Your baby’s first tooth
Don’t we all love the small teeth in a baby’s mouth when it smiles? For me, I do, so in this article, we will be discussing the following:
When do babies start teething?
What could affect your baby’s teething process?
The proper order of tooth eruption
Teething symptoms
Soothing a baby’s pain
How to take care of your baby’s new teeth
And finally….
When do babies start teething?
Teething is the process of a tooth eruption in your baby’s mouth through the gums. Teething symptoms for a baby could be troubling for the parents, so read this article carefully.
Babies start to grow their first tooth at 4 to 8 months. Not all babies begin at the same time, so if your baby is a little bit late, you do not have to worry unless your baby has some issues like low birth weight or weak nutrition.
Parents should also consider that walking and teething are somehow related to each other, as calcium is the main component for both the teeth and bones.
What could affect your baby’s teething process?
As we mentioned above, there could be many reasons why the tooth-eruption process is not good or delayed, and here are some of them:
Low birth weight:
When babies are born early in the 7th month, they will suffer from low birth weight or premature birth, and this is a sufficient reason for late tooth eruption.
Bad nutrition:
Proper nutrition for the baby starts very early, or, to be specific, it starts during pregnancy. Taking care of your baby’s health and breastfeeding will have a positive impact on the tooth-eruption process, so ignoring healthy habits during pregnancy could affect your baby badly.
It is in your genes:
If one of the parents has a history of late teething, then your baby is prone to late teething symptoms.
The proper order of tooth eruption:
Babies nearly start teething in their 5th month, and here is the complete list of all the tooth eruption orders:
- Lower central incisor: this is the baby’s first tooth to erupt; it usually starts at 5 to 7 months.
- Upper central incisor: they erupt at 7 to 9 months
- Top lateral incisor: they usually erupt at 9 to 11 months.
- Bottom lateral incisor: they come through at 10 to 12 months
- First molars: they usually erupt at 12 to 16 months.
- Canines: they erupt at 16 to 20 months.
- Second molars: they erupt at 20 to 30 months.
Please note that every baby has its own style and time for tooth eruption, and the time phase is approximate, not precise.
Teething symptoms:
Each baby has its own unique experience; some babies have no symptoms at all, and some suffer pain during the tooth-eruption process that could last for days.
Knowing the teething symptoms could help us overcome this painful phase.
Crying:
It is the first and most expected symptom when a baby is teething, as it is the only way for a baby to express its pain. Crying is the most common reaction during the first tooth eruption (the lower central incisor), and as more teeth start to erupt, your baby will get used to the pain and Stops crying.
Drooling:
You will notice large quantities of drooling coming out of your baby’s mouth as a defensive mechanism from its body to soothe the pain of the erupting teeth.
Itchy skin:
If you notice your baby is rubbing her mouth with her hands or against something else.
Then you have to distract her because she might harm herself, especially when using her hands severely. After all, it could affect the alignment of the teeth later.
Biting:
When teeth erupt through the gums, they push their way up, so your baby starts to feel uncomfortable, and as a countermovement, your baby will start to bite to relieve the pain. You may have your share of biting during breastfeeding, and to solve this, you have to give the baby a cold cloth to bite on before continuing to breastfeed it.
Becoming moody:
Babies during tooth eruption can have bad moods as their mouths are aching, and they could even refuse to eat or breastfeed. Note that this mood could last a few days.
Waking at night:
Be ready to wake up late at night because your baby will feel discomfort during teething.
Soothing a baby’s pain
Here are some tips to help you with your baby’s first tooth pain:
During sleep, your little one will start to wake up at night because of the teething pain, and it is your role to ease it, so do not rush for her; instead, leave your baby a little bit as she may overcome the pain and fall asleep again in no time.
If she is still crying, then gently rub your baby’s mouth or use a cold cloth (not a frozen one) to bite on it.
Another tactic is using a cold teething ring; if you do not have one, use a cold spoon.
To break the cycle of constantly waking up, try avoiding breastfeeding at night, as it may help you a little.
If your baby is still suffering from the pain, then consult a pediatrician for a remedy.
How do you take care of your baby’s new teeth?
- Oral hygiene is essential for your baby’s mouth during teething; you should clean your baby’s gums with a wet cloth one time each day.
- When your child learns how to rinse and spit after 3 years, maybe then you can use a special toothbrush and toothpaste.
- It is also important to periodically visit the dentist for dental checkups.
And finally….
In this article, we discussed the main idea of our topic, “When do babies get their first tooth?” and other aspects. Just keep in mind that each baby has a unique story because they are all different.
If your baby is in good health and is late achieving any milestone, do not worry; your baby will reach its milestone at its own pace. Be a good parent and make good memories with your baby, like taking photos or making videos on special occasions, because bonding with your baby is a great grace you should never ignore.
Now, contact us and let us know which tip has helped you most.