What month the baby start teething

Baby teething symptoms - NHS

When it comes to teething, all babies are different. But your baby will probably get their first tooth some time during their first year.

Find out how to spot when your baby is teething and what order your baby's teeth are likely to appear in.

When do babies start teething?

Some babies are born with their first teeth. Others start teething before they are 4 months old, and some after 12 months. But most babies start teething at around 6 months.

Teething symptoms

Baby teeth sometimes emerge with no pain or discomfort at all.

At other times, you may notice:

their gum is sore and red where the tooth is coming through
they have a mild temperature of less than 38C
they have 1 flushed cheek
they have a rash on their face
they're rubbing their ear
they're dribbling more than usual
they're gnawing and chewing on things a lot
they're more fretful than usual
they're not sleeping very well

Read tips on how to help your teething baby.

Some people think that teething causes other symptoms, such as diarrhoea, but there's no evidence to support this.

You know your baby best. Get medical advice if they have any symptoms that are causing you concern. You can call NHS 111 or contact a GP.

Read more about spotting the signs of serious illness in babies and toddlers.

What order do baby teeth appear in?

Here's a rough guide to how babies' teeth usually emerge:

bottom incisors (bottom front teeth) – these are usually the first to come through, usually at around 5 to 7 months
top incisors (top front teeth) – these tend to come through at about 6 to 8 months
top lateral incisors (either side of the top front teeth) – these come through at around 9 to 11 months
bottom lateral incisors (either side of the bottom front teeth) – these come through at around 10 to 12 months
first molars (back teeth) – these come through at around 12 to 16 months
canines (between the lateral incisors and the first molars) – these come through at around 16 to 20 months
second molars – these come through at around 20 to 30 months

Most children will have all of their milk teeth by the time they are between 2 and 3 years old.

Community content from HealthUnlocked

Page last reviewed: 9 August 2022
Next review due: 9 August 2025

Baby’s First Tooth: 7 Facts Parents Should Know

By: Dina DiMaggio, MD, FAAP & Julie Cernigliaro, DMD

1. Most babies will develop teeth between 6 and 12 months.

There is a wide range of variability of when a first tooth may appear—some babies may not have any teeth by their first birthday! Around 3 months of age, babies will begin exploring the world with their mouth and have increased saliva and start to put their hands in their mouth. Many parents question whether or not this means that their baby is teething, but a first tooth usually appears around 6 months old.

Typically, the first teeth to come in are almost always the lower front teeth (the lower central incisors), and most children will usually have all of their baby teeth by age 3.

2. Fluoride should be added to your child's diet at 6 months of age.

Fluoride is a mineral that helps prevent tooth decay by hardening the enamel of teeth. The good news is that fluoride is often added to tap water. Give your baby a few ounces of water in a sippy or straw cup when you begin them on solid foods (about 6 months of age). Speak with your pediatrician to see if your tap water contains fluoride or whether your child needs fluoride supplements. Fluoride is not typically found in most bottled water. See FAQ: Fluoride and Children for more information.

3. Massaging sore gums, offering something cold, or acetaminophen, on an occasional rough night, can help soothe your baby's teething pain.

Usually teething doesn't cause children too much discomfort, however, many parents can tell when their baby is teething. Babies may show signs of discomfort in the area where the tooth is coming in, the gums around the tooth may be swollen and tender, and the baby may drool a lot more than usual.

Parents can help ease teething pain by massaging their baby's gums with clean fingers, offering solid, not liquid-filled, teething rings or a clean frozen or wet washcloth. If you offer a teething biscuit, make sure to watch your baby while they are eating it. Chunks can break off easily and can lead to choking. Also, these biscuits are not very nutritious and most contain sugar and salt.

A baby's body temperature may slightly rise when teething; however, according to a 2016 study in Pediatrics, a true fever (temperature over 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit or 38 degrees Celsius) is not associated with teething and is actually a sign of an illness or infection that may require treatment. If your baby is clearly uncomfortable, talk with your pediatrician about giving a weight-appropriate dose of acetaminophen (e.g., Tylenol) or if over 6 months, ibuprofen (e.g., Advil, Motrin). Make sure to ask your pediatrician for the right dose in milliliters (mL) based on your child's age and weight.

Many children, however, will have no problems at all when their teeth come in!

4. Do not use teething tablets, gels with benzocaine, homeopathic teething gels or tablets, or amber teething necklaces.

Stay away from teething tablets that contain the plant poison belladonna and gels with benzocaine. Belladonna and benzocaine are marketed to numb your child's pain, but the FDA has issued warnings against both due to potential side effects.

