When do Babies start teething?
[mme_highlight] Generally, the primary teeth appear between 6 and 8 months with a tendency to emerge first in girls. The first to erupt are usually the four front teeth. there is probably an association between teething and irritability, diarrhea, increased salivation, slight rise in temperature and sleep disturbance. [mme_highlight]
Teething is a natural process that can be defined as the migration of tooth from its intraosseous position in the jaw to erupt in the oral cavity.
When do teeth start to erupt?
Generally, the primary teeth appear between 6 and 8 months with a tendency to emerge first in girls. The first to erupt are usually the four front teeth. Usually between 21/2 and 3 years of age the full set of 20 temporary teeth are already in the oral cavity. As the child’s jaws continue to grow, they become prepared for the eruption of the first permanent teeth between 5 and 7 years of age.
The permanent teeth can be up to 32, if the third molars erupt, which does not happen always. The chart below helps understand the estimated chronology of the eruption of the first teeth, the central incisor being in the midline of the jaw and the other being situated lateral to it, in the order shown.
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| Upper Jaw | Lower Jaw | |
|---|---|---|
| Central Incisor | 8-12 months | 6-10 months |
| Lateral Incisor | 9-13 months | 10-16 months |
| Canine | 16-22 months | 17-23 months |
| First Molar | 13-19 months | 14-18 months |
| Second Molar | 25-33 months | 23-31 months |
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What symptoms can be linked to teething?
Tooth eruption is believed to be linked to a variety of symptoms in children, but there is not a consensus yet, because the association of the time of teething and the onset of symptoms may simply coincide. The latest evidence from studies points that there is probably an association between teething and irritability, diarrhea, increased salivation, slight rise in temperature and sleep disturbance; these associations shown to be significant on the day of eruption and one day after eruption.
Keep in mind that teething is not associated with severe signs or symptoms.
Early Teeth
Natal teeth (when a baby is born with teeth) or neonatal teeth (teeth that develop during the first 28 days of life) are a rare occurrence, although the first situation occurs more frequently than the latter in the proportion of 3:1. The estimated prevalence of early teeth varies between 1:1000 and 1:30.000.
In approximately 85% of cases, these teeth are located in the region of the mandibular central incisors (i.e. central position in the lower jaw). This early appearance of teeth can cause concern among parents and in many cultures this is a poorly understood subject that can lead to superstitions. In addition, the early teeth can cause pain on suckling, refusal to feed and traumatic ulceration both in the mother’s breast and in the baby’s mouth.
The cause of this premature appearance remains to be proved, but probably it can be due to a conjugation of various causes, such as hereditary, endocrine disturbances, infections, nutritional deficiencies, superficial position of the tooth gem and genetics.
If this is the case, the baby should be observed by a pediatrician as there is risk of inhalation, ulceration or feeding difficulties. The pediatric dentist will evaluate the teeth and will decide the best treatment option, which can range from “attentive follow-up”, in most cases where the teeth is of normal dentition, to the extraction.
Taking care of baby’s teeth
0 to 6 months
- clean your baby’s gums with a moist gauze or towel
- do not put sugar in the nursing nipple
6-18 months
- introduce cups with a mouthpiece (the baby bottles increase the incidence of caries).
- introduce tooth brushing.
- The first visit to the dentist around 12 months.
Summary and Recommendations
- Primary teeth appear between 6 and 8 months.
- The first teeth to appear are the four front teeth.
- Permanent dentition starts appearing by 6 years.
- It has not been proven that teething is associated with symptoms, but it is believed that irritability, slight rise in body temperature and diarrhea can occur with teething.
- Natal teeth (when a baby is born with teeth) is more frequent than neonatal teeth (teeth that appear during the first 28 days of life), but both conditions are rare. As there is a risk of inhalation, ulceration and feeding problems, the child should be observed by a doctor.
- Teeth your child’s teeth with a gauze from birth to 6 months and then introduce the toothbrushing.
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References
- Wake M, Hesketh K, Lucas J. Teething and tooth eruption in infants: A cohort study. Pediatrics. 2000; 106:1374-9.
- Maheswari NU, Kumar BP, Karunakaran, Kumaran ST. Early baby teeth: folklore and facts. J Pharm Bioallied Sci. 2012 Aug;4(Suppl 2):S329-33.
- Joana Ramos-Jorge, Isabela A. Pordeus, Maria L. Ramos-Jorge and Saul M. Paiva. Prospective Longitudinal Study of Signs and Symptoms Associated With Primary Tooth Eruption. Pediatrics 2011; 128;471.
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