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Can being born prematurely cause you to have bad oral health?.

A

anonfemale

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Nov 5, 2014
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I've been thinking about this recently. I was born three months prematurely. I was given a blood transfusion when I was a baby. I was wondering if this could be a reason why I have had problems. Also, I couldn't hold a pen and pencil properly when I was younger, so maybe I haven't been holding my toothbrush in the right way either, or I could have been brushing the wrong way. I used to have to see a professor when I was a child and do different tests. I find it strange that my parents and my younger brother haven't had the oral health problems that I have , but I have them. I did read somewhere recently that people born prematurely can have yellow teeth, but I don't know if that's true for everyone who is born early. Actually, I have read about other physical and mental health problems that they can have too. This could be a reason why I have anxiety too.I have anxiety about other things besides my oral health and going to the dentist too.
 
I've been thinking about this recently. I was born three months prematurely. I was given a blood transfusion when I was a baby. I was wondering if this could be a reason why I have had problems. Also, I couldn't hold a pen and pencil properly when I was younger, so maybe I haven't been holding my toothbrush in the right way either, or I could have been brushing the wrong way. I used to have to see a professor when I was a child and do different tests. I find it strange that my parents and my younger brother haven't had the oral health problems that I have , but I have them. I did read somewhere recently that people born prematurely can have yellow teeth, but I don't know if that's true for everyone who is born early. Actually, I have read about other physical and mental health problems that they can have too. This could be a reason why I have anxiety too.I have anxiety about other things besides my oral health and going to the dentist too.

Hi Anon
I am not a dentist but do have a little experience with preemies. I have never heard of it causing oral health problems but yes if you did not brush and floss properly that would be an issue. The most common issues with preemies would be respiratory problems like asthma and bronchitis, learning disabilities, vision and hearing problems, slow growth, and feeding and digestive issues.
 
Hi,

Yes, premature birth can cause many dental problems. One of the main ways: the development process of the teeth is very gentle and fragile. If the process is interrupted (less blood supply, less available components like calcium), it will lid to a weaker tooth structure. It can happen due to various factors like stress, medications and mechanical pressure. This process continues also after a normal child delivery but with a premature one there is more chance or interferences due to the medications and constant treatment of the newborn.
 
Thank you ScaredyCat and Dr Daniel. I just hope that my problems can be fixed and that they aren't too serious. I'm not sure if my bottom front teeth have shifted or not. It doesn't feel like any of my teeth are loose though. They feel like they move when I move my tongue across them, but not when I touch them with my finger. If they have shifted, will they have to be extracted?. It looks like there is a small black hole there too. Do teeth have to be extracted if they are yellow too, or are teeth only extracted if they are very loose?.



Dr Daniel, I went to a doctor and showed him the white bump in my mouth. He said it was an ulcer, but I don't think it is. It is near the root of one of my front teeth. He looked at it and pressed it. He said he doesn't think it is a tumour though. It is very small and painless. It is in the lower labial frenum (I think that's what it is called. I'm not sure if I've got the name right). The bump has never changed size or shape. Also, it looks like there is a bit of a split in the gum near my back tooth. Sometimes, it has bled when I have brushed that tooth. I hope I haven't got an abscess. I was wondering if either the problem with my back tooth or the white bump could be an abscess?. I've read some scary things on google!. My face hasn't been swollen. I have an appointment with a dentist this Friday. I'm not sure whether to try and go sooner though. Do any of these things sound like a dental emergency, or could I wait until then?. I'm worried in case I have to have surgery too as I'm not sure if you can have that done on the nhs. The dental practice I am going to has both private and nhs patients. They have a hygienist there.

It's really getting me down when I think that this could have been caused by my premature birth. As far as I know, my parents have never had gum disease, and my brother hasn't either. It seems like they have good teeth and gums. I can't understand why some people get problems with their teeth and gums and some don't . My boyfriend has lost a few teeth (they fell out on their own ), and has some broken teeth, but he told me he has never had gum disease and when he went to a dentist once, they told him that all he needed was a few fillings and an extraction. He didn't go to get them done, but it doesn't seem like he has had problems since. Does it sound like my boyfriend has better teeth and gums than I have?.



Dr Daniel, I also wanted to mention that I have had a couple of bad experiences with dentists in the past. One dentist I went to did a filling and my tooth broke soon after that. The next dentist I went to (which is the one I saw last time a few years ago), had to extract it, but she left the root in. Is it bad that she left the root in?. It was these bad experiences that made me nervous about going to see dentists. The last dentist I had told me I had mild gingivitis, but she didn't actually explain what it was,or what it could lead to, and she didn't show me how to brush my teeth properly (like some dentists do). If she had, maybe I wouldn't be having these problems now. I'm not sure what stage I am at now, but I hope it isn't an advanced stage. Because she made me feel uncomfortable, I didn't ask her any questions. When I was having the tooth extracted, I was in pain, so I don't think I was numb enough. I was yelling and she kept telling me not to yell. She didn't put me at ease.
 
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Hi Again Anon:)

If they told you it is not an abscess and it has no pain I would believe them; An abscess is excruciatingly painful unless it has been drained. if no pus ever came out of it which relieved the pain it is not an abscess. also they get bigger and bigger, they don't stay tiny. Try not to be scared.

For gingivitis it is really important that you floss at least once a day but twice would be better and get regular cleanings by the hygenist. all the brushing in the world will not rid you of gingivitis.

If your boyfriends teeth have fallen out and broken for no reason then no it really doesn't sound like his teeth or gums are better than yours.
 
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Hi,

You ask several questions which are not easy to answer without knowing what is the situation with the person we are dealing with. For sure your boyfriend has less complains/problems than you. Good for him. I would not conclude much more than that.
An extraction is only a sort of a treatment. On many occasions there are several treatment options which in the extraction is one. In 99% of the cases of a broken root it is better to try to get it out (maybe by an oral surgeon), because it might become a source of infection. If the chances for infection are low and/or it is clinically too risky to extract them, then it is better to let it sit, but again, in most cases it is better to extract. By not doing so a chronic infection will develop and over the course of years it will become painful.
 
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