in newborns have happened since the ancient times. It has been treated as both a good and bad omen among different cultures, but there haven't been enough long-term studies about the phenomenon in a modern day.
Experts are not sure what causes natal teeth eruptions. "Infection, febrile states, trauma, malnutrition, superficial position of the tooth germ, hormonal stimulation and maternal exposure to environmental toxins have been implicated as causative factors," according to a study published in the Journal of the National Medical Association.
Pediatrician Dr. Anita Chandra-Puri wrote on The Bump that natal teeth have weaker roots compared to neonatal teeth that develop normally. The newborn baby's teeth need to be cleaned and cared for regularly as well as it might cause oral problems like inflamed gums or accidental tongue bites.
In some cases, doctors remove the newborn teeth before the baby is discharged from the hospital. The infant will still develop teeth normally, both for the actual set of baby teeth and the permanent teeth as an older child.
The mom and the baby are now back at home after a four-day hospital stay. Samantha describes Ella-Rose as their miracle baby as she had polycystic ovarian syndrome, which made conception difficult. Samantha also suffered a miscarriage a few years before finally bearing her first child.
