Children's teeth appear in a certain sequence and in pairs (for example, two central incisors or two canines). But often the timing of teething in children shifts upward: many parents begin to worry and get nervous, but this is not worth doing, since the deviation from the norm is explained by the individual characteristics of the body, the uncharacteristic course of pregnancy, or various injuries received during childbirth.
Teething in children and features of this process
Quite often, a few weeks before the appearance of a baby or molar tooth, a lump filled with a clear or bluish liquid forms on the gum. Naturally, it worries parents, but there is no pathology in this formation, and the lump, which does not look very aesthetically pleasing, does not indicate the beginning of the inflammatory process. In most cases, no intervention by a doctor is required. You can contact the dentist if the lump increases in size: the doctor will make a small incision and release the liquid.
Baby teeth in children: order of eruption
Any newborn baby has follicles of milk teeth (20 pieces) and molars (16 pieces) inside the jaws. The remaining 16 rudiments will form later.
Teething in infants begins with the lower jaw: first the central incisors appear (6-10 months of the child’s life), then the canines (10-13 months), then comes the turn of the first (14-18 months) and second (17-23 months) molars .
Emerging teeth differ from adult teeth in having low-mineralized enamel. If you do not maintain oral hygiene, caries may begin to develop. In addition to careful adherence to hygiene rules, special gels and ointments that significantly accelerate the mineralization process will help make teeth stronger and more resistant to pathogenic microorganisms.
Can a baby cut teeth at such an early age?
The average time for teeth to appear in infants is 6–8 months. The first to grow are the two lower central incisors, which usually erupt one after the other. But you should understand that the time frame is not limited. Sometimes the process may take some time. There are cases when the first incisors appear earlier. Therefore, when asked whether teeth can be cut at two months, experts answer in the affirmative. A deviation of the time frame by several months in both directions is considered normal. Only if a one-year-old child does not have a single tooth should you consult a doctor.
Each organism is individual, so some babies already have their first tooth at 2–3 months. The process is determined not only by genetics, but also by a number of other factors:
- climatic conditions;
- maternal nutrition;
- features of the course of pregnancy;
- disruptions of the endocrine system - sometimes the early appearance of teeth may indicate its abnormalities.
If during pregnancy the mother took multivitamins or additional mineral complexes containing vitamins D and C, then the timing of teething may accelerate. A woman’s consumption of fermented milk products in large quantities also contributes to this.
Approximate timing of eruption of permanent teeth
The first of the molar permanent teeth to appear are molars (at the 6th year of life), located at the end of the dentition. But it is they who are most susceptible to caries, since there are deep depressions on their surface where bacteria accumulate due to poor cleaning and neglect of flossing.
The second molar appears 4-6 years later, when the child reaches 11-13 years of age. Incisors erupt at 6-8 years of a person’s life, canines - after 9 years of age.
Like newly emerged milk teeth, permanent teeth contain few minerals (a tenth of their amount in a mature adult). It is for this reason that it is important to teach a child proper hygiene. It wouldn’t hurt to treat your teeth with gels containing a large amount of fluoride once a quarter.
When teeth start cutting
There is no exact answer as to what time a child’s teeth are cut – the timing varies from person to person. However, you can focus on the average, standard periods of eruption approved by WHO:
- the lower incisors appear at 6–7 months;
- upper – at 7–8 months;
- upper lateral incisors – at 8–9 months;
- the lower ones are closer to a year.
According to the standard, a one-year-old child must have eight baby teeth.
From one year to one and a half years, the child acquires larger teeth - upper and lower molars, and from fifteen to twenty months - upper canines, which are also called “ocular.” The fact is that the optic nerve runs next to them, so these teeth are often more difficult for the child than others. Irritation of the nerve causes sharp pain and sometimes watery eyes.
It can be difficult even for a doctor to understand that the first teeth are being cut. After all, this process is often accompanied by an increase in temperature, changes in stool and mood, and refusal to eat.
Teething in children: symptoms
The first signs of the imminent appearance of teeth appear about a week before their appearance. The symptoms will not stop until the tooth breaks through the gum lining.
Signs of teething in a baby are as follows:
- the child becomes irritable for no reason;
- sleep deteriorates (if the child cries at night and tosses and turns, there is no need to immediately start rocking him to sleep - it is better to give the baby the opportunity to calm down on his own);
- the gums become very swollen and swell at the site where the tooth appears;
- the appetite deteriorates, the baby may even refuse to eat altogether, feeling hungry;
- the child begins to chew on various objects to relieve severe itching in the gums;
- salivation increases;
- Due to drooling, a rash may appear around the mouth, chin and chest.
There are also additional ones, i.e. optional symptoms of teething in infants:
- heat. If the temperature has increased, this most likely indicates an inflammatory process that develops in parallel with teething and is in no way connected with it (it could be stomatitis or any cold).
