Teething

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Teething normally occurs between 6 to 24 months of age.  Some of the symptoms include increased drooling, restlessness, refusal of food due to soreness of gum, hands in mouth for comfort.

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Things that helped:

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• Chilled, teething ring.  We bought two different ones so it could be interchanged as required. Chilled and not frozen as this can damage the gums

• Teething ointment to numb the gums may help.  We used bonjela

• We used to run a clean, damp cloth over gums

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Never put anything into a child's mouth (including teething biscuits) that may cause the child to choke.

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Once the tooth appears, brush with infant toothbrush.  Use water and a little bit of toothpaste.  We used specific paste for baby teeth.  Initially we used the wash cloth to clean his teeth as we felt it was gentler on his gums and later used a toothbrush when he had a few teeth.  We brush his teeth instead of allowing him to so that it is cleaned well.  When he brushes his teeth it is always supervised - this is recommended until the child turns 6 as they may swallow toothpaste.

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It is recommended to take a child to the dentist from the age of 1.   We started taking him once he turned 3 as we did not have any concerns with his teeth development.  His first visit was more to get him used to the dentist which will now be 6 monthly visits.  This way he does not associate the dentist with pain or fear when he really needs to get something with his teeth sorted.

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He does grind his teeth at night which is fairly common in children.  If you are concerned please speak to your dentist.

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Next....Trips to the Doctor