The oral structures begin to form during the third and fourth weeks of embryonic development. Germ cells from the ectoderm, mesoderm, and endoderm all contribute to tooth formation.
Tooth development is divided into the following stages: the bud, the cap, the bell, and crown (maturation). Additional detail is beyond the scope of this effort and the necessary knowledge base of practicing pediatricians.
However, it is important to know that the teeth begin to develop around the sixth week of fetal life and that development continues throughout fetal life and beyond.
Thus, an insult can happen at any or multiple points in the development process and lead to abnormal outcomes. For example, a febrile illness can cause
Intensely hard calcareous substance that forms a thin layer partly covering the teeth; the hardest substance of the animal body; consists of minute prisms arranged at right angles to the surface and bound together by a cement substance.
enamel
A condition of arrested development in which an organ or part of an organ remains below the normal size or in an immature state.
hypoplasia and excess fluoride ingestion can result in
An abnormal condition (as mottled enamel of human teeth) caused by fluorine or its compounds.
fluorosis.
