Teething
The first teeth to appear (usually at an age of around 5-6 months)
are the lower central incisors, followed by the upper central
incisors, and then on either side of these the second incisors, with
the lower ones cutting before the upper two. The molars, which are
situated towards the back of the mouth are the next to appear,
showing at around 12-15 months. These are followed by the cuspids
shortly afterwards. Somewhere around 20-24 months the second molars
will appear which will complete the full set of 'baby teeth' (20
teeth in all). These teeth don't remain in place forever, and will
start 'falling out' by the time your child is of school-going age,
only to be replaced by 32 'permanent' teeth. These are only
guidelines though, as the development of babies differ, and the
order and timing in which teeth appear and the pain involved will
not always follow a pattern and can vary greatly.
Usual order of appearance of teeth:
- Lower front teeth
- Upper front teeth
- Upper side teeth
- Lower side teeth
- First upper molars
- First lower molars
- Upper eye teeth
- Lower eye teeth
- Second lower molars
- Second upper molars
It is commonly accepted that a teething youngster will experience
some if not all of the following:
Rash around the mouth area
With teething comes increased saliva secretions and due to this the
skin comes into constant contact with saliva, causing it to become
dry and a slight rash may appear around the chin area. To aid in
preventing this, try and keep your baby's mouth area as dry as
possible, wiping away excess saliva with a clean cloth and placing
an absorbent material on top of her bedding when she sleeps. Keep
the area well moisturised.
Pain
To make exit from the gum, teeth have to force their way out,
stretching and tearing the delicate tissue in the process, which
causes pain and inflammation. The most discomfort is felt when the
first teeth appear, as it seems that by the time the others arrive,
the baby is well accustomed to the annoyance.
Irritability
As the tiny tooth nears it's arrival, the pain becomes considerably
worse, and like anyone suffering from pain (specifically tooth
pain), she will be restless and show marked signs of irritability.
Diarrhoea
Because of the increase in secretions, you may notice that her
stools are looser than normal. If this condition worsens, or lasts
for more than two days it should be reported to your doctor as it
could indicate gastrointestinal symptoms, which is an extremely
dangerous condition if ignored.
Difficulty in feeding
When teething your baby may crave to constantly have something in
her mouth to relieve the pain, but once she actually starts sucking,
the pain increases and you may find that she starts refusing her
feeds. This can cause extreme distress in the mother, who's
unsuccessful attempts cause her to worry that her baby isn't getting
enough milk. If she seems to be drinking very little or refuses to
feed altogether, a visit to the doctor will be in order.
Ear pulling
The pain involved in teething babies, may travel to the cheek and
ear area, and because of this discomfort your baby may rub or pull
her ears. But do keep in mind though, that ear pulling is also
common in those babies suffering with ear infections, so keep an eye
out for additional symptoms.
In-home remedies to ease the pain
Rubbing your baby's gums with an ice-cube or alternatively offering
her an iced teething ring specially designed for this purpose will
have a numbing effect on her gums and will help in alleviating some
of the discomfort she is experiencing. You can also try and give her
something hard to chew on such as a rusk or a facecloth that has
been firmly secured around an ice-block. If she is capable of being
mobile in her cot, care should be taken as she may just discover
that the railings (which could contain toxic paint) taste good and
do actually relieve pain. Try chilling her solid foods, this works
well with the desert purity range and yoghurt or custard, and does
offer more in the way of nutrition than a teething ring would. This
stage could also bring about a slight temperature, which can be
safely controlled with paracetamol, which has the added advantage of
controlling some of the pain too.
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