Dental tips provided by Burnaby Dentists at North Burnaby Dental Group.
As a parent an exciting milestone to experience with your baby is when their first tooth breaks through! Although this is an exciting time, it’s helpful for parents to understand what their baby is going through, recognize symptoms and how to ease any discomfort that their baby may have.
When Will Babies First Tooth Arrive?
Most babies can expect their first tooth to appear around 6th months of age, but keep in mind that they may appear several weeks earlier or arrive even several months late. The range for teeth to appear is 4 – 12 months according to Parents.com but can show up as late as 18 months.
Signs That a Tooth is Coming
Before your babies first tooth appears, your baby will show signs of teething. Teething symptoms can range from severe to minimal and sometimes may be hardly noticeable at all. They also may begin 3-5 days prior to a tooth showing and end once the tooth breaks through the gum.
Your baby may experience one or many of these symptoms:
- Drooling
- Fussiness
- Runny Nose
- Congestion
- Mild Diarrhea
- Rash around the mouth or chin
- Red Cheeks
- Swollen Gums
- Biting
- Rejecting feeding or increased need to suck
Some of the symptoms are similar to a cold. To determine whether teething is to blame for your babies’ fussiness, look for a sudden change in their behaviour. If your baby experiences a fever over 100 degrees Fahrenheit then a trip to the doctor is advised.
The severity of symptoms displayed by your baby most likely has a correlation between how much movement of the teeth your baby is experiencing. As your babies teeth make their way through the gum, they do not move at a consistent pace. Some days the teeth may move a lot, some days they move a little. When there is a lot of movement, this is when your baby will experience the most discomfort and most likely show many symptoms.
Teething for your baby is most painful for the first two to four teeth, as it’s a new experience for them.
Providing Relief for Baby
Protect Babies Skin
Help reduce rashes and protect your babies lips from their drooling by applying petroleum jelly.
Satisfy Their Need to Chew
Gently massage your babies gums with your clean finger and apply a bit of pressure. Another option is to give your baby a wet washcloth, terry cloth toy or teething toy to chew on. If you are able to cool the toy or cloth, this is also a good way to help reduce inflammation and ease babies discomfort.
Pain Relief Medicine
Administering topical ointments, ibuprofen and acetaminophen can also be helpful to help relieve your babies pain. Be sure to follow the package or doctors instructions.
When Should My Babies First Dentist Be?
Once your babies first teeth arrive, it’s important for the parent to establish a good oral hygiene routine right away. A good routine would consist of cleaning your babies gums with a damp washcloth after feedings as well as not allowing your baby to sleep with a bottle.
As recommended by The Canadian Dental Association, your babies first dentist visit should be within 6 months of the eruption of the first tooth or by one year of age.
If you have any questions or concerns about what to expect with babies first tooth, do not hesitate to contact your Burnaby Dentist at North Burnaby Dental Group.
