This phenomenon, called “ectopic tooth”, affects 0.1% of the world’s population.
- A tooth that erupts in an abnormal or “ectopic” position is a tooth that misses its target in the eruption process.
- When the malposition of the tooth is extreme, it may be appropriate to intervene at an early age to correct this situation.
There are sometimes snags that do not grow, but then really not in the right place. The New England Journal of Medicine thus relates the story of a man who lived the first 38 years of his life with a tooth… in his nose.
No history of trauma
Increasingly embarrassed to breathe through the right nostril, our strange patient finally decided to consult an otolaryngology clinic. “He then reported no history of facial trauma or craniofacial abnormality,” say the doctors who welcomed and examined him. “But the physical examination of the nose showed a deviation of the nasal septum and its perforation of two centimeters”, they continue. Even more surprising: “During rhinoscopy, a hard white mass was observed in the floor of the right nostril”, write the specialists. After further examinations, they finally understood that it was a tooth (14mm long precisely).
Oral and otolaryngological surgery
The intruder was removed through oral and otolaryngological surgery, without postoperative complications. “3 months after surgery, the patient’s symptoms of nasal obstruction had resolved”, welcome the doctors.
Finally, it should be noted that this case is extremely rare. The 20 baby teeth normally erupt in the mouth from the first six months of the child. Then appear the 28 permanent teeth between 6 and 13 years, then come the wisdom teeth.
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