Baby Teething - Symptoms and Management

Teething can be divided into two phases:
- The First: the eruption of the deciduous teeth (milk teeth).
- The Second: the eruption of the permanent teeth.

The eruption of the deciduous teeth:
- Usually, deciduous teeth eruption begins at the age of six months and continues until the end of the second year of life.
- New teeth erupt continuously during this period.
- The first two teeth to erupt is the lower anterior teeth, and these teeth does not usually cause any inconvenience for the child during their eruption. The next teeth to erupt are the anterior teeth in the upper jaw.
- Deciduous molars eruption causes suffering to a child in most cases.
- The eruption of the deciduous teeth (20 teeth) is completed when the child reaches the second year of age.
- The normal teething differs from child to another, some children are born with a tooth or two, and others do not start teething before the end of their first year.
- The deciduous teeth fall out between six and twelve years of age.

The eruption of the permanent teeth:
- Permanent teeth begin to erupt as soon as the deciduous teeth fall out.
- Sometimes, permanent teeth erupt before the deciduous teeth fall out, in this case the dentist will remove the deciduous tooth so the permanent tooth can take its place.
- The complete number of permanent teeth is 32 teeth.

It is advised to:
- Clean the new baby teeth by a finger covered with a clean cloth or a towel. You can use a small and soft toothbrush after the completion of the eruption of the front incisors.
- Visit the dentist regularly starting from the third year of age.
- Explain the process of milk teeth replacement for the child so he would know what to expect when they begin to fall out and the permanent teeth start to erupt.

Symptoms of teething:
- Swelling and redness of the gums.
- Some of the children suffer from pain in the site of the erupting tooth while other children do not feel any pain.
- The child might become nervous, irritable and cry a lot.
- Increased secretion of saliva.
- The desire to chew and bite, like biting the fingers.
- Sleep problems.
- It is wrong to link other symptoms of illnesses to the child teething, for example, teething does not cause fever, diarrhea, vomiting or pain in the ear.

To relive teething pain:
- Massage gums gently by the tip of the finger, you can also use a soothing and analgesic gel (depending on the physician instructions)
- Give the child a clean teething ring to bite on it after putting it in the refrigerator or freezer for a period of time.
- Give the child a carrot or an apple to bite on them, but watch the child carefully so he would not swallow it.
- Some children need to use paracetamol syrup to relieve the pain caused by teething.