When does a baby's first teeth erupt?

Author of the article:

Soldatova Lyudmila Nikolaevna

Candidate of Medical Sciences, Professor of the Department of Clinical Dentistry of the St. Petersburg Medical and Social Institute, Chief Physician of the Alfa-Dent Dental Clinic, St. Petersburg

In the life of every baby and every mother, there comes an exciting moment when the first teeth erupt. And, alas, along with the joy of a new independent stage in the life of a child, new problems interfere in the lives of children and parents. The child's first tooth is accompanied by a very painful condition. Is it possible to alleviate these unpleasant manifestations of growing up? Of course you can. How? Let's figure it out together.

When do the first teeth appear?

Usually a baby's first baby tooth is at 6 months. Although some children have their first teeth appearing as early as 4 months of age, others have to wait as long as 7 months for their first incisors. By the way, both such an early and such a late appearance is considered the norm. At 6-8 months, the central lower incisors appear.

• At 8-12 months, the central upper incisors grow;
• 10-13 months – second upper and lower incisors;
• 1-1.5 years – primary molars;
• 1.5-2 years – fangs;
• 2-2.5 years – second primary molars.

Thus, by the age of two, the baby already has 18 teeth in its mouth. But it is the first incisors that cause the baby the most inconvenience.

How to understand that teeth have started to cut?

The following symptoms will indicate that a child is getting his first baby tooth:

• severe crying, frequent whims of the baby;
• increased salivation;
• slight increase in temperature;
• frequent excitability;
• refusal of food;
• upset stomach (diarrhea).

Of course, the above symptoms individually can indicate not only that the child is getting his first teeth. For example, whims and frequent excitability in a baby can be caused by stress due to moving to a new apartment, fever by a cold, and diarrhea by an allergy to a particular product. Usually, the eruption of the first teeth in children provokes several, or even all, of these signs at once.

What affects the timing of eruption

There are many factors that can affect the timing of a baby’s first teeth. These include:

• gender of the baby. It's no secret that boys develop teeth a little later than girls;
• climatic features of the region in which the child lives. According to statistics, teeth erupt earlier in those children who live in hot climates;
• child's diet. For example, a lack of calcium in the body can slow down the teething process;
• hereditary factor.

Baby is cutting teeth

Almost always, the incisors are the first to appear from a baby’s gums – pediatricians remain unanimous on this. But in rare cases, other teeth may erupt first. There is no need to immediately panic, since each organism is unique and tooth growth does not always occur according to a certain schedule.

When should you worry?

The listed signs of the appearance of the first baby tooth should not bother mom, dad and grandmother too much. The following symptoms may be a reason to contact your pediatrician:

• Early appearance of the first teeth. In rare cases, newborns develop teeth immediately after birth. This may indicate endocrine pathology and requires examination by an endocrinologist.
• A significant delay in teething may also indicate various metabolic disorders in children and requires medical intervention.
• Incorrect appearance order . If, instead of the baby’s first incisors, molars or fangs begin to peck, such disharmony may indicate anomalies in the baby’s development or be a consequence of illnesses that the woman suffered during pregnancy.
• Temperature above 39 degrees. When the first teeth erupt in children, the temperature rises slightly. If your baby becomes hot and the high temperature lasts for several hours, call a doctor immediately.

How to relieve symptoms

Relieving the baby’s condition when the first teeth appear is not an easy task. But for this purpose there are special recommendations, the observance of which will make the teething process less unpleasant.

Teething

First of all, you need to purchase special toys - teethers, thanks to which the child's need for chewing will be satisfied. Such products contain a gel or liquid filler, which, when cooled, can eliminate burning and itching in the gums. Despite all the advantages, teethers have one drawback - the toy constantly needs to be cooled.

Teethers that effectively relieve itching and stimulate tooth growth

Using bottles and pacifiers will also satisfy your baby's desire to chew on surrounding objects. But when choosing such nipples, one factor must be taken into account, namely their shape. If the shape of the pacifier is chosen incorrectly, then regular chewing can lead to malocclusion. To prevent such phenomena, doctors recommend purchasing special orthodontic pacifiers made of latex or silicone. Avoid fakes, because they are often made from harmful and toxic materials that will harm the health of the child.

Use of pharmaceuticals

Of course, not all measures help eliminate or at least facilitate teething in children, but the most effective auxiliary means are medications. In dental practice, various forms of topical preparations are used (ointments, gels, creams, etc.). Let's look at the most common medications that have stood the test of time. Most of them contain lidocaine as an active substance, which, if used incorrectly, can harm the baby's health. Therefore, all actions must be coordinated with a doctor.

Children's teeth gels

Table. Effective medications to combat teething symptoms.

When using one or another medication, the risk of side effects cannot be completely eliminated. In order to prevent this from happening, you must coordinate all your actions with your doctor. In addition, you need to take into account the general condition of the child and his health, and use this or that medicine. Otherwise, complications may arise.

NatraBio, liquid teething pain relief for children

other methods

In addition to traditional teethers or medications, doctors often recommend performing a special gum massage. It is carried out using a gauze swab moistened with cool water. Regular implementation of this procedure will clear the baby’s mouth of germs and eliminate itching in the gums.

• How long does it take for drugs to leave the body?

All massage movements should be neat, gentle and gentle. Any sudden or careless movement can injure the baby’s already painful gums. Instead of a tampon, you can use a special product - a finger brush.

Silicone fingertip

How to help your baby?

To alleviate the symptoms accompanying teething in a child, parents can use one of the following methods:

• Let your baby chew on a crust of bread . Such manipulations will provide gum massage. However, you need to carefully monitor your child so that he does not choke on the spicy crumbs.
• Wipe off saliva from your baby's skin every half hour . Excessive salivation irritates the skin and can lead to rashes, dry skin and allergic reactions.
• Massage your baby's gums . If your baby is suffering from pain and inflammation of the gums, try gently massaging the gums with a clean finger. But, before you start the massage, remember not to lubricate fragile baby gums with alcohol or apply tablets to the tissues.

What time do the first teeth appear?

As a rule, the first teeth can be expected at the age of 6-7 months, and the eruption sequence looks something like this.

Timing of teething

After the first tooth appears, you need to wait 3 to 4 weeks until the second one grows in the neighborhood. By about 12 months of age, the baby should have 8 front incisors in his mouth. But these are only average statistical data, therefore, even if by this age only 6 teeth have erupted, this is not scary.

Until recently, dentists explained the late eruption of the first teeth by the fact that there are not enough useful substances in the body, including calcium. Also, such deviations were associated with the child’s predisposition to rickets. Now no one considers late eruption to be some kind of deviation, since this phenomenon can be observed in completely healthy children. Typically, 3-year-old children already have all their baby teeth in their mouths.

Baby teeth in a child

On a note! There is a special formula that doctors use to determine the required number of teeth that have erupted in babies. It looks like this: P=N-6, where N is the number of months of the child’s life, and P is the number of teeth placed. For example, an 8-month-old baby should have 2 baby teeth in his mouth.

Child's dental formula

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Experts' opinion

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