Index
They are tiny cysts that can appear in a baby’s mouth that look like little white bumps.
Alois Epstein first described them in 1880. They generally appear along a baby’s gums or on the top of the palate. They are seen in four out of five newborns.
What are the symptoms of Epstein pearls?
Epstein pearls do not cause any symptoms beyond their appearance. You will likely notice them along the gums or the roof of your baby’s mouth.
Epstein pearls resemble whitish-yellow nodules, approximately 1 to 3 millimeters in size. Sometimes they appear similar to incoming teeth.
What Causes Epstein Pearls?
Epstein pearls occur when the skin in a baby’s mouth becomes trapped during the development process. As the mouth continues to develop and shape, this trapped skin can fill with keratin, a protein found in the skin.
Keratin is what makes up the inside of an Epstein pearl.
These bumps develop in the uterus and cannot be prevented. If your child was born with Epstein pearls, it is not a sign of anything you did or did not do during your pregnancy.
Epstein pearls contain keratin, which is found in the skin and other mucous membranes. They can look like little pimples in your baby’s mouth. They are generally painless.
Are Epstein Pearls Dangerous?
Epstein pearls are benign cysts that are not dangerous or painful for your baby. They require no treatment and will go away entirely alone or within a few weeks.
Sometimes the friction of breastfeeding, drinking a bottle, or even using a pacifier can help break down cysts to help them dissolve as well.
You can even give your baby a teething tool to help him “rub” his gums on the toy to try and break the pearls.
It would help if you never squeezed Epstein pearls or tried to pop cysts. It is useless and could introduce harmful bacteria into the baby’s bloodstream, as the gums connect directly to the blood.
Can Epstein’s pearls appear elsewhere?
Most of the time, Epstein pearls only appear in a baby’s mouth. However, baby boys can sometimes also put Epstein pearls in their foreskin, called preputial Epstein pearls.
A study in the Indian Journal of Pediatrics explained that the preputial and buccal Epstein Pearls have nothing to do with each other; a baby may have mouth or foreskin pearls, or one and not the other.
What seemed to matter was whether the baby was born full-term. Most babies with foreskin pearls were born full-term and weighed 3,000 grams or more.
Are Epstein pearls treatable?
Epstein pearls do not require any treatment. They often go away on their own within a week or two after birth.
The friction in your baby’s mouth from breastfeeding, bottle feeding, or using a pacifier helps break down and quickly dissolve the lump.
Although Epstein Pearls are harmless and require no treatment, you should see a doctor if you are unsure whether your baby has Epstein Pearls or another condition. It can be challenging to tell if what you see in your baby’s mouth is Epstein’s pearls.
The lumps in your baby’s mouth can be caused by another condition that might need medical treatment, such as thrush (a yeast infection).
Moreover, in some sporadic cases, tiny white bumps on the gums can be a little more surprising: natal teeth. Although rare, some babies are born with developing teeth that can appear even in the newborn stages.
You should seek medical attention if the lumps do not go away, appear to be getting worse, and are bleeding, and if your baby appears to be in pain or refuses to breastfeed or take a bottle.
What is the perspective?
Epstein pearls may seem alarming to new parents, but they are harmless. They usually dissolve on their own a week or two after birth.