In addition, amber teething necklaces are not recommended. Necklaces placed around an infant's neck can pose a strangulation risk or be a potential choking hazard. There is also no research to support the necklace's effectiveness. See Teething Necklaces and Beads: A Caution for Parents for more information.

5. You should brush your child's teeth twice a day with fluoride toothpaste.

Once your child has a tooth, you should be brushing them twice a day with a smear of fluoride toothpaste the size of a grain of rice, especially after the last drink or food of the day. Remember not to put your baby to bed with a bottle—it can lead to tooth decay.

Once your child turns 3, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the American Dental Association (ADA), and the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD)recommend that a pea-sized amount of fluoride toothpaste be used when brushing.

When your child is able, teach them to spit out the excess toothpaste. It is best if you put the toothpaste on the toothbrush until your child is about age 6. Parents should monitor and assist their child while brushing until they are around 7 or 8 years old. When your child can write their name well, he or she also has the ability to brush well.

6. Ask your pediatrician about your baby's teeth and fluoride varnish.

During regular well-child visits, your pediatrician will check your baby's teeth and gums to ensure they are healthy and talk to you about how to keep them that way. The AAP and the United States Preventive Services Task Force also recommend that children receive fluoride varnish once they have teeth.

If your child does not yet have a dentist, ask your pediatrician if they can apply fluoride varnish to your baby's teeth. Once your child has a dentist, the varnish can be applied in the dental office. The earlier your child receives fluoride varnish the better to help prevent tooth decay.

7. Make your first dental appointment when the first tooth appears.

Try to make your baby's first dental appointment after the eruption of the first tooth and by his or her first birthday.

Both the AAP and the AAPD recommend that all children see a pediatric dentist and establish a "dental home" by age one. A pediatric dentist will make sure all teeth are developing normally and that there are no dental problems. They will also give you further advice on proper hygiene. If you don't have a pediatric dentist in your community, find a general dentist who is comfortable seeing young children.

Additional Information:

Brushing Up On Oral Health: Never Too Early to Start
How to Prevent Tooth Decay in Your Baby
Brush, Book, Bed: How to Structure Your Child's Nighttime Routine
Give Your Baby the Best Possible Start

About Dr.

DiMaggio:

Dina DiMaggio, MD, FAAP, is a board certified pediatrician at Pediatric Associates of NYC and at NYU Langone Medical Center. She is the co-author of The Pediatrician's Guide to Feeding Babies and Toddlers, a comprehensive manual written by a team of medical, nutrition, and culinary experts. Follow her on Instagram @Pediatriciansguide.

About Dr. Cernigliaro:

Julie Cernigliaro, DMD, is a board certified pediatric dentist and the Associate Director of the Pediatric Dental Residency Program at Lutheran Medical Center in Brooklyn, NY. She holds a faculty position at NYU College of Dentistry and currently works in private practice at Happy Smile Pediatric Dentistry, PC in NYC.

The information contained on this Web site should not be used as a substitute for the medical care and advice of your pediatrician. There may be variations in treatment that your pediatrician may recommend based on individual facts and circumstances.

Teething in children, what you need to know

All parents know that teething is a difficult period in the life of every child, because he does not sleep well, is naughty and tries to gnaw everything he can reach. But the most dangerous thing is that at this time the baby is vulnerable to many infections. We will talk about how teeth should be cut normally, why the baby’s body cannot cope with the infection, and what symptoms indicate that it is time to go to the doctor.

Teething

Teething is a complex process, because at this time tissues are formed, teeth roots grow, gums are rebuilt. Moreover, the teeth begin to form even during pregnancy, starting from the 6th week. Around the same time, calcium begins to be deposited in the tissues of future teeth.

Next comes the most interesting part - teething. It is considered normal if the teeth begin to cut from 4 to 7 months. But each body is unique, so everyone's teeth are cut differently. It depends on many things, for example:

- From genetics. Often the age at which a child's teeth began to cut depends on when his relatives - mom, dad, grandparents - started teething.

- Power supply. If the baby lacks vitamins and minerals, such as vitamin C or calcium, teeth will start to erupt later.

- From the course of pregnancy. If there was fetal toxicosis during pregnancy, this will also slow down the appearance of teeth.

Also, teeth are normally cut in pairs, that is, first the lower central incisors appear, then the upper central incisors, the upper lateral incisors - the lower lateral incisors, the upper first molars - the lower first molars, etc. But even if the order is violated, this does not always mean any disease or serious violation.

