Tooth eruption may begin even earlier than 3 months of age
and may continue until the third year of a child's life. Between 4-7 months
baby’s first tooth will push the upper gum. The first teeth to appear are
usually the front, known as the central incisors both in the maxillary and in
the mandible. At 12 months the lateral incisors erupt, then followed by the
first molars at 18 months and the canines at 24 months. Finally the second
molars erupt around 30 months. The milk teeth have a periodicity of 6 months
between them, but it is not always set in stone. Any delay or modification of
the normal eruption sequence needs to be investigated by your Tijuana
dentist.
Signs and symptoms of teething
Many children may experience only mild discomfort during the
dental eruption while other children may experience major discomfort. Usually
teething causes a pain that takes a few minutes followed by a period of calm. Teething
can be accompanied by the following symptoms:
- Abundant salivation
- Anxiety, restless sleep
- Refusal to eat due to gum inflammation
- Placing the hands in mouth
- Mild rash around the mouth caused by skin irritation due
to excessive salivation
- Rubbing the cheek or ear areas as a result of the pain
caused by the eruption of molars.
Teething does not cause normally:
- High fever
- Diarrhea, runny nose and cough
- Rash.
When a person develops fever, a prolonged state of nervousness,
diarrhea, nasal congestion, cough it may be a manifestation of a viral
infection and not teething symptoms.
It is important to contact your Tijuana dentist
if these symptoms appear without being supposedly triggered by tooth eruption.
The teething diagnosis is established after observing the
characteristic signs and symptoms. Often the feeling of discomfort in the gums
of the child improves when gentle pressure is exerted on them. For this reason,
many doctors recommend mild rubbing of the gums with a clean finger or the use
of teething toys.
If the pain causes eating disorders, sometimes a special
bottle or a cup can reduce the inconvenience of teething and may facilitate feeding.
Cold objects also help reduce inflammation.
For this purpose you can use toys that can cool in
refrigerator. However, adults will be aware that children must avoid prolonged
contact of the gums with very cold objects. Also the teething toys must be
large enough, so the child is in no danger of swallowing them.
Using painkillers for tooth eruption is quite controversial.
Ask your Tijuana dentist about the risks
before the use of any medication on your child. Also consult your pediatrician.
Drugs taken orally are acetaminofen or ibuprofen. However, for the operational
administration of ibuprofen is not recommended for children under 6 months.
Drugs will be used only when home care methods are not effective. Attention
will be given to avoid large doses. Some painkillers can mask symptoms.
Children should not be given products containing aspirin.
