Each caring parent carefully monitors the growth and development of their child, and the issue of teething and tooth growth is one of the most exciting for them. In honor of each new tooth, a celebration is almost arranged. When a child turns 2 years old, it’s time to take stock of the quantity and quality of teeth. In the article we will figure out how many teeth a child has at 2 years old and what they should be.
Baby teeth in children
Everyone knows that children are the first to have milk teeth. However, not everyone knows that they, like the indigenous ones, need to be treated, and they are more often susceptible to diseases. This is because their enamel is thinner and more vulnerable.
What to do if a child climbs his teeth at 2 years old? Is this normal? Of course it's normal. A full set of teeth should appear by the age of 3, therefore, if your child is not yet deciduous and does not have deciduous teeth at the age of 2 years, this is quite normal. Teething times can even depend on the area in which you live, or on the food you feed your baby.
Teething sequence
This process begins in the period from 3-4 to 7 months. Each child has its own teething time range. The first 2 lower front incisors are cut first. It is their clatter about the spoon that you can hear while feeding your baby. 2 upper front incisors are not behind them.
At about 8-12 months, you may find your upper and lower lateral incisors crawling out of your baby’s mouth. In total, 4 more new teeth are obtained.
In 1-1.5 years, the first lower and upper molars appear, and in 1.5-2 years, fangs on both jaws will come out.
At 2-3 years, teething ends, and the second molars appear last. After calculating, we will see that children should have 20 deciduous teeth by the age of 3 years.
Quantity issue
Not only parents are interested in this issue. He is also being studied at the World Health Organization (WHO). According to them, teeth in children in 2 years should be 16 pieces. Namely: the upper and lower incisors, the upper and lower lateral incisors, the first lower and upper molars, as well as the lower and upper canines.
This amount is standard. However, you should not attribute developmental defects to your baby, if by the age of 2 you do not have the right amount of teeth. Each child is individual. Very often genetics play an important role in this matter, so ask your parents and your husband’s parents how this process happened in you. And then many doubts dissipate by themselves.
Deviations from the prescribed amount are not a pathology. You can easily meet a child who will have 12 or even all 20 milk teeth in 2 years.
There are many factors that influence this process. For example, from the time teething begins. If this process began before six months, then it is likely that the teeth in children in 2 years will be a complete set. But if you expected the appearance of the first tooth almost up to a year, then by 2 years you can not expect 16 pieces. Although this is also relatively relative, a jump in development may occur.
Usually, by the age of 3, all missing teeth take their rightful places. Such changes are not evidence of any deviations, if your child does not suffer from any serious diseases, receives the right balanced diet, rich in vitamins and minerals, and adheres to a clear daily routine.
Below is a diagram of the teeth. A child at 2 years old may not even have such a quantity, the process of teething is purely individual.
How to strengthen your teeth?
Teeth is a rather perishable “product”, especially if genetics leaves much to be desired, and your parents or you yourself suffer from teeth all your life. Therefore, despite how many teeth a child has at 2 years old, they still need proper care.
Everyone knows that all the organs and systems of the baby are laid in the first trimester of pregnancy. Then it’s worth considering the health of your baby’s teeth. To do this, you should eat foods that contain calcium, phosphorus, and vitamin C. This is one of the earliest ways to strengthen your child’s teeth.
As soon as your baby has the first tooth, you need to monitor oral hygiene. At 2 years old, children should already brush their teeth 2 times a day for 2-3 minutes. To do this, use special children's toothpastes and brushes, they are softer than in adults. It is recommended that the pediatric dentist select the first toothpaste for the child.
It’s also not a secret for anyone that sweet and flour products harm teeth. Therefore, in order to avoid the development of dental caries in children at 2 years of age, the consumption of chocolate, sweets, rolls and sweet drinks should be controlled. It is also not recommended to give sweet compotes and teas to the child at night. If the baby asks for a drink, give him clean water. Thus, you avoid creating a favorable environment for the reproduction of bacteria.
What problems can occur with baby teeth?
As we have already mentioned, the most common problem is tooth decay. If you find a plaque on the teeth of a child of 2 years old, then, most likely, this is the beginning of the development of caries. Such plaque can be white, yellow or even black. If you do not remove it in time, then the hard tissues of the teeth will begin to collapse, which will entail the formation of furrows, holes and stripes.
