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Limpret Moyo, Sunday News Reporter
A TSHOLOTSHO woman gave birth to a baby boy with a lower tooth that health experts described as natal teeth which they say is a rarity.
Ms Ignatius Ndebele (34) delivered her baby through an operation at Mpilo Central Hospital on Tuesday morning. Ms Ndebele said she was shocked when she found out that her new bundle of joy had a lower tooth.
“I could not believe my eyes when I found out that my baby had a tooth. I was shocked because I had never seen such a thing in my life,” she said.
Mpilo Central Hospital clinical director Dr Solwayo Ngwenya confirmed the development, saying it was normal and harmless.
“This is not a disease, but it’s something normal and is harmless. It only means that part of the body developed earlier than the other,” said Dr Ngwenya.
He said what was usually done was to remove the baby’s tooth which he said was not a complex process.
Most babies get their first teeth between four and seven months of age. Bulawayo dentist Dr Webster Musiya said it was not common for babies to be born with natal teeth, but it does happen.
“The tooth is extracted on the day after the child is born. The reason being it will be soft to interfere with flabby breastfeeding,” he said.
Dr Musiya said if it happens that a child was born with a natal tooth or teeth, they extract it to avoid irritations on the tongue and the gums and also to avoid injuries.
He said the child could still get a set of permanent teeth in the future. He added that some of the general reasons that can cause natal teeth were genetics and environment.
Last year a 15-year-old girl from Kwekwe gave birth to a child with four teeth, breasts and pubic hair.
derick.khumalo