Teething in infants is the first test for both children and parents. Often this process is difficult. Young mom and dad need to know in advance how baby teeth appear in children, symptoms, order and normal timing. Knowledge will make it possible to alleviate such a difficult period, and in case of any problems, consult a doctor in time.
What are baby milk teeth?
Dairy is called the very first teeth in a child that begin to appear in the first year of life. When they all erupt, the kit should be as follows:
- 8 incisors;
- 8 milk molars;
- 4 fangs.
Milk teeth are not only for biting and chewing food. They contribute to the development of the jaw, the preparation of places for permanent teeth, and also play a crucial role in the formation of masticatory muscles. The correct development of speech also occurs in the presence of teeth.
What is the difference between first teeth and permanent teeth? Dairy:
- have a smaller size;
- they have a more rounded shape;
- healthy teeth in children (this is visible in the photo) have a milky color;
- more fragile;
- grow vertically;
- with short, wide roots.
Teeth are counted from the center. “Ones” are the central incisors, “deuces” are the lateral incisors; in third place the fangs - the "three"; the molars are called "fours" and "fives," respectively.
Teething process
Even in the uterine development, the fetus begins to form the rudiments of milk teeth. If the pregnancy took place without complications and no pathologies affected the formation of the rudiments, then the child’s first teeth will appear healthy and strong. In most cases, babies experience pain during teething. They become tearful, irritable, moody. The duration of this period and the timing of the appearance of the very first tooth are individual.
Different groups of teeth can erupt in different ways. In some cases, parents already find a tooth ready, although this was not preceded by any symptoms. On average, this process occurs between the ages of 4 to 7 months, there are delays, there is nothing to worry about. It happens that the first tooth has broken through already in three months, but most often it then grows more fragile.
Symptoms of teething in children under one year
The main symptoms of teething are the following:
- body temperature rises;
- gums swell;
- intense salivation begins;
- the baby seeks to scratch the swollen gums with a fist, a toy, other objects;
- the child’s appetite is reduced;
- diarrhea, cough, runny nose occurs.
Body temperature rises. You can not leave this unattended, you need to lower it with paracetamol.
Diarrhea occurs due to swallowing too much mucus and saliva. The rhythm of the work goes down in the intestines. The glands in the nose intensively produce mucus, for this reason a runny nose is also observed. It is very important to regularly clean the baby's nasal passages and monitor proper breathing.
A wet cough in a baby occurs for the same reason. With increased salivation, mucus accumulates on the surface of the throat, which makes breathing difficult.
How to help baby
When a child’s teeth are cut , he most often experiences this period very hard. Parents at this time should be more caring, affectionate, sympathize with his whims and try to at least somehow distract him from pain. If the mother breast-feeds the baby, it is worth moving away from the strict schedule and applying the baby at his first request. In such a period, in no case can we plan weaning, for a child it will be a lot of stress.
The first appear first lower, then upper teeth in children. During this period, the child constantly nibbles, trying to scratch the gums. This helps him relieve unpleasant symptoms.
For these purposes, parents can offer their child toys, special rubber teething rings or some kind of plastic toys. A special ring can be cooled first in the refrigerator. Cold helps relieve itching and pain. But not all children like it. Sometimes the baby chooses which toy is more suitable for him for these purposes.
In such cases, parents should carefully examine it for the presence of small parts and uneven edges so that the baby cannot injure itself or choke. Some children like to gnaw a crust of bread, crackers, bagels or baked goods.
To distract the baby from pain, you can play with him for something or go for a walk. It is necessary to focus his attention on something interesting and new to him. Children, unlike adults, do not want to lie motionless in bed during illness. When the baby's teeth are cut, his mood changes easily. If he sobbed into his voice, then after a minute he, distracted by something, could immediately laugh, smile.
Medicines
The most striking symptoms of malaise appear when the child’s front teeth are cut. If he cannot calm down after gum massage, teethers and attempts to distract him with something do not help, it is worth resorting to medications. They will help relieve pain, itching and inflammation. The most popular gels:
- Baby Doctor.
- Dentinox.
- Holisal.
- "Dantinorm Baby."
In two convenient forms, the manufacturer produces Dentinox. These are drops and gel. The active substance here is lidocaine and chamomile. You can use it no more than three times a day. You should find out if the baby is allergic to such a drug.
Baby Doctor is hypoallergenic, as it is created exclusively from natural plant components. It has analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties.
"Chrysal" contains a special substance - choline salicylate, which has anti-inflammatory properties.
"Dantinorm Baby" is a homeopathic preparation. It is able to eliminate the main symptoms of malaise: pain, inflammation, itching, malfunctioning of the digestion.
Gum disease helps remove chamomile broth, special toothpastes (they have a mark - from 0 months).
Parents should immediately limit the intake of sweets as soon as the teeth have erupted, so as not to provoke the early development of caries.
How many teeth should a child have?
Nature itself has established in what order and in what period teeth should appear in babies. Parents during this period are obliged to strictly monitor the health of their child. Various colds can complicate the course of the appearance of teeth.
How many teeth should a child have and by what date? This question is interesting to all moms and dads. By the age of three, the baby should have all the milk teeth.
Due to the individuality of the organism, it also happens that they grow in the wrong sequence, as indicated in many tables. This is not scary. In most cases, the order is as follows:
- 6-10 months - the baby has lower incisors.
- 7-12 months - upper incisors erupt.
- 7-16 months - lower incisors (lateral).
- 9-12 months - upper incisors (lateral).
- 16-22 months - fangs from below.
- 16-22 months - upper canines.
- 12-18 months - lower primary molars.
- 13-19 months - primary molars from above.
- 20-31 month - lower secondary molars.
