Baby born armed to the teeth

A US baby born three days after Christmas arrived with a surprising and rare extra – two front teeth.

Alyssa Bailey was born in Branson, Missouri, with the fully-formed teeth causing her parents one almighty Christmas surprise.

"Right when she first arrived, everybody was just shocked," mother Jaklina Bailey told ABC News.

"Just like, 'She has two front teeth? No kidding? Really?' It was just a big talk about it, you know, in the delivery room."

While uncommon, it's not unheard of for babies to be born with fully-formed teeth, said Dr Laura Corio, a clinical professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City.

"Teeth can be present in oral cavities at birth and may be related to certain other health problems but not always," Ms Corio said.

Around one in every 2500 babies are born with teeth in the US, according to the National Institutes of Health.

Doctors typically remove or shave down the teeth as soon as possible to avoid problems with nursing and prevent the baby from cutting its tongue, said Ms Corio.

Source: ABC News