When to sound the alarm

In places where teeth erupt, many biologically active substances are released, such as histamine, leukotrienes, prostaglandins, etc. They just cause the symptoms that every parent is familiar with:

- Fever. Normally, when teething, the temperature should be subfebrile, that is, no more than 38 degrees;

- Swelling, pain and redness of the gums.

There is a normal reaction of the child to teething. As a rule, the baby refuses to eat, but at the same time pulls toys into his mouth to gnaw on them. Due to the fact that the child is constantly chewing on something, the nerves of the gums are irritated and a lot of saliva is released, and since the child does not yet know how to control saliva, it flows out of the mouth. Also, the child becomes more excitable than usual - sleeps less, is constantly naughty, becomes irritable.

Life hack: to help your child and relieve toothache, buy a special teether toy. Such a toy can be filled with water and put in the refrigerator. When the baby chews on it, the toy will cool the inflamed gums and thereby partially relieve the pain.

But there are symptoms that parents often confuse with a normal reaction to the appearance of teeth:

- Digestive disorders - diarrhea, vomiting, loose stools;

- Temperature above 38-39degrees, which does not subside for several days;

- Cough, rash, swelling.

These symptoms indicate that there is an infection in the child's body that needs to be treated.

Why a child is so vulnerable to diseases

When a child chews on something, microtraumas and cracks appear on the gums. The mucous membrane, like other tissues of the gums, is not yet formed, so infections easily enter the body through these injuries. And since at the age of the appearance of the first teeth - from 4 to 7 months, the passive immunity received from the mother is gradually lost, and its own immunity is just beginning to be developed, the body cannot cope with the infection.

What should I do if my baby has unusual symptoms?

The only sure option is to see a pediatrician. The doctor will examine the baby and prescribe tests to prescribe the right treatment. And the doctor will also assess whether the teeth are erupting correctly and give useful advice for your child.

Make an appointment with a pediatrician in the city of Sochi by phone number 8 (862) 555-27-03, or leave a request on this site.

Useful related links:

Video on this topic with our pediatrician - Gryzunova Svetlana Valentinovna.

Red flags for SARS

Great reminder on children's cough

When does the baby's first teeth erupt?

All babies teething according to their own individual program: for some, this process begins earlier, for others later. As practice shows, the first tooth in most children appears at the age of 6 to 8.5 months, and by the year every healthy child has at least one milk tooth in his mouth.

At the age of three or four months, the teeth preparing for eruption begin to declare themselves quite actively: the baby becomes capricious, cries, tries to bite everything that gets into his hands.

The first to appear are usually the two lower, centrally located teeth (lower central incisors or "ones"). Then - the central upper incisors, after which, by about ten months, the upper "twos", or lateral upper incisors, erupt. By eleven to twelve months, the lateral incisors can also be seen on the lower jaw. Thus, ideally, a one-year-old child is the proud owner of eight milk teeth.

By about sixteen months, many babies already have first molars on the bottom and top. Fangs ("threes") appear at the top and bottom later, in the eighteenth - twenty-second month of a child's life. The second upper and lower molars erupt at the age of 24-33 months. But again, it should be remembered that this process is individual and the order of teething may also be different.

Teeth often grow in pairs: two, and sometimes four, at the same time. In girls, for the most part, teeth erupt earlier than in boys. By the age of 2.5-3 years, a complete set of twenty fully erupted teeth can be found in a baby.

Alertness must be shown if a child who is almost a year old does not have a single tooth. In principle, some children may have a congenital feature in the form of late teething, but you should not draw any conclusions on your own, you should definitely consult with a qualified specialist who, if necessary, will prescribe additional examinations.

Causes of late teething in children:

hereditary predisposition, which is a variant of the norm and can be traced in other blood relatives;
decreased thyroid function;
rickets;
diseases of the digestive system;
enzymatic (fermentative) metabolism disorders;
pituitary insufficiency;
lack of calcium in the child's body;
genetically determined diseases.

For the baby, the process of teething can take place in different ways. Some children practically do not experience discomfort, others suffer from pain, their sleep is disturbed, their appetite worsens, their temperature rises (up to 38-39 ° C), salivation increases, nasal congestion, wet cough (due to profuse salivation), constipation or, conversely, , increased stool.

Experts recommend starting caring for the child's oral cavity even before the first teeth erupt: in the morning and evening, before going to bed, the child's gums should be gently wiped with a swab previously moistened with warm water.