WHEN WILL MY CHILD HAVE HIS FIRST TEETH?
Teething in children is a natural process ,which begins at about two months of conception. At the time of birth, they have 20 Deciduous teeth in their jaw bones. Normally teeth appear when a child is of six months of age, but in 1/ 2000 times children have teeth at the time of birth. There is no need to worry until they cause problem. If these teeth are loose, they need to be removed as they may cause difficulty in breastfeeding and there is a danger of the child swallowing it.
First baby teeth is seen at the age of six months but at times they may appear after their first birthday. Normally they get completed within 24 months. A delay of an year is considered normal. Its pattern varies from child to child. First teeth to appear is incisor in the middle of lower jaw. Normally they appear in pairs, one on left and one on the right. Lower teeth appear before the upper teeth. If any teeth misses to erupt at its position, don't worry the adult teeth definitely will. Similrly any disshapened milk teeth is also not a cause of concern.
WHEN WILL ADULT TEETH START SHOWING?
You can expect the first adult tooth to erupt at the age of 6 though they are not visible. They are erupting beind the milk teeth. Normally teeth on the lower jaws erupt 2-6 months before the ones on the upper jaws and start erupting from front to back. By the age of 12 normally all milk teeth get replaced by permanent teeth.
WHAT SYMPTOMS WILL MY CHILD SHOW FOR TEETHING?
When teeth are erupting, children tend to show certain symptoms called “TEETHING SYMPTOMS”. These include behavioral problems such as
- irritation,
- sleeplessness,
- cranky,
- running nose,
- Diarrhea,
- fretful
- Slight fever
- Chewing whatever comes in hand
- Clinging behavior
- Poor appetite
- Avoiding breast feed as sucking hurts gums
- Biting behavior
- Tugging at ears
- Red swollen cheeks
HOW CAN I SOOTHE MY TEETHING CHILD?
These are the symptoms of teething but occur when a child tends to put everything in his mouth, feels conscious or irritation in his gums. Gums do become red and swollen, which can be soothed by
- Giving hard food items such as carrot, cucumber etc
- Doctor may suggest Paracetamol or Teething gels
- Teething Rings which are washed and cooled
- Rub the gums gently with finger
- Chilled fruits and vegetables
Children at the age of three are complete with their first set of 20 teeth i.e. Milk Teeth. Teeth start breaking at the age of six and by 12-13 yrs have their 28 Permanent teeth. Last four Molars emerge between 17-21 yrs of age.
TAKING CARE OF CHILDREN TEETH
- Start brushing as soon as the teeth appear
- Brush twice a day
- Do not bottle feed a child while sleeping
- Use low fluoride toothpaste
- Less of sugary foods as they cause decay of teeth. Frequency does matter over quantity.
- Rinsing after every meal
- Monitoring their brushing
- Giving water in sipper and not in bottles
- Use pea size paste for brushing