It would seem that milk teeth will change to molars, and the problem will disappear by itself. But this is not so. Milk teeth also need to be monitored and treated on time. A child at 2 years old has molars. Therefore, if you do not get rid of decay of deciduous teeth, he can get to the indigenous ones, which are waiting in the jaw pockets.
You can not bring the matter to the treatment of caries, but timely monitor the oral hygiene and diet of the child. When brushing your teeth, make sure that there is no soft plaque on them, which increases the likelihood of developing the disease.
Another problem that parents of a two-year-old child may encounter is Priestley's raid. Its essence is that the enamel of the teeth turns black under the action of a special kind of bacteria. However, this plaque does not entail the corruption of permanent teeth. Rather, it is an aesthetic defect, but it still needs to be eliminated. Often, the silvering or fluorination procedure is used for this.
In any case, regarding the health of your child’s teeth, you should contact your dentist. Only he can assess the condition of the teeth and give appropriate recommendations.
Do milk teeth hurt?
Continuing the topic of possible problems with teeth in children, we note that the teeth in children at 2 years old, although milk, can also hurt, and there are many reasons for this.
Untreated caries can cause a complication called pulpitis. In this case, the pulp of the tooth becomes inflamed, that is, the neurovascular bundle. Since this disease affects the nerve, it means the tooth will hurt. During the course of the disease, the pulp rots, and the inflammatory process goes to the root of the tooth, which has not even come out. All this can lead to infection of the jaw and the spread of the inflammatory process along it.
Another cause of pain in a baby tooth is a very serious and dangerous disease - periodontitis. It affects the tissues around the root and causes inflammation of the bone. A child may have a fever due to severe pain and inflammation.
How to help the child at this moment?
So, we found out that teeth in children at 2 years old can also hurt. How to relieve pain quickly? How to help your child at home?
At first it is recommended to rinse the oral cavity with a solution of salt and soda. In order to prepare it, you need to take a teaspoon of salt and soda in 200 ml of warm water, that is, almost a glass. Also, rinse with tincture of sage is suitable.
If you notice a hole in the tooth and your child complains of pain, then after rinsing you can put a ball of toothpaste with mint inside. For a longer effect, you can put a cotton ball dipped in peppermint oil into the hole. It will soothe the pain.
If the pain still does not recede, then you can give the child a children's pain medication ("Paracetamol", "Ibuprofen" or "Nurofen").
We treat caries
How many teeth should a child have in 2 years, we decided: 16 pieces. We also found out what problems with teeth can be observed in children at this age. Now let's talk about how caries is treated for children in 2 years.
You need to visit the dentist at least twice a year. This allows you to timely detect existing problems with the teeth. In the early stages, their treatment will not be so painful for children and not so nervous for parents.
With the help of modern technology, you can even do without filling. To this end, laser diagnostics are performed.
So, at the age of 2 years, caries is treated in several ways. One of them is ozone treatment. It is sent to the tooth through a special cup of silicone. The procedure lasts 20-40 seconds. During this time, microorganisms that cause tooth decay die. Then the oral cavity is treated with a special solution, which helps to strengthen the tissues of the teeth.
Another way is to expose the affected tooth to a strong jet of air with healing powder.
Teeth crumble: causes and prevention
This is one of the most common problems with children's teeth. The main factors causing tooth decay are:
- poor genetic predisposition;
- violation of intrauterine development of the fetus during pregnancy;
- malnutrition of the child;
- insufficient oral hygiene.
Prevention of tooth decay begins as early as a year. To do this, organize the proper nutrition of the child. The diet should include vitamins and minerals.
In addition, you need to monitor what the child pulls in his mouth. Yes, they learn the world in this way, but this process cannot be left to chance. When teeth appear, children will begin to gnaw objects - this can also lead to crumbling or even infection of the oral cavity.
Also, even if the teeth are still missing, it is recommended to wipe the baby's gums with a cotton pad. But with the appearance of teeth, you need to follow them more carefully. At 2 years, the child is able to brush his teeth himself, but does not always want to. The task of parents is to instill in him this desire.
Methods of treating children's teeth
If defects with teeth are found, you should immediately consult a dentist. Modern treatment methods can do without a drill and filling only if the disease is detected at an early stage.
One method is silver plating. It helps keep teeth healthy until they change. It contributes to the fight against tooth decay and crumbling, and also prevents the growth of bacteria in the oral cavity and reduces tooth sensitivity.
Another method is fluoridation. With its help, the density of tooth enamel is increased, which counteracts the occurrence of caries. But this method is used only from 4 years.