When children start teething: age, symptoms, photos

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

Stories about the time when a child's first tooth is cut scare many parents. Indeed, colic and pain from teething - this is what darkens the first year of the crumbs a little. But if the parents are calm, have information and know how to help the baby, then everything turns out to be not so scary.

When to expect the first tooth

The first question that worries all parents: what time do children start teething? Normally, the first tooth begins to appear in a child at the age of six months. This does not mean that at exactly 6 months the baby will wake up with a tooth in his mouth. This means that at about half a year, signs will begin that the tooth will soon be.

There are also deviations from this norm. For example, such when the first tooth erupts only by 10 or even 12 months. Often, teeth are cut earlier, at 4-5 months. There were cases when a child was already born with teeth. More important is not when a child's first tooth begins to cut, but his general he alth and diet. After all, teeth can be delayed due tolack of sunlight, nutrients and certain diseases.

The norm itself is an average value, including the norm of how many children start teething. That is, roughly speaking, one of the babies got a tooth at 2 months, and someone at 10, and this means that, on average, their tooth got out at 6 months.

Which tooth grows first

Most often, teeth come in pairs. And the first pair of incisors usually climbs, in most cases the lower one. If one of the incisors has come out, then, most likely, its pair will come out soon, in the coming weeks, and then the opposite pair will also start cutting. Sometimes several teeth are cut at once, and then one comes out one after another with a difference of only a few days.

Teething chart

In some cases, the order of teething changes, and this is an individual feature. The main thing is that the teeth are being cut, and the order is not so important. But normally it is as follows:

1. Lower central incisors - at 5-6 months.
2. Upper central incisors - at 6-8 months.
3. Upper lateral incisors - 9-11 months.
4. Lower Side - 11-12 months.
5. 16-22 months - fangs.
6. 1–1, 5 years - first or near molars.
7. 1, 5-2 years - back molars.

The first teeth and canines are usually the most painful, and the molars are already climbing unnoticed and are often found by parents suddenly.

At what age will all teeth grow

There will be 20 milk teeth in total, and the last one will erupt by about 2-2.5 years or a little earlier. Graph shift can causewhat time children start teething initially. But there are times when up to a year the teeth do not grow at all, and in the period from a year to two, all 20 come out.

Factors that may affect the timing shift are as follows:

• baby's general he alth;
• he althy diet;
• season (on cloudy days the body synthesizes less vitamin D, which plays an important role in the absorption of calcium);
• gender (for girls, according to statistics, this happens earlier);
• term and maturity at birth;
• the course of the mother's pregnancy;
• genetic predisposition;
• pathology.

When children start teething out of schedule, you should definitely consult a pediatrician and dentist. Of course, in most cases this will turn out to be a variant of the norm, but it will not be superfluous to play it safe.

Signs

From the moment when the tooth began to cut, and until it appears, it can take from 2 to 8 weeks. Symptoms when children start teething are as follows:

• increased salivation;
• tearfulness and capricious mood;
• gingival hyperemia;
• reddening of the gums where the tooth is cut.

Our grandmothers suggested another way: tap the gum with a spoon, and if the tooth is already growing, you can hear its ringing. But in fact it only works if the tooth is already very close to the surface. It's safer to find it. If you palpate the gum in the intended place with clean hands, you cangrope through it that same tooth.

How to relieve pain

When children begin to cut their teeth, for them it is always accompanied by unpleasant sensations, up to wild pain. The most painful moment is when the tooth slowly cuts through the gum. Now there are many ointments on the market to relieve and completely eliminate this pain. Means are both very strong and light, on herbs. It all depends on how much the pain syndrome torments the child. If he cannot sleep, eat and constantly cries a lot, then it is quite advisable to use the strongest remedy.

Ointments with a slight effect in this case are unlikely to help. An allergy test should always be carried out before use. Spread a small drop of the product on the baby’s wrist and wait a day. If no reaction followed, then you can safely apply the ointment to the gum. But if there is the slightest reaction such as redness, itching or dermatitis, then this remedy cannot be used for this particular baby, it is dangerous for his life. Allergies are no joke, a severe allergic reaction can even cause severe asthma and anaphylactic shock.

molars

Some parents ask specialists this question: when do molars start cutting in children? And the answer to it is unexpected for them: by about 5–7 years. Because the molars are not those milk chewing molars that are mistakenly called molars, but permanent teeth with a strong root and a completely different structure. A different structure is due to the fact that with these teetha person has to live his whole life, and not 5-7 years. If a milk tooth falls out, which does not even have a root, then a root will grow in its place over time, but if a root falls out, then a void will remain in its place. Namely, milk molars will erupt between 13 and 19 months.

The function of milk teeth is to chew and grind food. There are only 20 of them. Indigenous ones will come out 28, plus 4 more wisdom teeth will grow already in adulthood, and they already have much more tasks. It can be said that milk teeth are given to children so that they do not spoil the teeth with which they will live for the rest of their lives.

Baby Dental Care

Even before children start teething their first teeth, you need to start caring for their oral cavity. To do this, they wipe the inner surface of the cheeks, gums and tongue with a clean gauze bandage. It is advisable to do this after each meal, at least in the morning and evening. Bacteria can harm not only the teeth, but also the oral mucosa itself, and the child is unable to rinse his mouth.

