Teething
An important event in your baby's life, teething can occur any time between three and twelve months of age with the mention that most babies usually teeth after six months. The teething process finishes around the age of three when all the twenty primary teeth have appeared. The first to come are the lower teeth followed by the two front ones within no more than a month or two.
Many parents are impatient about this period in the life of their child since all sorts of unpleasant symptoms are known to be associated with it. Babies are usually fussier when teething due to the soreness caused by the swelling of the gums; nevertheless, it takes about three to five days before the skin breaks under the pressure of the tooth, and afterwards all the discomfort is gone.
Though many babies are often unaffected by teething, there are cases when drooling, crying and even lack of appetite may appear. The little ones tend to alleviate the pain by biting on their fingers and toys as a means of relieving the pressure that affects their gums; you should be prepared for such behavior and offer your child a rubber teething ring to chew.
Before using any type of product for the teething period, it is a good idea to talk to the doctor and ask for his or her opinion. Many mistakes can be avoided not to mention that the risks for the child's health are drastically reduced. A good example here is the fact that the administration of aspirin to children under two is forbidden as it can cause serious health problems.
In certain cases teething may start later than the average; nevertheless, do not worry about such a situation since a variation in the development of the child is perfectly normal and justified by the laws of individuality. We can talk about teething problems only when there is not enough space in the jaw for the teeth to erupt correctly or when certain teeth fail to appear at all. For such special situations, consulting a doctor is an absolute must.
Premature permanent teething could also occur when a baby loses a tooth because of an accident or an injury. If the tooth loss occurs long before the due eruption of the permanent teeth, a dental intervention may be required: thus the dentist would use a spacer in the location of the lost tooth so as to prevent the teeth on the side to tip into the space.