If you are like the majority of people, you won’t even begin to think of your child’s teeth until the first one pops out in the toddler years. What most of us forget is that those teeth have been developing under the gums since the end of the first trimester of pregnancy! What that means for soon to be mothers is that you can help ensure proper development of your child’s teeth even before the baby arrives. By eating a balanced diet, taking prenatal vitamins, and keeping your own teeth and gums healthy, you can give your baby the best chances of strong healthy teeth later on. Inadequate nutrition on the mothers part can result in poorly formed tooth enamel that can make your child’s teeth more susceptible to tooth decay once the teeth have erupted in the toddler years. Also worth noting, is that scientists have shown that a mother’s active tooth decay bacteria can actually be transferred to her child in utero. There is more in depth information for expecting mothers in the Pregnancy and your Child’s teeth section of this site.
If you have never seen an x-ray of a newborns jawbone you may be surprised to see 20 developing teeth. So, even though you can’t see them, they are there. This is one reason that illness or injury as a toddler can have adverse effects on teeth later on. Your toddler’s first teeth are known as”primary” teeth and play an important roll in development. It is important for parents not to treat their child’s primary teeth as “temporary” or “replaceable” . Many preventable problems can be avoided by proper care of your toddler’s primary teeth.
At about six month of age, your toddlers teeth may be starting to erupt. The front four teeth are usually the first to arrive. Remember that ever baby develops at a different rate so if your toddler does not have his or her first tooth at 6 months+one day ,don’t sweat it! It is not uncommon for the first teeth to take 12 to 14 months to come in. Both of our boys seemed to take forever to get/lose teeth.
When your toddler’s teeth begin coming in(erupting), your child may experience sore or tender gums. This is normal. You can help soothe the discomfort by gently massaging the gums with a clean finger or moist gauze pad. Granted this will only provide temporary relief but sometimes that’s enough to help a fussy baby. If you prefer the “hands off” method, you can give your toddler a clean teething ring to chew on. Remember never to put any sugar or syrup on the teething ring. I know it seems obvious but as you may have guessed, there is a reason I mention it!
If your toddler is excessively uncomfortable and cranky, you can call your dentist or pediatrician to ask about over the counter pain remedies. Keep in mind also that contrary to popular belief, if your infant/toddler is running a fever while teething, this is not normal. Any unusually high or persistent fever is an indicator to contact your pediatrician.
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