Teething

Teething can be a painful process that lasts for a long time until all teeth have erupted. The child is irritable, has a sore throat or mucous membrane, increased salivation, swollen gums, loss of appetite, or unwillingness to eat certain foods. Very often, children put everything in their mouths and pull on their ears, which is a sign of possible inflammation. However, these symptoms are not always due to teething—sometimes the child may be sick. Be careful and be sure to consult a pediatrician!

You can ease the discomfort of teething by offering your baby pacifiers:

• There are many water-based options available on the market that can be stored in the refrigerator (not in the freezer!).
• Rubber brushes with serrated edges, you can even use a spoon – place it in the refrigerator and give it to your baby to massage their gums or simply chew on something.
• Pharmacies also sell gels for local relief. The American Dental Association warns against applying gels containing BENZOCOIN to very young children (under 2 years of age) because it causes a condition that significantly reduces the amount of oxygen carried by the blood.

The total number of milk teeth is 20.

Teeth usually start to appear when a baby is around 6-10 months old. If a tooth has not if it appears before 18 months, it is advisable to consult a pediatrician. The later appearance of the first tooth (after 14 months) may be hereditary or a manifestation of a disease, most often rickets. There are also cases of babies who are born with a tooth.

The order in which teeth usually erupt:

Lower incisors → other lower incisors → upper four incisors → lower lateral incisors → canines (fourth teeth) → canine teeth → molars (fifth teeth)

What if a baby is born with teeth?

The upper central incisors or one or more teeth erupt or appear within the first 30 days after birth. These are called neonatal teeth, which may be deciduous but are also remnants of neonatal development that do not require treatment. If they are milk teeth (consult your dentist about this), it is good to keep them. In some more severe cases, they may need to be removed if the teeth are wide and pose a risk of being inhaled, irritating the tongue, and affecting the baby’s feeding. Be sure to discuss this with your dentist.

Why and how long should we give pacifiers?

It is a newborn’s instinct to suck. For decades, mothers have given their babies pacifiers to calm them down and stop them from crying, without damaging their teeth. However, new studies now show that pacifiers can damage the bite just as much as thumb sucking.

Studies have been conducted on 372 children in the US who suck on pacifiers or their fingers until the age of 4. The results show that those who suck their thumbs are more prone to protruding teeth and jaws, and those who suck pacifiers are more prone to crossbites. About 6% of 1-year-olds who stop using pacifiers develop crossbite. Twice as many—13%—develop crossbite if they continue after 1 year of age, and 20% develop crossbite if they continue after 4 years of age.

We recommend that these habits be discontinued around the child’s 24th month.

Other interesting facts about teething:

• Usually, girls’ teeth erupt earlier than boys’.
• As a general rule, four teeth fall out every six months of a baby’s life, which will then erupt.
• The lower teeth erupt before the upper teeth.
• The teeth on both jaws erupt simultaneously, two on the left and two on the right.
• Between the ages of 2 and 3, all of a child’s baby teeth should have erupted.

After the age of 4, a child’s jaw and facial bones begin to grow, causing gaps to appear between the teeth. This is a normal process that provides the necessary space for the larger permanent teeth.

Between the ages of 6 and 12, a child will have both milk teeth and permanent teeth in their mouth.