How to Help Children During Teething

Baby Teething Process

The baby teething process can be a painful and uncomfortable time in your infant’s early life. Infant teething symptoms may include discomfort well before teeth even begin to emerge. It is natural and completely normal for the baby teething process to begin at any time after the first few months of life and before one year of age. All babies are born with a set of 20 teeth hidden just beneath the gums. If you run your finger along your baby’s gums, you should be able to feel the indentations of the teeth. The first set of teeth, called the milk teeth (also called baby teeth or deciduous teeth), usually begin to erupt at about six months, although they can appear earlier (and, very rarely, a child is born with a tooth already in place).
Most commonly, the first teeth to erupt are usually the four front teeth, called the incisors. Typically the bottom teeth erupt first, followed by the top row. Next in the infant teething process are the baby's back teeth, called the first molars, which usually appear when the child is anywhere from thirteen to nineteen months old. The first molars are located just behind the canine teeth. At around sixteen to twenty-two months of age, the canine teeth emerge. Finally, the second molars erupt in the back of the mouth and the painful baby teething process comes to an end.

Child Teething Is A Natural Process

It is important for parents to remember that the the child teething process and emergence of babies' teeth doesn't actually involve sharp teeth cutting through soft baby flesh. Instead, chemical signals are released between the cells in the gums which cause some cells to selectively die and separate, allowing the teeth to push through. For more baby teething help and some useful commercial and homeopathic remedies to ease the suffering of your child through the teething process, visit: http://www.babytobee.com/teething/symptoms-of-teething.html

6/4/2007 4:34:22 PM