Baby Teething

Baby teething is the process of the eruption of the baby's primary teeth through the gums. The baby teeth start to form even before birth, from the 3rd month of pregnancy. Although the baby teeth aren't visible when a child is born, both the primary and permanent teeth are partially formed below the gums.

When do babies start teething?

Usually, between six months and 1 year old, the deciduous teeth begin to push through the gums. But, there are no strict rules on when do babies start teething.

Some babies start teething early — around three months old, and some others much later. In rare cases, a baby's first tooth is already visible at birth, while some babies may even be a year old before having their first tooth.

A child's first baby tooth generally breaks through the gums at about 5 or 6 months of age. The first primary teeth to appear are the two bottom front teeth (central incisors).

Teething continues up to the age of three, until the full set of 20 baby teeth has erupted, and it can be a very painful and stressful period for your infant.

Baby Teething Symptoms

Teething babies may become nervous and irritated, cry all the time, suddenly seem to lose appetite or/and start drooling more than normal.

When teething begins, your baby may have swollen gums or even bruised, where a tooth is about to break through. As the teeth are growing, the cells in the gum tissue above the tooth begin to break down, which helps the tooth slide through. In rare cases, some blood may be spotted when the tooth erupts.

Another symptom of infant teething problems is sleeplessness, as babies have difficulty to sleep due to the pain. Some babies become more fussy and irritable at night, when the lack of other distractions may make the pain more noticeable.

Biting on everything they get in their hands is one of the most clear symptoms of teething babies. The pressure from biting comforts the pain and also helps the break down of the gum tissue above the teeth.

Although mild diarrhea or low grade fever caused by gum inflammation have been reported as possible symptoms of teething babies, it is advisable not to consider them as normal and to contact your pediatrician for consultation.

Baby teething symptoms are more intense during the eruption of the very first teeth (before the baby gets accustomed to the sensation of teething pain) and later when the molars come in because they cause stronger pain and discomfort due to their larger size.

Teething Pain Relief

To ease teething pain of babies, massage their gums with your finger, gently rub their gums with a cold wet wash cloth or use a cold spoon. This will help in pain relief and often soothes an irritated child.

Teething babies love to bite and chew everything, especially smooth and hard objects. Both, massaging the gums and biting, relieve the teething pain by equalizing the pressure on the gums as the tooth below is pressing outwards.

Giving "teething biscuits" or other hard sugary foods to teething babies is not a good idea as they increase the danger of developing tooth decay.

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