Along with the many precautions that must be taken with premature babies such as delayed motor skills and speech issues, preemies may also be at risk for dental issues such as delayed tooth eruption, tooth discoloration, palatal groove, and enamel hypoplasia.
Delayed tooth eruption is a common condition possibly attributed to serious illness, infection, or mal-nutrition, in this case simply different nutrition than would be received in the womb. Babies who experienced intubation for a prolonged amount of time may also experience delayed tooth eruption. Dentists' opinions differ concerning the long term affects getting baby teeth late, and some research has linked late teeth to challenging orthodontic issues, but dentists are also quick to remind parents of preemies to keep gestational age in mind. Just as all other milestones are marked not by calendar age, how old the child is based on his/her birthday, but are measured by gestational age, how old the child would be if he/ she had been born at full term, dental expectations should consider the difference as well. A thirty-two week preemie whose first tooth emerges at ten months is actually considered eight months old, and when the gestational age is calculated, most "late bloomers" are right on track.
Tooth discoloration, obviously is not always attributed to prematurity, but those babies who had high bilirubin levels during the neonatal stay are likely to experience the condition. Under these conditions, primary teeth can emerge with a brownish or yellowish cast, and although the color cannot be removed, the discoloration does not carry over to adult teeth. This condition is just a lingering symptom that causes no detriment. A palatal groove, however, can have lasting and progressive affects on a growing child. This circumstance, characterized by a groove in the hard palate, is caused by prolonged intubation. Sucking inabilities, speech delays, hearing difficulties, and poor positioning of teeth can occur in children with this condition.
Certain treatments babies receive in the NICU are thought to be responsible for a tooth condition known as enamel hypoplasia, or lack of enamel on the baby teeth and even in permanent teeth. Children with enamel hypoplasia are at extreme risk for developing cavities and will need careful monitoring of oral health both by parents and the dentist. Serious cavities leading to root canals, extractions can be avoided with precaution, but should the child experience any of the aforementioned, a vicious cycle of dental problems will begin. Early extractions can cause placement problems in pending adult teeth, while incessant cavities left unmonitored can cause gum disease and infection on into adulthood.
It is certainly beneficial to become acquainted with a dentist during a preemie's infancy to monitor the effects of NICU treatments and prematurity on teeth. A dentist, when watching an at-risk child from birth, can often foresee issues before major problems incur. If dental insurance is an issue, the baby may be eligible for social security disability due to prematurity complications or low birth weight or may be able to receive Medicaid insurance benefits based on disability all of which can help curb the otherwise uninsured medical and dental needs.
Dentists in Boston are able to help explain potential reasons that some children may experience more cavities growing up versus other children. For more information visit http://www.angieslist.com
