A newborn baby girl who entered this world in a Missouri hospital three days after Christmas brought a surprise with her for her parents - she already had her first two teeth!
"Right when she first arrived, everybody was just shocked," Jaklina Bailey, the mother, told ABC7, the ABC affiliate in Branson, Missouri, where the baby was born. "Just like, 'She has two front teeth? No kidding? Really?' It was just a big talk about it, you know, in the delivery room."
She told Fox News that even her doctor was shocked.
"She said in her 25-year career this is the second time she's ever seen it," Bailey said.
Babies are born with teeth once in about every 2,000-3,000 births, according to the National Institutes of Health.
"Teeth can be present in oral cavities at birth and may be related to certain other health problems but not always," Dr. Laura Corio, a clinical professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City, explained to ABC News.
In most cases the doctor will remove or shave down the natal teeth as soon as possible to avoid problems with nursing and prevent the baby from cutting its tongue, Corio told ABC News.
Baby Alyssa Bella Bailey's teeth are not posing any health issues to her, reported Fox News, although there re cases of natal teeth that can be associated with medical conditions such as hormone deficiencies or cleft palates.
Alyssa's parents decided they are going to keep the teeth in her mouth (sometimes the doctor will remove or shave down the natal teeth as soon as possible to avoid problems with nursing and prevent the baby from cutting its tongue). They plan on keeping a close eye on the teeth just in case they come lose and become a safety hazard, ABC News reported. The natal teeth are an extra (third) set of teeth, so once they fall out they will be replaced with her baby teeth like other babies.
