What to Expect with Baby Teeth

Children’s teeth begin forming before birth and can be affected by any problems encountered during pregnancy. The first teeth to come in are usually the lower central incisors.  While the normal times for the baby teeth to erupt through the gums show a lot of variation, the first teeth to erupt usually appear around age 6-10 months. All 20 of the primary teeth usually appear by age 3 but the pace and order of eruption varies. Keep in mind that the eruption times can vary greatly so don’t worry if your little one is a little ahead or behind with his or her baby teeth schedule.

The experts at our Raleigh pediatric dentist office will tell you that when a baby is teething and the first baby teeth are coming in it can be very painful. The gums are often sore and the child may be irritable and cranky. You can gently rub your baby’s gums with a clean finger or wet gauze to sooth the pain. You can also give your baby a clean teething ring to chew on. Teething should not cause your child to have a fever. If your child does have a fever during teething it is usually unrelated to teething.

If a back baby tooth is lost early then the teeth next to it can move into the empty space that is left behind. When these adjacent teeth move into the empty space they cause other teeth to move as well creating an overall loss of space in the jaw for the permanent teeth. This causes the permanent teeth to come in crowded, crooked, or may even prevent the permanent tooth from having position to come in at all. As a result, orthodontic treatment may be needed. If a back tooth is lost early then a space maintainer can be placed to keep the adjacent teeth from drifting.

Baby teeth can and do often get cavities! Since baby teeth are much smaller than permanent teeth it does not take long for a cavity to become very large and destructive. If left untreated cavities can cause pain and infection of the gums and jaws that can lead to the need for the baby teeth to be pulled. Furthermore, cavities are caused by bacteria and are actually an infection of the tooth. This infection can spread to permanent teeth, other baby teeth, or even siblings’ teeth.

Remember, Triangle Pediatric Dentistry is the ideal pediatrics dentist to help you through those occasionally trying times of baby teeth coming in.  If you have questions about baby back teeth, baby molar teeth, the baby teeth chart and more, call your friendly Raleigh pediatric dentist or Wake Forest dentist today.