When Do Babies Start Teething? (Normal Baby Teething Pattern, Standard Sequence of the Primary Teething, Slight Deviations from the Norm, Abnormalities, and When to Seek for Medical Help)
From generation to generation, parents wait for their son or daughter to develop their first milk tooth with sweet delight and a good portion of almost sacred anxiety. We often feel disappointed, as we do not actually know what to expect from the baby teething process. Will it cause much pain for a baby? And is there any way to help a poor crying thing?
Also, the absolute majority of parents get highly frustrated, if their baby fails to develop his first tooth, when his peers already have a couple of milk teeth, or, in contrast to that, when their child becomes the first one, who can boast of a new precious asset to his mouth.
So, when do babies start teething? And which teeth eruption pattern is considered to be the norm and which one is treated as the abnormal?
When Are Babies Supposed to Start Teething?
The medicine course books typically offer the following remark on when do babies start teething. The first set of teeth gradual eruption is designed to start at the age of 6 months and develop his full set of milk teeth by the age of two and three years.
However, you should keep in mind that the actual period of time and a time point to consider, when do babies start teething, are rather individual. One baby will develop a new tooth overnight, and another one will be bound to go through the long tooth cutting torture.
Which Teeth Are Supposed to Erupt First?
When talking on when do babies start teething, it is also essential to consider the sequence of the primary teeth eruption.
Normally, the lower front teeth are the first ones to cut through your baby's gums. In 1 or 2 months they get followed by the upper front teeth. The first molars, which are the first set of double chewing teeth, soon cut through the gums at the back of your child's mouth. A child usually finishes his full set of teeth formation at the age of 2 or 3 years with his second molars eruption.
What Slight Baby Teething Abnormalities Are Still Considered to Be a Norm?
Baby is already born with his full twenty milk teeth set, hiding beneath his gum line and waiting for the suitable moment to cut through it. Typically, a child starts drooling and biting on hard things to boost the process. Also take into account the hereditary pattern, if getting concerned about when do babies start teething. To put it simple, your baby is likely to develop his new teeth at the age one of his parents did.
So, there no need to get worried, if your child has failed to develop his first tooth at the age of six months. Baby teething can also start as early as at the age of three months, and as late as twelve months. In some rare cases, children do not develop their first tooth until the age of 16 months. And all these slight baby teething deviations are still considered to be the norm.
Still, consult with your pediatrician, when you have any doubts and concerns on when do babies start teething and whether your child falls within the norm, to avoid the possible neglecting of the other general health conditions, having the similar symptoms.
What Are the Baby Teething Abnormalities?
When talking on when do babies start teething, it is essential to consider the following baby teething abnormalities, which are likely to considerably hinder or even stop the milk teeth eruption process.
Occasionally, a baby might have congenitally missing tooth, or even the couple of them. However this is very rare abnormality, which develops, when milk teeth were not able to develop at all.
Rare enough, a baby might have a tooth already at birth. Such a tooth generally has no root system and falls out soon. If this does not happen, it should be pulled out by your pediatrician to avoid the possible choking on it.
Sometimes, a child might develop an extra primary tooth (usually it is a third biscuit or the fourth molar). Such an extra tooth also has to be extracted, as it might interfere with the permanent teeth alignment or even hinder the underneath lying tooth eruption.
All the above-mentioned baby teething abnormalities are rare enough and are to be checked with your pediatrician.
When to Seek Medical Help for Baby Teething?
The most tricky thing, when answering the question, when do babies start teething, is that the starting point signs of the primary teeth eruption often get confused with those of the major general health conditions.
For example, such classical baby teething symptoms as drooling, colds, fever, vomiting and diarrhea are also common for acute viral infections, food poisoning, and even common colic. Do not hesitate to immediately contact your pediatrician in such the controversial situations!
So, the answer on the question when do babies start teething might seem to be rather ambiguous, as long as the milk teeth eruption pattern is rather individual and determined by the number of hereditary and anatomical factors. That is why it is so important to have your pediatrician to monitor your baby teething pattern closely enough. Be healthy and wealthy!
