Most children start teething between the ages of 6 to 12 months. However, a group of differences appear from one child to another. Some children do not have any teeth at the age of one year. Often the first tooth appears at the age of 6 months, when the front teeth (lower incisors) appear. They appear first and then others, and most children usually complete their teeth by the age of 3 years.
Milk Teeth (Primitive):
- Primitive (milk) teeth begin to appear first, and then they are replaced one by one, starting from the age of 6, with permanent teeth.
- At the age of 3 years, the child often has 20 milk teeth.
- Milk teeth have thinner enamel and appear whiter (transparent) than permanent teeth.
- Milky teeth are more susceptible to decay and damage.
- At the beginning of the emergence of permanent teeth, they have wavy edges, then their shape is gradually regulated with time.
Order of appearance of milk teeth:
The lower teeth usually appear before the upper teeth in the following pattern, with the central incisors first, then the lateral incisors, then the first molars, then the canines, and finally the second molars.
When should you go to the dentist for evaluation and examination:
When the child reaches 18 months (one and a half years) and has not yet shown any teeth.
Teething symptoms:
- The child becomes restless and cries a lot.
- He is sleepless.
- He doesn't want to eat.
- Drooling from his mouth more than usual.
- His temperature rises very slightly, but when the temperature rises to 38 degrees or more, a doctor should be consulted immediately.
- If a child has a high temperature, vomiting or diarrhea while teething, you should consult a doctor to find out if he has a medical condition that requires treatment.
How to relieve teething pain:
Teething pain causes the child discomfort and crying, as the gums surrounding the teeth swell, which will appear and become painful. This pain may start appearing from the age of 4 months, and to relieve this pain, one can do:
- Gently massage the painful parts of the child's gums with your finger, but the hands must be washed first.
- Giving the child a rubber or plastic teething toy to bite on to relieve gum pain.
- Avoid medications that are used topically on the gums (eg: anesthetic gel), as it has serious side effects.
Tooth Decay Prevention:
- Keep your child's mouth clean by wiping the gums with a clean cloth.
- As soon as you see the first teeth, they should be brushed using a soft toothbrush and a grain of rice amount of fluoride toothpaste.
- Do not put the child lying on the bed with feeding or any food, as this not only exposes the child's teeth to sugars but can also expose him to the risk of ear infections and suffocation.
- The bottle or cup should not be left in the mouth of the infant to drink from for a long time.
- Teach the child to drink from a regular cup as early as possible, preferably at 12 to 15 months of age.
- Reducing sticky foods that contain sugars.
- It is not recommended to offer juice to children under the age of 6 months. If juice is given to children between 6 to 12 years old, it must be diluted with water (half water and half juice).
- It is recommended to visit the dentist to check the teeth of the infant before the age of one year.