Oh, these little tykes. Cuteness personified, with all those gumless smiles and chubby cheeks and wrinkled thighs. But these images won’t stay forever. Growth is inevitable. Almost on your sixth month of breastfeeding? These adorable ones can get pretty nasty at this stage. He doesn’t suckle. He bites. Brace yourselves, neo-moms! The baby teeth are coming to existence.
Baby teeth emerge at their sixth month. First off are the two lower central incisors (center portion of the lower jaw) followed by the lateral incisors (adjacent to each central incisor). Next would be the opposing upper incisors. The baby molars are set to come out in a few months, and a complete set would be expected by the time they blow their 2nd birthday candle.
All in all, the tooth count would be 20 – 10 in the upper arch and 10 in the lower. What to expect during baby teeth eruption?
1. Teething. Lots of it. They bite on just about anything, so if you’re breastfeeding, you get the picture. Load up on those teethers so they wouldn’t chew on your shoulders as you lull them to sleep. Invest on the not so rigid ones. Hard plastic may cause gum irritation or impede with the eruption of baby teeth.
2. Fever. Temperature changes are inevitable during teeth eruption in babies. It is their form of reaction and defense against the normal process. This comes and goes and may be affected by the outside temperature. It shouldn’t be longstanding, so if this happens to be the case, it could be a symptom of another condition. Consult with your pediatrician if fever persists.
3. Mood swings. Babies are not aware of how they exactly feel. They couldn’t speak, so they would do what they do best – act it out. It’s either they cry or get irritated; hence, the feeling of wanting to release the itch or pain by manifesting it orally.
4. Spacing in between baby teeth. You might be left wondering why there are spaces. This is but normal. It allows for proper accommodation of the permanent teeth that will be erupting once they reach the age of 6 to 7. Tight contacts, which happen to be normal in the adult dentition – is more alarming in babies. This might mean a greater probability of malocclusion during the eruption of their permanent teeth, and an eventual pile of expenses with frequent visits to the orthodontist in the future.
However, it should be noted that babies are not spared of abnormalities. There are cases wherein erupting teeth are fused together, which might be mistaken for tight contacts. These conditions may have been brought about by some factors during pregnancy, such as medicine intake or accidents.
Just because these are baby teeth and will be replaced does not mean that you should take care of them any less. They are just as important as the succeeding teeth. They act as guides to the forming tooth bud within the jaw. Early extraction of baby teeth due to poor oral hygiene and monitoring is also a predisposing factor to malocclusion or even non-eruption of the tooth next in line.
Start your kids’ appointments as early as possible. The earliest signs of baby teeth eruption signal parents to include a dental visit in their list. Allow your babies to be familiar with a dental setup – the drill sound, the chair, the people in white. Who knows, they might just enjoy the tiny mirror that enters his mouth.
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