What To Do When Your Baby Starts Teething

The first year of your baby's life will include them reaching their own special milestones. One of those is teething. This milestone, which typically begins before 6 months of age, usually comes with pain but also several bonuses.

Teething shows your child is on the right track developmentally, explains Tanny Josen, DDS, a pediatric dentist in Long Island, New York. Tooth eruption means your child is acquiring the ability to tear into meat, bite into a plum, and chew beans—so teething indirectly affects weight gain, immune system strength, and bone and brain development.

Another perk: Your baby's teeth will help their emerging language skills. "As babies acquire teeth and can increasingly bite and chew more textured foods, they are exercising and building the underlying oral-motor musculature for speech development of the jaw, cheeks, tongue, and lips," says Sherry Artemenko, a speech-language pathologist and founder of Play on Words. Plus, your child will need to use their teeth for developing later sounds like /f/, /th/ or /sh/, she adds.

Read on to learn all about when babies start growing teeth, the symptoms, and how you can make it a little easier for them.

When Does Teething Start?

Most babies' teeth will begin to erupt when they are between 4 to 6 months. "For some, it may be earlier or later,″ Dr. Josen says.

When your child's first tooth pops in has nothing to do with smarts. ″The age the baby cuts his or her first tooth depends on family history of teething and nothing more," says Jill Lasky, DDS, a pediatric dentist at Lasky Pediatric Dental Group in Los Angeles. So if you got your teeth early, your child probably will too.

What Order Do Baby Teeth Come In?

Typically, the two bottom front teeth (central incisors) are the first to erupt, followed by the four upper front teeth (central and lateral incisors). Then you can expect the others throughout the mouth. But variations in the order may occur and don't warrant any concern, Dr. Josen says.

Your child should have a full set of 20 primary (baby) teeth by the time they're almost 3.

What Are the Signs of a Teething Baby?

Not all babies will have teething symptoms, but for those who do, the arrival of their pearly whites can cause a whole lot of misery. Dr. Josen says some common teething symptoms are:

• Drooling (it can cause a rash on the chin or face)
• Gum swelling and sensitivity
• Irritability
• Biting
• Sleep problems
• Low-grade fever (less than 101 degrees Fahrenheit, taken rectally) is also common and may be due to gum inflammation) 

Although a common misconception, teething does not cause diarrhea. If your child has diarrhea when teething it's likely caused by changes in their diet as they usually begin eating solids around the same time, a fluid intake increase, or bacteria entering their system. Always talk with their health care provider if your baby is having diarrhea.

How To Make Teething Easier

Teething can be bothersome for many babies. There are some ways to help make the experience easier:

• Massage their gums. You can use your clean finger to gently rub their gums.
• Wipe their drool. Use a cloth to remove drool to help prevent rashes from forming.
• Give them a teething toy. Just use precautions when giving them a teething toy. Make sure it’s big enough so it can’t be swallowed and can’t be broken into small pieces. Firm silicone, rubber, or wooden chewing toys are best. Also, avoid any teething toys that have liquid inside. You may chill these in the refrigerator but not the freezer where it can become too hard.

Always ask your child's health care provider before offering any over-the-counter medication for the pain.

How To Care for Your Baby's Teeth

Once that first tooth comes in, you should start brushing twice a day, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). Use fluoride toothpaste, and the size of a grain of rice will do. That goes up to a pea-sized amount when your kid is 3.

And don't forget about heading to the dentist to help protect their teeth. According to the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, babies should see a dentist by their first birthday or within six months of the eruption of their first tooth.

The first appointment should last around 45 minutes and include an examination of gums, oral tissue, jaw, bite, and any erupted teeth. To ensure proper oral health, the dentist will likely ask about the following:

• Feeding habits and schedule
• Explain bottle tooth decay
• Teething expectations and possible issues
• Pacifier habits
• Finger or thumb-sucking habits and how to break them

When To Seek Help

Premature and low-birthweight babies may experience delays in teething. Some toddlers won't get their first tooth until 18 months, and that can be normal, but a child who doesn't have any teeth by 18 months should see their dentist to confirm the presence of teeth in the mouth, says Carrie M. Brown, MD, a pediatrician in Little Rock, Arkansas. In rare cases, some medical conditions prevent the body from forming teeth.