Teething and Teeth
A first tooth! How exciting! It's also a little reminder
that your precious little newborn is growing everyday and you may
not see that gummy smile again.
When does the process of teething
begin?
Generally a baby will get their first tooth around 6
months. However, this does vary from baby to baby. If your baby
develops teeth before or after 6 months it is completely normal and
nothing to worry about.
The first tooth will nearly always be one of the front
bottom teeth.
When a baby begins teething, there is no set pattern on
when it will begin, how long it will take and how painful it will
be. For one baby cutting a tooth might happen overnight without
pain, while another child might have to go through a long, drawn
out and painful experience. You may sometimes visibly see a
rise or lump in the gum for several weeks, while sometimes there
may be no visible clue at all until the tooth actually
appears.
The process of teething often follows hereditary patterns,
so if the mother and father teethed early or late, your baby may
follow the same pattern. On average the first tooth comes in during
the seventh month, although it can arrive as early as three months,
as late as a year, or in rare cases even earlier or
later.
Which teeth come in first and how many will there
be?
In total there are twenty primary (first) teeth, which is
twelve less than the full set of thirty-two permanent teeth adults
have. Most children have a full set of primary teeth by the time
they are around two or three years old. These teeth usually
last until about the age of six, when the teeth that were first to
appear become loose and fall out as the second teeth begin to push
through the gums. The primary teeth continue falling out until
roughly the age of twelve. Again, these ages mentioned above are
only averages and your child may follow an earlier or later
pattern. The following is the most common pattern in which
your baby's teeth will usually appear:
Age
-Teeth
-Position
6 to 7 months
Incisors
Two central bottom & Two central top teeth.
7 to 9 months
Two more incisors
Top & bottom; making four top & four bottom teeth in
all.
10 to 14 months
First molars
Double teeth for chewing
15 to 18 months
Canines
The pointed teeth or "fangs"
2 to 3 years
Second molars
The second set of double teeth at the back
What are the symptoms of
teething?
The symptoms of teething vary from child to child. Because
of these different experiences, parents and physicians often
disagree as to the symptoms of teething and how painful it
is.
The list below shows symptoms that a teething baby may
experience. While most parents usually agree that some or all of
the symptoms below happened around the time of teething, it is
still recommended that if your baby experiences any of these
symptoms you check with your pediatrician to rule out other
possible causes for the symptoms.
Irritability: As the sharp little tooth
rises closer to the surface your baby's gums may become
increasingly more sore and painful, leading to your baby being very
fussy. The pain and discomfort is most often worse during the first
teeth coming in and later when the molars come in because of their
bigger size. This is most often the case since babies become
accustomed to the sensations of teething and learn to live with
them. But you may find your baby may be fussy during the whole time
that every tooth comes in. Every child reacts
differently.
Drooling: From three to four months of
age you may see your baby start drooling more often than
normal. Teething stimulates drooling, which is often worse
with some babies than others.
Coughing: The extra saliva can cause your
baby to occasionally cough or gag. This is usually nothing to worry
about as long as your baby seems fine and shows no signs of a cold
or flu and does not run a high fever.
Chin rash: If your baby is a big drooler,
the constant contact with saliva can cause the skin around the chin
and mouth to become irritated. To help prevent this, gently
wipe your baby's mouth and chin periodically throughout the
day.
Biting & gnawing: A baby that is
teething will gnaw and gum down on anything she or he can get their
mouth around. The counter pressure from biting on something helps
relieve the pressure from under the gums.
Cheek rubbing and ear pulling: Pain in
the gums may travel to the ears and cheeks particularly when the
back molars begin coming in. This is why you may see your baby
rubbing their cheeks or pulling at their ears. However, keep in
mind that pulling at an ear can also be a sign of an ear
infection.
Diarrhea: While this is a symptom that is
disagreed upon by physicians, researchers and parents, most parents
usually notice slightly looser bowel movements when a baby is
teething. While the recent study done by the Children's
Hospital in Australia found this to be the most common symptom of
teething, there are still many people that will agree and disagree
with this recent study. It is believed that the most likely cause
of this is the extra saliva swallowed, which then loosens the
stool. Be sure and report any diarrhea to your doctor that lasts
more than two bowel movements.
Low-grade fever: A fever is another
symptom that doctors are sometimes hesitant to directly link with
teething. But there are many parents who will disagree with this
and find their baby gets a slight fever while teething. The best
thing to do is be extra safe and notify your doctor if a fever last
more than two days.
Not sleeping well: With teething pain
happening during the day and night, you may find your child wakes
more often at night when the pain gets bad enough. Most
parents agree that the night waking happens more often during the
first set of teeth and with the molars.
Cold like symptoms (runny nose,
etc.): Some parents find that their baby will show signs of
having a cold. Runny noses, coughing and general cold symptoms
are believed to come from the baby having their hands in their
mouth more often. Play it safe and always notify your doctor
if symptoms such as this occur.
How can I help my baby with the
pain?
There are several things that you can try to help ease the
pain of teething; some work and some don't, but most parents agree
they're always worth a try.
Teething rings, water filled and chilled rubber teething
toys; mom and dads fingers can all provide counter pressure that
can sometimes bring relief. Offering your baby a cold bottle of
water can also help. If sucking on the bottle bothers your
child, offer a cold cup of water. The water can also help replenish
your baby's fluid if they're drooling a lot or have loose bowel
movements.
Cold food has also been found to be helpful by some
parents. Chilled apple sauce, yogurt and pureed peaches may be more
appealing to your baby and also more nutritious than a chilled
teething ring.
When nothing else helps, you can also turn to the Infant
Paracetamol. Before giving your child Infant Paracetamol
always check with your doctor first. Your doctor will tell you if
it's all right and what the proper amount is to give your
baby.
Baby Orajel and other teething pain medicines that are
applied to the gums can also provide some relief. Some parents say
the Baby Orajel type products work great, while other parents will
say it doesn't. Also check with your doctor before giving this
type of over the counter pain reliever to your baby.
The teething process will come and go just like so many
other things with new babies. Keep trying different things
until you find what provides the best relief for your
child.
Note: Before trying any of the suggestions listed above or
any other type of home remedy it is highly recommended that you
contact your pediatrician first. You should follow your
pediatricians advise first before trying anything mentioned on this
site or on any other site. Your child's doctor knows what is
best for your child.
Facts about teething and teeth:
· If your baby has several teeth coming through there may
be some discomfort, so a teething toy filled with a gel like
substance may be comforting.
· The teeth at the front do not cause as much discomfort
as the back molars due to their shape.
· It is unadvisable to use gels and creams on the teeth as
they often contain sugar or medicine. Instead just rub your finger
on the sore gum.
· If your baby has teeth on the bottom you do not need to
give up breast feeding. It is only when the matching pair on the
top arrive that there may be issues with biting.
· The manner in which you care for these first teeth is
vital as it is these teeth that lay the path for the next set.
Clean the teeth twice daily with a small, soft brush and a small
amount of childrens tooth paste. This will be difficult and there
may be some resistance but don't give up completely and work in
compromise with your baby.
· Fluoride is important to your baby just as it was
important to you during pregnancy. However too much fluoride can be
harmful. Sometimes fluoride occurs naturally in drinking water, in
some places it is added to public water supplies. Find out if there
is fluoride in your babies diet and monitor its quantity. You may
have to suppliment it with fluoride drops or a fluoride tooth
paste.
· Give your baby water as opposed to fruit juice. Fruit
juice naturally contains sugar and more than one cupful a day is
too much. Encourage your baby to prefer savoury over sweet, your
not only teaching good habits for life you are also doing the teeth
a big favour as well.
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