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Teeth Eruption

How do I help my child to have a less upsetting teeth eruption? Milk teeth start to erupt from the 5th to the 6th month up to the 2nd or 3rd years of age, when the whole set of milk teeth should be present. There are 20 milk teeth in total, ten in each dental arch (maxillary and mandibular). They must all stay healthy until they are replaced for the permanent teeth, between the 6th and 12th year of age. Many mothers say that during the days previous to milk teeth eruption their babies' gums are swollen, they are cranky, they slobber excessively, they put everything into their mouth and can even have diarrhea.
Usually babies calm down when their mothers give them a massage on the gums with a clean finger or when they bite cold (though not frozen) things.
On the other hand, there are diverse alterations related to teeth eruption, a genetically regulated process influenced by local factors.

The presence of the permanent lower incisors behind the milk teeth (that still have not fallen out, called persistence) is a frequent preoccupation of mothers with school-age children. The most advisable option is observation since the milk teeth usually fall out spontaneously due to the force of the new teeth and the tongue. Tooth extraction is advised in cases where the mobility of milk teeth has not increased after months of control.

  • » Our advice on teeth eruption is
    • If you see that your child is cranky, uneasy, puts everything into his/her mouth or shows increased drooling, give him/her a massage on the gums with a clean finger, a silicone fingertip or give him/her cold things to bite in order to relieve the discomfort (for example a carrot previously cooled –not frozen). Ask your paediatric dentist to point out more calming measures for this stage.

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