Stories about the time when the first tooth is cut in a child scare many parents. Indeed, colic and pain from teething - this is what a little overshadows the first year of crumbs. But if the parents are calm, possess information and know how to help the baby, then everything is not so scary.
When to expect the first tooth
The first question that worries all parents is: what time do children start cutting teeth? Normally, the first tooth begins to appear in a child at the age of six months. This does not mean that exactly at 6 months the baby will wake up with a tooth in his mouth. This means that in about six months, signs will begin that the tooth will be there soon.
Deviations from this norm also occur. For example, such when the first tooth cuts out only by 10 and even 12 months. Often teeth are cut before 4–5 months. There were cases when a baby was already born with teeth. More important is not when the child begins to cut the first tooth, but his general health and diet. After all, teeth can be late due to a lack of sunlight, nutrients and some diseases.
The norm itself is an average value, including the norm of how many children begin to cut teeth. That is, roughly speaking, one of the babies got a tooth out at 2 months, and someone at 10, and this means that on average their tooth got out at 6 months.
Which tooth grows first
Most often, teeth climb in pairs. And the first one usually gets a pair of incisors, in most cases the lower one. If one of the incisors crawls out, then most likely his pair will soon come out, in the coming weeks, and then the opposite pair will begin to cut. Sometimes several teeth are cut at once, and then one comes out one after another with a difference of only a few days.
Teething schedule
In some cases, the order of teething changes, and this is an individual feature. The main thing is that the teeth are cut, but the order is not so important. But normally, he is as follows:
- The lower central incisors are 5-6 months old.
- Upper central incisors - at 6–8 months.
- Upper lateral incisors - 9–11 months.
- Lower lateral - 11-12 months.
- 16-22 months - fangs.
- 1–1.5 years - the first or near molars.
- 1.5-2 years - distant molars.
The first teeth and fangs usually erupt most painfully, and the molars already climb silently and are often discovered by parents suddenly.
By what age will all teeth grow
There will be 20 primary teeth, and the latter will erupt by about 2-2.5 years or a little earlier. A shift in the graph can cause what time the teeth begin to be cut in children initially. But there are cases when teeth do not grow at all up to a year, and in the period from a year to two all 20 get out.
Factors that may affect the timing offset are as follows:
- general health of the child;
- a complete diet;
- season (on cloudy days, less Vitamin D is synthesized in the body, which plays an important role in the absorption of calcium);
- gender (in girls, according to statistics, this happens earlier);
- full-term and maturity at birth;
- the course of pregnancy of the mother;
- genetic predisposition;
- pathology.
When children start to cut their teeth off schedule, you should definitely consult a pediatrician and dentist. Of course, in most cases this will turn out to be a variant of the norm, but it will not be superfluous to play it safe.
Signs
From the moment when the tooth began to be cut, and until when it appears, it can take from 2 to 8 weeks. Symptoms when children begin to cut their teeth are as follows:
- increased salivation;
- tearfulness and moody mood;
- gingival hyperemia;
- redness of the gums in the place where the tooth is cut.
Our grandmothers also proposed such a method: tap the gum with a spoon, and if the tooth is already growing, then you can hear its ringing. But in fact, it works only if the tooth is already very close to the surface. More reliable to grope it. If you clean your gums with clean hands in the intended place, then you can feel the same tooth through it.
How to relieve pain
When teeth in children begin to be cut , then for them it is always accompanied by unpleasant sensations, up to wild pain. The most painful moment is when the tooth slowly cuts through the gum. Now on the market there are many ointments to relieve and completely eliminate this pain. Means are both very strong and light on herbs. It all depends on how much pain the child is suffering. If he can’t sleep, eat and constantly cries a lot, then it is quite advisable to use the most powerful tool.
Ointments with a mild effect in this case are unlikely to help. Before use, it is always necessary to conduct an allergy test. On the wrist of the baby, smear a small drop of the product and wait a day. If no reaction has followed, then you can safely apply ointment to the gum. But if there is the slightest reaction such as redness, itching or dermatitis, then this remedy can not be used for this particular baby, it is dangerous for his life. It’s not worth joking with allergies, a strong allergic reaction can even cause severe asthma and anaphylactic shock.
Permanent teeth
Some parents ask specialists the following question: when do molars in children begin to be cut? And the answer to it is unexpected for them: by about 5-7 years. Because molars are not those milk chewing molars that are mistakenly called molars, but permanent teeth with a strong root and a completely different structure. A different structure is due to the fact that with these teeth a person will have to live his whole life, and not 5-7 years. If a milk tooth falls out, which does not even have a root, then in its place a root tooth will grow over time, but if a root falls out, then a void will remain in its place. Namely, milk molars will erupt in a period of 13 to 19 months.
The function of milk teeth is in chewing and grinding food. There are only 20. There will be 28 Indigenous people, plus 4 more wisdom teeth will grow up as an adult, and they already have much more tasks. We can say that milk teeth are given to children so that they do not spoil those teeth with which they will live the rest of their lives.
Baby teeth care
Even before the first teeth begin to be cut in children, care must be taken for their oral cavity. To do this, they clean the cheeks, gums and tongue with a clean gauze bandage. It is advisable to do this after each meal, at least in the morning and evening. Bacteria can harm not only the teeth, but also the mucous membrane of the mouth, and the child is not able to rinse his mouth.
