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| Children - teeth and teething |
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| When does a child's first tooth develop? |
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The age at which the first tooth appears differs greatly from one child
to another. Sometimes, children are born with one or more teeth. If these
are very loose, they may need to be removed as there is a risk that the
child could swallow them. The child may also have difficulties in breastfeeding.
Other children may not develop any teeth until they are more than a year
old. Usually, however, the first tooth - which tends to be in the middle
of the lower jaw - appears at around six months of age. The complete set
of twenty primary teeth (baby teeth) is usually present by the time a
child is two and a half years old.
The first permanent teeth appear at around six years of age. These tend
to be the incisors in the middle of the lower jaw and the first permanent
molar teeth. The molars come up behind the primary teeth; they do not
replace them.
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| Rashes, bad temper and many other characteristics
have been attributed to teething. Are these true? |
| Many things have been attributed to teething: rashes,
crying, bad temper, running noses, etc. These are probably myths, as none
of them can be proven, particularly because there are many other things
that influence a child's behaviour at this age. The important thing is not
to use teething to explain away what might be a sign of illness. |
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| What can a parent do when a child is teething?
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Some teeth come through with no trouble at all; in other cases, the gum
may be sore and red where the tooth is pushing its way out. A child may
dribble, gnaw and chew a lot or just be irritable, but it is difficult
to tell if this is really due to teething. It can be helpful to give the
child something hard to chew on. Teething rings can be soothing, but care
should be taken that they are washed well and do not become responsible
for an infection. Paracetamol may also be given. Care should be taken
to follow the instructions according to the child's age.
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| What can one do to take care of a child's teeth?
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| A parent could do these things to care for a child's
teeth. |
- Brushing the teeth thoroughly twice a day; just before bed is important
- Helping children brush their teeth until they are able to do it well
by themselves - usually around the age of seven
- Encourage the child to spit after brushing;
- Using a tiny smear of toothpaste for babies and a pea-sized amount
for children
- Young children will swallow the toothpaste; Children's toothpaste
with reduced fluoride can be used until they are able to spit well
- Visiting a dentist regularly to get the child used to the dental procedures
- Reducing your child's sugar intake As soon as the baby is on solids,
encouraging a liking for savoury, rather than sweet tastes Reducing
the amount of sugary food or drinks given to a child and limiting these
to mealtimes
- Using gifts other than sweets and biscuits as treats for rewards.
- Giving only water or plain milk in a bottle.
- Juices should be diluted and given in a cup
- Limiting fizzy drinks and natural fruit juices as they contain sugar
and are acidic; this causes decay and erosion which will literally dissolve
the teeth
- If sweets are given as treats, it should be ensure that they are all
eaten at the same time, because it is the frequent eating of sweets
that damages the teeth.
- Reading labels carefully. Sugar may be listed as glucose, sucrose,
honey, dextrose, maltose, fructose, hydrolysed starch or syrup. Maltodextrin,
honey, raw sugar, cane sugar, fruit juices all cause decay
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| When should a child be taken to the doctor? |
| When all the above mentioned steps do not control
this problem, A child should be taken to the doctor if the child: |
- Still wets the bed after the age of six
- Suddenly starts wetting the bed without having done so earlier
- Urine has a strong smell, or if the child says that it hurts during
or after urination
- Starts to wet himself or herself during the day
- Urinates more than usual, day or night
- Has constipation or defecates in his or her pants
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| Other tips for healthy teeth: |
Every time even small amounts of sugar are consumed,
the acid level in the mouth falls to a level where it can cause dental decay
for about half an hour. For this reason, it is unadvisable to brush teeth
immediately after something sweet or acidic since the teeth are weakened,
and brushing 'scours' the surface of the enamel.
It's a better idea to wait half an hour after eating before brushing. It
is also useful to chew sugar-free chewing gum after eating as this encourages
the flow of saliva, which naturally buffers the acids that cause dental
decay. |
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| This page was last modified on June 27, 2001 |
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