And after the first one has cut through, it is quite possible and necessary to start cleaning it. For some reason, the very idea of brushing just one tooth makes some people smile. And it is completely incomprehensible why, one tooth can also suffer from caries. And treating a baby's teeth is not the easiest, cheapest and safest procedure.

How to brush your teeth

This should be done with a soft silicone brush designed specifically for this. They are sold in pharmacies and are designed for 3 months, after whichfor hygienic purposes, you need to get rid of the brush and purchase a new one. Such a brush is designed for the very first tooth, when the baby is still very small. Each age has its own type of brushes, the next one will also have silicone bristles, but with a handle so that the baby gets used to holding the brush in his hand. Then there will be a brush with a handle and very soft bristles. It is necessary to buy a brush according to age in order to brush your teeth thoroughly without injuring the delicate tissues of the baby.

In addition to toothbrushes, you can also find toothpaste for babies in pharmacies and children's stores. It is intended for children from birth to 3 years. Its active substance is xylitol, which dissolves plaque, but is also acceptable for ingestion. All substances added to such toothpaste undergo a lot of clinical research and testing. Children's production as a whole has such a feature - quality control is much tougher. Children learn to rinse their mouth between 1 and 3 years of age. Until this skill is obtained, only this paste should be bought.

To brush a child under 3 years of age with toothpaste or not is a controversial issue for dentists, opinions are divided. On the one hand, more bacteria will be destroyed in this way, on the other hand, it is still a foreign substance that enters the body of a very young child. But on one thing, many dentists agree: the technique, regularity and thoroughness of brushing your teeth is more important than the fact that the process is done with the paste or not.

Problems

It happens that when a child's teeth are cut, they are alreadygrow spoiled: black and even with caries. Black teeth in children are scientifically called Priestley's plaque symptom. Although teeth normally erupt after birth, they are laid in the womb. And what kind of food she received, what diseases she suffered and what kind of heredity she has, affects how baby teeth will grow in crumbs.

The causes of bad teeth are as follows:

• maternal infectious diseases during pregnancy;
• large amount of fluoride in local water;
• taking antibiotics from the tetracycline group;
• maternal iron intake during pregnancy;
• fluorosis due to gum injury, in which case a tooth that has not yet erupted may turn black due to clotted hemoglobin.

In these cases, the teeth are covered with black plaque even at the stage of formation. And when the teeth start to cut, they are already black in children.

But don't confuse blackness with caries. Congenital caries is identical to normal dental caries, it happens due to infection of the body, most often in the womb.

Treatment of congenital black teeth

You should always take this problem to the dentist. He will determine the disease and prescribe treatment. If this is really caries, then it is urgent to cure it, regardless of age. The consequences of untreated caries for a baby with unformed immunity can be deplorable. In addition, it will eventually begin to hurt him, and caries can subsequently spread to his molars.

If teethjust black, then, unfortunately, this cannot be reversed, you need to wait until they change to indigenous ones and take good care of them. The teeth silvering procedure recommended in these cases is more aimed at stopping the carious process, and it does not affect the color of the teeth as much as we would like. But in any case, the procedure will be useful for the baby.

How to avoid crooked teeth

Whether the teeth grow crooked or not, for the most part depends on the hereditary factor, or rather, on the congenital shape of the jaw. Malocclusion may be due to improper distribution of pressure on places where there are already teeth that simply have not yet erupted. And when children begin to cut their teeth under this pressure, it happens crookedly. Unfortunately, it is impossible to avoid hereditary curvature. But it is possible to prevent its occurrence caused by external factors. To do this, follow these recommendations:

• introduce complementary foods on time;
• minimize bottle feeding;
• to wean early;
• avoid infectious diseases.

Incorrect bite and crooked teeth affect digestion and clarity of diction, so you need to get rid of them. Children's orthodontist will determine the extent of the problem and help eliminate it. The main methods of correction in childhood are the wearing of plates and trainers.

Influence of pacifiers and bottles

Every mother has heard such a "horror story" that from sucking nipples and bottles, teeth grow crooked, and the bite becomes incorrect. And this "horror story" has a scientific justification. By experienceorthodontics, long-term nipple sucking negatively affects the development of the lower jaw. Moreover, both on the curvature of the teeth on it, and on the bite. Putting a baby to sleep with a bottle is also dangerous because it is impossible to brush your teeth after the last meal before going to bed, provoking the development of caries.

Dentists do not call for abandoning pacifiers and bottles altogether. After all, babies have a sucking reflex, which is important to maintain for the formation of the brain and jaw as a whole. But this reflex normally begins to fade significantly by the year. During this period, it is worth minimizing their use and starting to wean from the nipples.

The best option for proper bite formation is to maintain breastfeeding, as it is the correct capture, and there is no negative effect. The lower jaw moves forward, which accelerates its formation, and the tongue makes wave-like movements, and this correctly forms the maxillofacial muscles. Therefore, you can breastfeed for much longer than giving a pacifier and a bottle.

We have sorted out the question of how children begin to cut their teeth. Photos of the first teeth of the babies were also presented.