Baby teeth eruption

If your child is teething and seems to have trouble, you can:

  • Rub the gums with your finger.
  • Rub the gums with the back of a small spoon cold.

If the pain persists, a dentist, pharmacist or doctor may recommend a nonprescription drug for pain.

Here's what NOT to do:

  • DO NOT use any kind of medicine against the pain that you rub on the gums of your child; he could swallow the medecine.
  • DO NOT give him teething biscuits. They may contain added sugar or concealed.
  • DO NOT underestimate fever. The eruption of new teeth DO NOT make babies sick or feverish. If your child has a fever, see your doctor.

All 20 primary teeth should appear before your child reaches the age of 2 or 3 years.

Pacifiers

It is normal for babies to suck. That is how they relax and eat. By the time a child is two or three, he has less need to suck. If your child still likes to do so, it is better to give him a pacifier (soother) rather than let him suck his thumb.

Why? Because YOU can control when and how your child uses a pacifier, but not his thumb. Never put sugar, honey or corn syrup on a pacifier because they can cause cavities. It is best to get your child to stop sucking the pacifier BEFORE the age of three. Letting your child continue to suck his thumb or a pacifier AFTER his permanent teeth have come in could cause affect how his jaw grows and the position of his teeth.