The Best Ways to Treat Teething Babies

When do Babies get their first tooth?

The simple answer to this is any time, within reason. In general most babies get their first tooth at six months of age. These milk or deciduous teeth start to develop whilst your babies is in the uterus and as a result some babies are born with their first teeth through. Others will teeth early at 4 months whilst some babies do not develop their first tooth until around 1 year old.

Your babies teeth and how they develop:

On the whole your babies teeth develop in the following order.

• First to cut will usually be the bottom front two teeth, these are the bottom incisors and may develop at around 5-7 months.

• Next are the top front two teeth (top incisors) at approximately 9 to 11 months.

• Then the two top teeth either side of the front ones (top lateral incisors) at 8 to 11 months.

• Bottom lateral incisors (either side of the bottom front teeth) 9 to 12 months.

• Canines are next (16 to 20 months) followed by Molars (12 to 16 months) and finally you will observe your toddler teething with their Second Molars (20 to 30 months.)

Symptoms of teething:

As all babies are different so are the symptoms they display varied. Some babies seem to have no trouble teething whilst others do suffer from mild discomfort to considerable pain.

Commonly a babies cheeks will be red and you will notice an increase in dribbling. The teething infant produces an excess amount of Saliva and their tops and faces can be constantly wet. Ensure you wipe and dry your child frequently as they can develop a rash on their chin and chest if left. Many parents find putting a bib on their baby helps at this time.

As a child tends to swallow the saliva another symptom can be an increase in loose stools or diarrhea. Lots of babies develop diaper rash and you will need to treat this by changing your babies diaper immediately and applying barrier creams.

Swollen and sore gums are very uncomfortable and you will find many good teething gels which have a mild local anaesthetic in them. Ensure the product is sugar free as some are not and can cause tooth decay in developing teeth.

You may notice your child biting or putting their hands in their mouths, even pulling at their ears as they teeth.

Mild temperatures or fevers are common also although be aware that they rarely reach over 101 degrees F/ 38.3 degrees C. If your child develops a temperature higher than this or it is raised for a prolonged time consult the advice of your doctor.

Another frustrating symptom of teething can be a refusal to eat. Some babies make a link between discomfort and food. You need to persevere and keep a watch on your child’s weight as they can lose some during bouts of teething.

Treating Teething:

Sugar free gels can relieve the discomfort of swollen gums, applying some 10 minutes before a meal can also help with a child who refuses to eat.

Cold raw vegetables and fruit can offer relief, raw carrot and apple are particularly good. Bread sticks are also good as a teething child likes to chew on them but DO NOT give rusks as these often contain sugar which can cause dental caries (tooth decay.)

If your child is refusing to eat try them with cool or cold mushy foods, cold fruit purees or even a slush mixture of frozen fruit juice, try mixing in apple puree too.

Pain killers designed for babies can offer relief from discomfort and reduce a temperature, ensure you follow the dosage carefully for the age of your baby.

Teething rings offer relief to sore gums and you can buy ones that are chilled in the refrigerator. To view a wide selection of excellent teething rings click here