The emergence of baby teeth is a very individual matter. There is no set timetable for when a baby’s new teeth will erupt, for how long the process will take nor for how painful an experience it will be. Averaged out, the first tooth usually appears during the seventh month but it can appear months earlier or later. The pattern of eruption varies as well. In some infants you can see the bump in the gums for weeks before the tooth itself appears. In other children the tooth just seems to pop out with no hint of its having been there. The symptoms of an infant in the process of teething are as variable as the timing and can range from irritability and drooling, to skin rash and low grade fever. Any out of the ordinary behavior on behalf of the infant could be a sign of tooth eruption.

There are a number of things that you can do to ease your baby’s teething discomfort. Before using any of them you are well advised to speak to your pediatrician to ensure you have made the right diagnosis and to hear his or her suggestions. As with so many other facets of teething, what works for one child may not work for another. Teething rings that give the infant something hard to bite on helps some children, a parent finger can also serve this purpose. Some children are helped by being given a bottle, or a cup, of cold water. Chilled foods like yoghurt, apple sauce or sliced peaches can also have a soothing effect. If none of these remedies work, you might (after consulting with your pediatrician) offer your infant a baby Tylenol. Since every infant is different, you really have to experiment to find out what works best for your baby.

Teething does come to an end. A baby usually has a full set of 20 baby, or primary teeth, by the age of two or three. These baby teeth usually fall out by the age of six or seven. They are gradually replaced by the full complement of 32 permanent teeth. As with their appearance, the disappearance of the primary teeth is a highly individual matter and some children only lose the last of their primary teeth by the age of twelve. The kind tooth fairy, who leaves your child a gift under the pillow in return for a baby tooth, is, of course, always a welcome and appreciated visitor.