And after the first one erupted, then it is quite possible and necessary to start cleaning. For some reason, the very idea of brushing just one tooth makes some people smile. And it is completely incomprehensible why, one tooth can also suffer from tooth decay. And treating a baby’s teeth is not the easiest, cheapest and safest procedure.
How to brush your teeth
This should be done with a soft silicone brush, designed specifically for this. They are sold in pharmacies and are designed for 3 months, after which you need to get rid of the brush and purchase a new one for hygienic purposes. Such a brush is designed for the very first tooth, when the baby is still very small. For each age, there is a different type of brush, the next one will also be with silicone bristles, but with a handle, so that the baby gets used to holding the brush in his hand. Then there will be a brush with a handle and very soft bristles. You need to buy a brush according to age to brush your teeth thoroughly, without damaging the baby’s delicate tissues.
In addition to toothbrushes, for babies in pharmacies and children's stores you can find toothpaste. It is intended for children from birth to 3 years. Its active substance is xylitol, which dissolves plaque, but is acceptable for ingestion. All substances added to such a toothpaste undergo a lot of clinical research and testing. Children's production as a whole has this feature - quality control is much tougher. Children learn to rinse their mouth for a period of 1 to 3 years. Until this skill is obtained, you only need to buy pasta.
To brush a child under 3 years old with toothpaste or not is a moot point for dentists, opinions are divided. On the one hand, more bacteria will be destroyed, on the other hand, it is still a foreign substance that enters the body of a very young child. But on one point, many dentists agree: the technique, regularity and thoroughness of brushing is more important than the fact whether the process is performed with the paste or not.
Problems
It happens that when a child’s teeth are cut, they already grow spoiled: black and even with caries. Black teeth in children are scientifically called a symptom of Priestley's plaque. Although normal teeth are cut even after birth, but they are laid even in the womb. And what kind of food she received, what diseases she had, and which one has heredity, affects how baby teeth grow in crumbs.
The causes of bad teeth are as follows:
- infectious diseases of the mother during pregnancy;
- a large amount of fluoride in local water;
- taking antibiotics from the tetracycline group;
- mother's intake during pregnancy of iron;
- fluorosis due to gum injury, in this case, an still-not-cut tooth may turn black due to clotted hemoglobin.
In these cases, the teeth are covered with a black coating even at the stage of formation. And when the teeth begin to cut, in children they are already black.
But do not confuse blackness with caries. Congenital caries is identical to ordinary caries on the teeth, this is due to infection of the body, most often in the womb.
Treatment of congenital black teeth
You should always contact your dentist with this problem. He will determine the ailment and prescribe treatment. If this is really caries, then it is urgent to cure it, regardless of age. The consequences of untreated caries for a baby with unformed immunity can be disastrous. In addition, over time, this will begin to hurt him, and caries can subsequently spread to molars.
If the teeth are just black, then, unfortunately, this cannot be reversed, you need to wait until they change to molars and take good care of them. The tooth silvering procedure recommended in these cases is more aimed at stopping the carious process, and does not affect the color of the teeth as much as we would like. But in any case, the procedure will be useful to the baby.
How to avoid crooked teeth
That, teeth grow crooked or not, for the most part depends on the hereditary factor, or rather, on the congenital form of the jaw. An incorrect bite may be due to improper distribution of pressure to places where teeth are already located that have not yet erupted. And when children’s teeth begin to be cut under this pressure, then this happens crookedly. Unfortunately, it is impossible to avoid hereditary curvature. But it is possible to prevent its appearance caused by external factors. To do this, observe the following recommendations:
- in time to introduce complementary foods;
- minimize food from bottles;
- early wean from the nipples;
- avoid infectious diseases.
Incorrect bite and curvature of the teeth affect digestion and purity of diction, so you need to get rid of them. Children's orthodontist will determine the extent of the problem and help to eliminate it. The main correction methods in childhood is the wearing of records and trainers.
The effect of nipples and small bottles
Every mother heard such a “horror story” that from sucking nipples and small bottles, the teeth grow crooked, and the bite becomes wrong. And this “horror story” has a scientific justification. According to the experience of orthodontics, prolonged sucking of the nipples negatively affects the development of the lower jaw. Moreover, both on the curvature of the teeth on it, and on the bite. Putting a child to sleep with a bottle is also dangerous because it is impossible to brush your teeth before going to bed after the last meal, provoking the development of caries.
Dentists do not urge to abandon nipples and bottles at all. After all, babies have a sucking reflex, which is important for maintaining the formation of the brain and jaw as a whole. But this reflex normally begins to fade significantly by the year. During this period, it is worth minimizing their use and begin to wean from the nipple.
The best option for the correct formation of the bite is to maintain breastfeeding, since with it the seizure is correct, and there is no negative effect. The lower jaw extends forward, which accelerates its formation, and the tongue makes wave-like movements, and this correctly forms the maxillofacial muscles. Therefore, breastfeeding can be much longer than giving a pacifier and a bottle.
We examined the question of how teeth begin to be cut in children. Photos of the first teeth of babies were also presented.