Boy loses 526 teeth, gets his smile back
Pushpa.Narayan@timesgroup.com
Chennai:01.08.2019
Dentists in Chennai have surgically removed 526 teeth that were tucked inside the right lower jaw of a seven-year-old boy.
“The teeth were in sizes between 0.1 mm and 15mm. They were packed inside a small sac under the molar region of the jaw bone,” said maxillofacial pathologist Dr Prathibha Ramani. “They reminded me of pearls in an oyster. Even the smallest piece had a crown, root and an enamel coating like a tooth,” she said.
The abnormal teeth, termed compound composite odontome, embedded in the jaw bone, caused swelling and discomfort.
Dental surgeons removed all of them and retained his 21 normal teeth. On Wednesday, Ravindranth climbed into his father’s arms and shyly smiled at the flashing media cameras. He then touched his slightly swollen jaw and said, “No pain.”
The condition though rare, isn’t unheard of, as doctors in Mumbai had removed 232 teeth from the mouth of a teenager in 2014.
When Ravindranath was three years old, his parents noticed some swelling on his right cheek. “We took him to a government hospital, but they could not convince him to sit down for tests. We also let it go as we thought he was just a small kid,” said his father, S Prabudoss, who works as a sales executive at a private firm.
When the swelling increased, he was referred to Saveetha Dental College.
GOOD RIDDANCE: Dental surgeons removed all 526 abnormal teeth, termed compound composite odontome
LIKE PULLING TEETH
It took several hours to convince him: Dentists
Tests, including X-rays and CT scans, showed that he had several tiny teeth growing inside the jaw. After convincing the family, the surgery was slotted for July 11. Dentists said they had to speak to the boy for several hours before he agreed to cooperate; the surgery took five hours.
“Surgery was inevitable. Instead of breaking open the bone from the sides and leaving a large hole, we drilled into it from the top. It had to be done carefully without chipping it away or allowing it to move into other areas. Luckily, the boy did not require any reconstruction of the jaw,” said Dr Senthilnathan, head of the college’s department of oral and maxillofacial surgery.
Dentists said like many boys of his age, permanent teeth were erupting in Ravindranath. “He may not have the two molars on his right lower jaw. But he can choose implants when he is 16 or 17 years,” doctors said.
As of now, the chance of recurrence is low, but doctors haven’t been able to point out the exact cause. “Biopsy results showed it was just abnormal growth. There could be a strong genetic connect, but we cannot rule out environmental factors such as radiation from mobile towers,” Dr Ramani said.
Saveetha University founder and chancellor N M Veeraiyan said the surgery had been done free of cost.
Pushpa.Narayan@timesgroup.com
Chennai:01.08.2019
Dentists in Chennai have surgically removed 526 teeth that were tucked inside the right lower jaw of a seven-year-old boy.
“The teeth were in sizes between 0.1 mm and 15mm. They were packed inside a small sac under the molar region of the jaw bone,” said maxillofacial pathologist Dr Prathibha Ramani. “They reminded me of pearls in an oyster. Even the smallest piece had a crown, root and an enamel coating like a tooth,” she said.
The abnormal teeth, termed compound composite odontome, embedded in the jaw bone, caused swelling and discomfort.
Dental surgeons removed all of them and retained his 21 normal teeth. On Wednesday, Ravindranth climbed into his father’s arms and shyly smiled at the flashing media cameras. He then touched his slightly swollen jaw and said, “No pain.”
The condition though rare, isn’t unheard of, as doctors in Mumbai had removed 232 teeth from the mouth of a teenager in 2014.
When Ravindranath was three years old, his parents noticed some swelling on his right cheek. “We took him to a government hospital, but they could not convince him to sit down for tests. We also let it go as we thought he was just a small kid,” said his father, S Prabudoss, who works as a sales executive at a private firm.
When the swelling increased, he was referred to Saveetha Dental College.
GOOD RIDDANCE: Dental surgeons removed all 526 abnormal teeth, termed compound composite odontome
LIKE PULLING TEETH
It took several hours to convince him: Dentists
Tests, including X-rays and CT scans, showed that he had several tiny teeth growing inside the jaw. After convincing the family, the surgery was slotted for July 11. Dentists said they had to speak to the boy for several hours before he agreed to cooperate; the surgery took five hours.
“Surgery was inevitable. Instead of breaking open the bone from the sides and leaving a large hole, we drilled into it from the top. It had to be done carefully without chipping it away or allowing it to move into other areas. Luckily, the boy did not require any reconstruction of the jaw,” said Dr Senthilnathan, head of the college’s department of oral and maxillofacial surgery.
Dentists said like many boys of his age, permanent teeth were erupting in Ravindranath. “He may not have the two molars on his right lower jaw. But he can choose implants when he is 16 or 17 years,” doctors said.
As of now, the chance of recurrence is low, but doctors haven’t been able to point out the exact cause. “Biopsy results showed it was just abnormal growth. There could be a strong genetic connect, but we cannot rule out environmental factors such as radiation from mobile towers,” Dr Ramani said.
Saveetha University founder and chancellor N M Veeraiyan said the surgery had been done free of cost.
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