Pregnancy is the time when teeth start to develop in the unborn child. As early as four week after conception, the little buds that form the milk teeth start to form. They are seen as small rounded masses of tissue in the place where the teeth will be found. The teeth grow fast and develop to become hardened by about twelve weeks after conception. They become harder and harder until they erupt after the baby is born. After the baby is born, the first milk teeth are ready to erupt and be seen in the mouth. The permanent adult teeth start developing at around six weeks after conception, and continue till they erupt later in life. The factors that will affect the teeth in the developing baby during pregnancy include:
Drugs: Drugs, especially tetracycline, can affect the development of teeth. The antibiotic tetracycline is the major drug implicated in causing tooth discoloration (although it is used rarely nowadays). The result is usually a line or lines of brown or yellow stains on the teeth which are difficult to remove using simple methods. Tetracycline is usually avoided in children for this reason. Other drugs like some anti-epileptic drugs can damage the teeth.
Rhesus factor: The most common cause of rhesus factor incompatibility is a rhesus negative mother having a rhesus positive baby. When there is rhesus factor incompatibility, the baby may develop a disease at birth called blue baby disease. Blue baby disease can also affect the developing teeth, making them stained.
Exposure of the mother to radiation: Radiation affects the general development of the baby. It results in defects in the developing baby. The duration with most effects varies since radiation affects almost all tissues.
Other environmental factors: These include factors that affect the mother and indirectly affect the child. They include excessive involvement in strenuous activity, indulgence in alcohol and tobacco use. These can affect the baby’s process of tooth development. For example, strenuous activity may affect the positioning of the baby in the womb. A wrong position may lead to low rate of formation of the mandible or the maxilla.
Fetal alcohol syndrome is a known condition which has dental effects like slow development of the teeth, and poorly developed facial features. This is explained by research which showed that the rate of a child clearing alcohol fed to it by the mother is more than three times slower than that in an adult.
Contact a dentist or dental hygienist at Water Brook Dental in Washington DC for a dental check-up and other dental needs. Water Brook Dental has two locations in Washington DC. The Columbia Heights location is very conveniently located to Downtown DC, Northeast DC, Adams Morgan, Dupont Circle, Logan Circle, U-Street Corridor, Mount Pleasant and many other parts of Washington. The Eastern Ave NW location is conveniently located to Downtown Silver Spring, Takoma Park MD, Silver Spring MD, Colesville, and other parts of Maryland as well as Northern Virginia and other parts of Virginia.
Leave A Comment