- 25-33 months - upper secondary molars.
Parents should be informed about how long and what milk tooth usually falls out. The order looks like this:
- 6-8 years - central incisors stagger and fall out.
- 7-8 years - sideways stagger and fall out.
- 9-12 years - the turn of fangs comes.
- 9-11 years old - the first molars stagger and fall out.
- 10-12 years - the second molars fall last.
By the age of three, the baby should have 20 milk teeth in his mouth. In exceptional cases, this happens even at 2.5 years.
Why don't teeth grow?
Teething in a child should begin during the first year of life. For each baby, this process has its own time. Sometimes there is a lack of tooth growth. The reason for this may be:
- Hereditary factors.
- Ecological situation in the region.
- Adentia (lack of primordia in the gums). This pathology originates in intrauterine development. In a child, the formation of not only the rudiments of the teeth, but also the nails and hair is disturbed. Only a specialist can diagnose such a diagnosis by means of a radiophysiograph and x-ray.
- Deficiency of trace elements and vitamins. It develops if the body does not receive enough vitamins A, B, E, D, calcium and fluoride.
- Rickets. Deficiency in the body of vitamin D. In the skeletal system, negative changes occur, the teeth do not germinate. Signs of rickets are baldness (occipital localization), nervous irritability, loss of appetite and sleep.
If we talk about a lack or, on the contrary, an excess of teeth, then it is worth noting that this happens extremely rarely. The most common cause is abnormal development. There is a pathology - polyodontics. With this mutation, additional pairs of teeth erupt. Doctors recorded a record fact when during a person 232 teeth erupted. Such a disease is extremely rare, has isolated manifestations, so do not get hung up on it.
Growth stimulation
As mentioned above, the child’s teeth grow depending on the individual characteristics of the body. You should not rejoice when they erupt too early, but you should not talk about backwardness when they grew too late. The causes of inhibition of tooth growth will be determined by the doctor by diagnosis. After their elimination, you need to use all methods of stimulating growth. It is necessary to undergo a medical examination, to identify if there are any abnormalities in the skeletal system, in metabolism, vitamin deficiency. If serious pathologies are not detected, then you can resort to the most common measures that will accelerate tooth growth.
- Feed your baby calcium-rich foods.
- Power on mineral supplements.
- Take the vitamin complexes recommended by your doctor.
- To activate teething, perform a gentle massage of the swollen gums.
- Strengthen the baby's immunity in all available ways.
Permanent change of teeth
We found out how many milk teeth children should have, and now briefly about when they should be replaced by permanent, molar teeth.
Permanent (indigenous) replace dairy. They are already more durable, in total, any adult should have 32 of them. The last 4 wisdom teeth are cut out by many already far from adolescence. What is the difference between a milk bite and a permanent one? Between fangs and molars, the so-called premolars form.
Before the loss of milk teeth, parents notice that the gaps between them noticeably increase. It should be so. This indicates the normal development and growth of the jaw in humans. By the time of eruption of permanent molars, the jaw increases in size, because the roots will now be much larger and more massive. If between the teeth in a child by the age of 6-7 years there are no noticeable gaps, then the baby must be reduced to a dentist to evaluate the development of the jaw apparatus.
The first permanent molars are called sixes, as they stand behind the milk fives. They begin to erupt at the age of 5-6, when, perhaps, not a single milk tooth has yet fallen out. There are times when a baby has 24 teeth in its mouth, while 4 are already permanent, and 20 are milk.
After the appearance of the first permanent molars and prolapse of the central milk incisors, molars begin to appear in the following order:
- 7-8 years - lateral incisors from below grow.
- 8-9 years - lateral incisors appear from above.
- 9-10 years old - fangs below.
- 11-12 years old - fangs at the top.
- 10-11 years old - premolars from below.
- 10-12 years old - premolars from above.
- 10-12 years - on top of the second premolars.
- 11-12 years old - lower second premolars.
- 12-13 years old - second and second molars above and below.
- Older than 17 - third molars.
Dental care
Care for the baby's oral cavity must begin from birth. After each feeding, the mother should treat the baby’s gums and tongue with gauze moistened with clean boiled water. This will help prevent the development of various infections.
As soon as the baby's teeth begin to cut, you can use a soft silicone brush to clean the gums. It not only cleanses, but also perfectly massages the gums. It is necessary to clean the mouth twice a day - in the morning and before bedtime. You can use toothpastes for babies that are marked "from 0 months."
From two years old, start telling your children how to brush their teeth. You need to purchase a special silicone toothbrush and children's gel for them. At this age, brushing your teeth seems to be very entertaining for the kids; they are happy to care for their oral cavity. Accustomed to this from an early age, they will be able to maintain the health of their teeth for many years. In these years, the influence of parents in this matter is very important.
At the age of three, buy a baby a real brush, it is important that her bristles are very soft. Hard can damage delicate enamel of deciduous teeth. At this age, the gel can already be replaced with children's toothpaste.
At the age of 4-5 years, the child should clean his teeth twice a day without reminder. Watch what kind of pasta he uses. It should not contain any abrasive particles.
Conclusion
In childhood, it is very important to monitor how the baby teeth cut and grow. They are the key to the development of healthy permanent molars. Parents must regularly take their baby to the pediatric dentist. The doctor will be able to determine if there are any pathologies or diseases. If tooth decay develops, it must be treated, because the disease can go to the future permanent tooth. If the bite is incorrect, the doctor will advise what measures can be taken to ensure that the jaw develops correctly. It happens that a permanent molar begins to grow, but it is still not prevented by milk. In such situations, you also need to take action on time, since the tooth may not develop properly.
Take care and love your children. The future health of the kids depends on the parents.