Teething and dental care

The development of your baby’s first teeth can be very exciting, but at the same time frustrating for both you, the parents, and the little ones.

Therefore, equipping yourself with information regarding what to expect during this period can help make teething less painful for the baby and more manageable for you. Here, what other parents are going through:

Dear Doc,

My baby girl is 11 months old but has not shown any sign of teething yet. Should this worry me?

Teresiah

Dear Teresiah,

There is nothing to worry about. Take comfort in the knowledge that late teething does not indicate any problems with your child’s overall development. The age at which children develop their first tooth varies greatly. Normally, the first tooth appears at about the age of four months, or even as early as three months in some children.

Any eruption of teeth before three months is regarded as early teething. If your baby does not start teething by the age of 13 months, then he or she is considered to be experiencing late teething, which can be as late as 18 months.

There is no particular cause for delayed teething, though some hereditary factors can play a role in this. Children with hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid gland) show some developmental problems such as delayed speech, delayed walking, as well as delayed teething.

Late teething, however, could be a sign of malnutrition. Deficiencies in nutrients such as Vitamin A, C, and D, as well as the minerals phosphorus and calcium, can cause delayed teething. This might be as a result of insufficient breastfeeding or infant formulas with low supplementation.

However, if your child reaches a year without showing any signs of teething, you can visit a dentist to put your mind at rest.

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Dear Doc,

My baby just started teething. He is irritable and cries a lot. Is there anything I can do to make the process less painful for him?

Concerned mum

Dear Concerned Mum,

Teething can be very uncomfortable and the child will be fussy and cry during the weeks or days before each tooth pops up. A baby can also experience other teething symptoms such as swollen gums, drooling, and fever.

However, there are children who do not show any symptoms of teething, so one day you get a surprise when you see your baby smiling at you in the morning with a new tooth, or feel the spoon knock against a tooth when feeding the baby.

To help relieve teething pain, rub your baby’s gums gently with a cold spoon or a clean finger to numb the pain temporarily. In addition, allow the baby to chew on a clean, cold washcloth, or a rubber teething ring.

However, do not give the baby any item that is small enough to cause choking. Also, avoid giving a teething ring that has fluid in it as it could break in the baby’s mouth. Ask your doctor to recommend an appropriate teething cream, which you can apply on the gums to ease the pain.

Remember to wipe the baby’s face regularly using a clean piece of cloth to remove the drool and prevent the child from developing rashes.

To help relieve fever, give the baby a pain reliever (acetaminophen) occasionally, but first consult a doctor so that he or she can advise you on the best way to administer the pain reliever.

Never give the baby aspirin as it is associated with Reye’s syndrome, a very rare but serious condition.

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Dear Doc,

When should I start brushing my baby’s teeth, and which is the best toothpaste to use?

Denique

Dear Denique,

You can start brushing your baby’s teeth as soon as the first teeth pop up using a swab of damp cotton wool. You can also choose a toothbrush that is soft, small headed, and has a large handle.

Initially, you should just wet the toothbrush and when the child is around one year, you can use a pea-sized amount of toothpaste. Use toothpaste specifically meant for babies as the normal adult toothpaste contains too much fluoride for a baby, which can cause enamel fluorosis (changes in the appearance of the enamel of the tooth).

Brush the baby’s teeth, front and back, using a gentle motion. Continue brushing your child’s teeth until he or she is old enough to spit out the toothpaste and rinse without any assistance.

As you brush your baby’s teeth, look out for any signs of tooth decay (white or brown spots or pits on the teeth). If you notice any of these, take your baby to a dentist.

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Dear Doc,

Our baby was born with two lower teeth; is this normal and what can be done?

Jeremy

Dear Jeremy,

It might be scary to have a baby born with teeth, but it happens. Some babies are born with more than just one tooth. These are called natal teeth.

Other babies will have teeth appearing within the first 30 days after birth, and these are referred to as neonatal teeth.

This can be genetic or the result of a syndrome, and such teeth are normally additional or leftovers from neonatal development and do not require any treatment.

However, the doctor might recommend that they be removed if they are loose and risk being swallowed by the baby. These teeth can also make breastfeeding diffcult since the they get in the way. Besides, the baby might bite the mother’s nipples.

In some local communities, a baby born with teeth is considered a cultural abnormality and requires that the tooth or teeth be removed by a traditional specialist. .

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