When the temperature rises, you need to carefully examine the oral mucosa. If there are small bubbles filled with a cloudy liquid, erosion, and the gums themselves are bright red, then the child has herpetic stomatitis. Any baby receives antibodies to the herpes virus from its mother, but usually by the time the first teeth appear, their effect ends. Often the catalyzing factor in the development of stomatitis is trauma to the mucous membrane, which is inevitable when teeth appear. If the above signs cannot be detected, then it is recommended to give the baby Panadol (suppositories are the preferred form of medication). As practice shows, it is useless to call a pediatrician, since this is not their specialization. Only a dentist can determine the specific type of stomatitis (aphthous, herpetic, etc.).
- hematomas on the gums. Sometimes the gums become swollen, turning an eerie shade of blue. Despite their frightening appearance, hematomas do not require treatment. Doctor intervention is allowed only for large hematomas that do not decrease over a long time.
- vomit. The only acceptable cause of vomiting is excess saliva entering the stomach and esophagus. If vomiting begins against the background of elevated temperature and, especially, diarrhea, then these symptoms have nothing to do with teething - you need to call a doctor.
- coughing is not a natural cause when teeth appear, unless the child has swallowed saliva that has entered the respiratory tract.
- A runny nose is a sign of a cold, not teething.
How to help your baby
If a baby starts teething at 2 months, in addition to fatigue due to sleepless nights, parents feel worried about their baby. Since he suffers from pain, discomfort, eats little and sleeps poorly, it is necessary to help relieve unpleasant symptoms. To do this, use the following methods:
- Massage the gums. You must first wash your hands thoroughly. The massage is done with the tip of your finger. It is worth trimming your nails to avoid damaging your gums. Massaging helps relieve pain. The degree of effectiveness of the method can be determined by the child’s reaction.
- Cold is applied. Regular teethers, which are sold in pharmacies and offered to older children, will not be chewed by a baby at the age of two months. In this case, he can cool the pacifier or apply a gauze pad to the problem area. It is pre-moistened with cold water or chamomile infusion, which helps relieve inflammation.
- Lubricate the gums with anesthetic gels. For example, “Kamistad” or “Kalgel” are products that can be used even at an early age.
- They give antipyretic and painkillers based on ibuprofen and paracetamol. Candles are given to 2-month-old babies. This could be, for example, “Efferalgan”.
During the teething period, it is important to provide the baby with proper care. It is necessary to keep the pacifier clean. Saliva should be wiped off only with clean napkins. The skin around the mouth should be lubricated with a special baby cream. You also need to walk more - fresh air will only do you good. But it is better to avoid places with large crowds of people so that the baby does not catch an additional virus.
If a child’s teeth appear early, if he is breastfed, it is worth visiting a dentist. The fact is that the risk of developing bottle caries in this case is quite high.
Caring for children's teeth
The pattern of teething in children determines the approximate time of their appearance, but it is necessary to start observing oral hygiene as early as possible, without waiting for the teeth to erupt.
Breasts cannot take care of themselves, so they need help cleaning their gums. This is done either with the help of a fingertip, or, if there is none, with the help of an ordinary bandage dipped in warm boiled water and wound around the finger.
If teeth begin to erupt, you cannot do without the use of special products (baby pastes, brushes, etc.).
Treatment
The tooth is isolated from the oral cavity, from saliva using a rubber dam. It is convenient for both the doctor and the patient, as it allows the patient to partially close their mouth to rest during treatment.
Starting from the age of 5, children can easily tolerate long-term dental procedures in the oral cavity, provided they are adequately prepared for the first appointment and the doctor is able to find an approach to the child.
Treatment of caries of young erupting permanent molars at the age of 5 - 8 years is associated with a number of features that impose certain requirements. To carry out QUALITY treatment, complete isolation of the tooth from saliva is necessary. This can be achieved by using a rubber dam - a special latex screen (see photo), which allows you to quickly and efficiently restore a chewing tooth, without fear of saliva getting into the restoration area.
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Types of teething disorders
Teething in children, the sequence of which is clearly defined, can occur with a delay caused by various reasons (illness of the mother during pregnancy, diseases suffered by the child, etc.). Due to the delay, deformation of the jaws may begin, because There is not enough free space for teeth that have not yet erupted. In this case, only the dentist can decide on treatment after a thorough visual examination of the child and analysis of the photograph taken.
The next very common disorder is enamel hypoplasia, which manifests itself in spots of different colors on newly emerging teeth, pits or grooves. Hypoplasia causes complications during pregnancy.
Why do teeth erupt with irregularities?
The condition of a child’s teeth in the first years of life depends on the health of the mother during pregnancy. The formation of hard dental tissues may be disrupted if a woman:
- suffered from toxicosis at the initial stage of pregnancy;
- experienced severe prolonged stress;
- was treated for kidney disease;
- suffered from rubella.
In addition to maternal diseases, the maturation of teeth and the development of the jaw system can be affected by:
- fetal prematurity or, conversely, delayed birth;
- conflict of Rh factors;
- sepsis suffered by a child in the first month of life;
- frequent colds, pneumonia;
- convulsions;
- toxicosis;
- refusal to breastfeed.
Often, parents, driven by the best intentions, want to alleviate the baby’s suffering by giving him medications. You must understand that any medicine, even if it seems completely safe, cannot be taken without consulting a pediatrician!