A baby girl born three days after Christmas arrived with an extra gift for her parents: two perfectly-formed bottom front teeth.
Jaklina Bailey said doctors and nurses at the hospital in Branson, Missouri were stunned when baby Alyssa showed off her set of chompers.
‘Right when she first arrived, everybody was just shocked,’ she told ABC7. ‘Just like, “She has two front teeth? No kidding? Really?” It was just a big talk about it in the delivery room.’
Word of the rare sight spread down the hallways and soon other doctors and nurses were popping by her room to see the baby’s pearly whites, she said.
‘They were kind of like “what’s going on? Can I just see? Let me see”,’ Mrs Bailey told Fox6, adding that her own doctor was just as shocked as the others.
‘She said in her 25-year career this is the second time she’s ever seen it,’ she said.
Although it is not common for babies to be born with teeth, around one in every 2,000 to 3,000 babies does have them, according to the National Institutes of Health.
Dr. Laura Corio, a clinical professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City, added to ABC that the teeth will often be on the bottom but occasionally a baby is born with more than just two.
‘Teeth can be present in oral cavities at birth and may be related to certain other health problems but not always,’ she explained.
Doctors often file down the teeth so the baby avoids injuring themselves or their mother as they learn to breastfeed, Corio said.
Proud mom Jaklina Bailey, pictured, said that doctors were coming into her room to see her daughter’s teeth
Natal teeth have little root structure, meaning they are often wobbly and can present a choking hazard to youngsters if they fall out.
Mrs Bailey said doctors will keep an eye on Alyssa’s teeth in case they start coming lose.
When they do fall out, she will grow her teeth normally. Most babies start teething at around six months old.
Source: Dailymail.co.uk