baby teething advice
Your baby’s milk teeth have to last him until he is at least 5 years old. Taking good care of them will help make sure he never suffers the discomfort of toothache or dental treatment and that his adult teeth will have the best possible launch pad.
A baby’s milk teeth are actually laid down while he is in the womb and begin to erupt through the gum at some time during his first year. Their health and alignment are very important as they can determine the eating habits of your growing child through to adulthood.
When do Babies Start Teething?
Not all babies teethe at the same rate (indeed, some babies are born with teeth) but the teeth usually erupt in the same order. You’ll see from the drawing it’s usually the two centre bottom incisors that come through first, followed by the top two, then two more, one on either side of the first two. Then it’s the first molars and the canines and eye teeth, top and then bottom, and finally the second molars – the teeth right at the back – appear.
By the time your baby is two and a half years old he should have a full set of twenty teeth – ten on the top and ten on the bottom – which he’ll keep until he’s about six years old.
Looking after your baby's teeth
Rob Chapman has been voted one of the UK’s top child friendly dentists. At his Kingston Park dental practice in Newcastle, he aims to make babies' first visits to the dentist full of fun rather than fear. A dentist for 24 years, he doesn’t wear a white coat and when it comes to little ones, never forgets that he’s a dad himself.
