21 May 09 YOUR CHILD’S CARE/TEETH: DEVELOPMENT AND TEETH
Children usually cut their first tooth between 6 and 9 months of age; from then on, teeth erupt rapidly. A good rule of thumb is to calculate 7 months plus one month for each tooth. For example a child of 10 months would be expected to have three teeth (7 plus 3 months = 3 teeth). By the age of 3 years, the average child will have twenty primary or ‘milk’ teeth.
As the teeth push through the gums, children can become irritable, drool a lot and sleep poorly. The gums may become sore, reddened and tender. A blister will sometimes appear over the gum to herald the arrival of a new tooth. Contrary to popular opinion, teething in infants and young children is not responsible for fever, ear infections, diarrhoea, or other ailments.
A child experiencing the discomfort of teething may be helped by teething rings or rusks. The pressure of these against the gum may be soothing. The same effect may be achieved by the parent gently rubbing the affected gum with a finger. Sometimes paracetamol given according to directions may ease the pain, and very occasionally a local anaesthetic cream will be of help, though it will tend to wear off quickly.
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