Teething & Eruption
The Teething Process
Your child’s teeth started forming before birth, and normally their first tooth will erupt into the mouth between ages 6 to 12 months This process can cause soreness, tenderness, and sometimes prone to irritability.
Some ways to combat the discomfort include rubbing sore gums gently with a clean fingers, cold spoon, or a cold wet cloth. Another tool that could be helpful are teething rings, but we advise against teething biscuits. Teething biscuits contain sugar which isn’t good for a baby’s teeth.
A majority of children will have their lower central incisors come in first followed by upper central incisors. The remainder of the 20 primary teeth ordinarily erupt by age 3, but the place and order varies.
In most cases, children will begin to see permeant teeth by age 6. These usually include the first molars and central incisors. This process continues until around age 12. Adults have 28 permanent teeth or 32 including the wisdom teeth.
Your Baby’s New Teeth
The primary, or “baby,” teeth play a crucial role in dental development. First and foremost, they allow a child to eat and maintain good nutrition. Healthy teeth also allow for clear pronunciation and speech habits, and the self-image that healthy teeth give a child is immeasurable.
Primary teeth also guide eruption of the permanent teeth, so infants with missing primary teeth or infants who prematurely lose primary teeth may require a space maintainer, a device used to hold the natural space open. Without a maintainer, the teeth can tilt toward the empty space and cause permanent teeth to come in crooked.