Teething in a child is a stressful period that should be handled correctly. It is important for parents to know which teeth fall out in a child, and which teeth do not change in children, what feelings are associated with this period, and how to ease the condition of the baby so that he can adapt to changes more easily. All these questions are normal, because the period of teething in children is as important for the health of the baby as other stages of growing up.
Let’s deal with the loss of teeth in a child, so that both you and the baby can breathe a sigh of relief after this period and finally enjoy good health and well-being.
Adult teeth
Before dealing with the period of teething in babies, you need to find out which children have permanent teeth. An adult has from 28 to 32 permanent teeth, so before adulthood, a child must go through periods of eruption of milk and permanent teeth. And regardless of the possible pain and unpleasant sensations in the process, even during the eruption of both types of teeth, it is important to also monitor the health of the gums.
When do the baby’s teeth change?
The schedule of the loss of milk teeth most often depends on the individual characteristics of the child. You can search the Internet by request which teeth are falling out in children from a photo – and a special diagram will show you their location and period of loss. However, changes can be individual, and this is normal. This process itself, as well as the timing of eruption of permanent teeth, is a normal part of growing up for everyone. In nature, there are special terms for the eruption and change of milk (temporary) teeth.
In general, milk teeth begin to erupt from six months, and permanent ones – at the age of six. Baby teeth allow children to eat more solid substances, which is very important for harmonious growth. It is extremely important to take care of baby teeth for the health and well-being of the child.
According to statistics, one of the most common dental problems among children aged 5 to 11 years remains caries – about 20 percent of children have at least one untreated tooth. This is reported in the book “Children’s Dentistry: From Childhood to Adolescence” by Paul Casamassimo. Also, specialists from the University of Alberta point out that the very pain that children constantly experience due to the problem of caries can be very difficult, and that it can even interfere with learning.
Importance of medical examination
However, along with generally accepted trends, there are factors due to which development can deviate from the norm. In fact, even the climate can affect the period of the child’s teeth change, which is why it is necessary to seriously monitor the child’s health. The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD) emphasizes that a child’s first visit to the dentist should be on their first birthday or after the first tooth falls out.
Even small children need regular medical examinations both to ensure that their teeth develop harmoniously and to quickly identify any problems that may arise.
Brushing the teeth is no less important – for the cleanliness and health of the teeth and gums, children should brush them regularly, without skipping this procedure, be able to do it correctly, and learn the procedure on their own.
Of course, this takes time and requires careful attention on the part of parents. However, as a reward, you will receive healthy teeth and gums and children’s independence in dental care, which will serve them for many years.
The order of changes in the child’s teeth
Baby teeth also change according to a certain algorithm. If we talk about the loss of teeth in children, the first of them to fall out are the central incisors on both jaws, then the lateral ones, then the lower and upper small molars, and finally the second molars. This order, however, may change depending on the individual characteristics of the child. Depending on factors such as hygiene problems and tooth decay, tooth loss may occur earlier.
In addition to the general state of health of the teeth, during the eruption period, it is necessary to monitor the formation of the correct bite – otherwise, problems cannot be avoided. If you notice deviations from the norm, timely consultation with a doctor can be extremely important.
Symptoms of teething in a child
As a 2020 study showed, most parents tend to confuse the symptoms of teething with other problems and almost all of the 200 parents surveyed did not know how the process of teething in a child proceeds. In order to understand this process correctly, we must know the symptoms, distinguish the change of teeth in a child from dental diseases, and also know how to facilitate this process for the child.
When a child’s milk teeth fall out, it is also accompanied by certain symptoms. It is important to distinguish the symptoms that are characteristic of tooth loss from the signs that are not characteristic of it at all, because sometimes parents can mistakenly refer to completely different medical specialists. Symptoms of baby teeth loss include:
- Pain and discomfort. It is important to remember that pain, as well as discomfort, in the gums during the process of changing teeth is normal. Despite the fact that the child may be restless and irritable because of this, he has to go through it and there is nothing critical in this discomfort.
- Profuse salivation. This is also a normal reaction to changing teeth. The child secretes saliva, and it is by this sign that you can also identify the change of teeth in general.
- Attempts to chew. The child may try to chew and gnaw various objects to reduce pain. She can alleviate this symptom, the main thing is to do it according to the doctor’s recommendations.
- Sleep disturbance. A child may have restless sleep because he cannot get rid of unpleasant sensations all the time. Sudden awakenings at night are also possible. It is important to normalize sleep, but not to worry about such sudden changes in the child’s behavior.
Signs of formation of roots of permanent teeth
Each child has its own stages in the process of eruption of permanent teeth. In general, during this period from childhood to adolescence, the child should grow adult (permanent) teeth.
Permanent teeth begin to erupt at the age of 5-6 years. Normally, this process lasts up to 13 years, sometimes up to 17-20 years. Third molars erupt last. As for the roots of milk teeth, they either dissolve on their own or are pushed out by a new growing tooth.
Worth knowing
Finally, it is worth remembering that the child must cope with the main difficulties on his own. There are many ways to make teething easier, but it’s impossible to completely get rid of the discomfort – and some discomfort can be normal.
You can ease the child’s condition with the help of teething toys and general improvement of the condition, but it is worth remembering that this is a normal stage. Some teething toys that have liquid inside can be cooled, but this will only partially relieve the discomfort, the period itself will pass on its own.
In addition, during teething, it is important to provide children with a good mood and ensure that stress does not turn into other uncomfortable feelings. Parents are often stressed along with the child. However, you can go through this difficult period together so that it is easy for all of you.