When to worry about baby teeth not coming in? It’s one of the most pressing concerns for new parents. They’re looking forward to their toothy, charming grins while dreading the sleepless nights that will rock them in.
Most children’s infant teeth appear between the ages of 6 and 12 months. A minor delay is acceptable, but if your child is 18 months old and has no teeth, it may be time to see your dentist.
What can you read in this article?
- When does baby teeth come out
- Signs of tooth eruption
- When to worry about baby teeth not coming in?
- Is late teething a sign of autism?
- Is late teething a sign of intelligence?
Baby teeth are the first teeth to appear or erupt after birth. They are temporary, which means they will fall out and be replaced with permanent teeth. Delayed tooth eruption is usually not caused for alarm, but it never hurts to check.
The importance of baby teeth
The primary teeth of a child are significant on many levels, from physical looks to eating and speaking. They can have an impact on things like:
1. Speech development
Spend some time talking to a child who has two missing front teeth. Have you noticed anything? This is a simple example of how much a child’s ability to talk clearly is aided by the presence of teeth.
This is also true for well-positioned teeth. Teeth that are healthy, properly spaced, and reasonably aligned can make a significant difference in a baby’s ability to form words and talk clearly.
2. Proper chewing and eating
Proper digestion begins in the mouth, and a baby’s teeth are crucial to general oral health and wellness. Chewing aids in the breakdown of food into digestible pieces.
A child who eats a varied and texture-rich diet stimulates and exercises the gums while also providing a cleaning action for the teeth.
3. Development of muscles and jaw bones:
Chewing, along with sucking, allows your infant to engage their facial, tongue, and jaw muscles. There is a chance that the jawbones will not form properly if the jaw muscles are not well-developed. Chewing a range of textures in food is a terrific way for your child to develop strong facial muscles and jaws!
When to worry about baby teeth not coming in? | Photo from Pixabay
When does baby teeth come out?
The majority of a baby’s teeth are produced within the gums when he or she is born. By six months of age, these teeth normally begin to burst through the surface of their gums (or erupt).
The projected eruption times of various teeth vary depending on the tooth. The following are normal timetables for upper teeth, according to the American Dental Association:
- Central incisor: 8 to 12 months
- Lateral incisor: 9 to 13 months
- Canine (cuspid): 16 to 22 months
- First molar: 13 to 19 months
- Second molar: 25 to 33 months
Meanwhile, the timelines for lower teeth include:
- Central incisor: 6 to 10 months
- Lateral incisor: 10 to 16 months
- Canine (cuspid): 17 to 23 months
- First molar: 14 to 18 months
- Second molar: 23 to 31 months
All infant teeth normally appear between the ages of 27 and 33 months, or around the age of three.
Keep in mind that these are only guidelines. Baby tooth placement in your child
Baby teeth typically erupt 6 to 12 months after their estimated eruption time. However, if your child’s remaining baby teeth are sprouting when they approach 45 months (about 4 years old), it is unlikely to be a concern.
If your child does not have any teeth by the age of nine months, you should take them to see a pediatric dentist.
Signs of tooth eruption
The symptoms vary from infant to baby, but they may include:
- Sore gums
- Fussiness and crying
- A somewhat higher temperature (less than 101 F)
- Gnawing or the desire to chew on hard items
- Excessive drooling, which might develop a rash on their face
- Coughing
- Rubbing their chin or pushing on their ear
- Putting their hands to their mouths.
- Alterations in eating or sleeping habits
Teething can be uncomfortable, but it seldom causes babies to become ill. If your baby gets diarrhea, vomiting, rashes on the body, a higher temperature, or cough and congestion, contact your doctor. These are not typical teething symptoms.
You should also see a pediatrician if your baby’s gums are bleeding or if you notice any pus or swelling on their face.
When to worry about baby teeth not coming in? | Image from Pexels
When to worry about baby teeth not coming in
Delayed tooth eruption is not unusual, but it is also not a natural aspect of a child’s growth. Your child’s teeth may be coming in later than typical for a variety of reasons.
Low birth weight or premature birth
Developmental delays can occur in newborns born prematurely or with a low birth weight. Teeth may erupt later than usual because of this condition.
Because the last few of months of development take place outside of the womb rather than inside, a baby born a few months early may experience tooth eruption a few months later than usual.
Genetics
Delayed tooth eruption may be a family trait. If the child’s parent has teeth that erupted late, the child’s teeth may also erupt late.Down syndrome, Amelogenesis imperfecta,
Regional odontodysplasia, Cleidocranial dysostosis, Apert syndrome, Ellis-van Creveld syndrome, Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome, Zimmermann-Laband-1 syndrome, and Axenfeld–Rieger syndrome are all genetic conditions that can cause tooth eruption to be delayed.These conditions may also cause a delay in the eruption of permanent teeth.
Developmental Disorders
Hormone production is the responsibility of the endocrine system. Some of these hormones are responsible for growth and development.
Children with developmental problems, such as hypopituitarism (pituitary gland condition), may experience delayed growth and development, including tooth eruption.
Hypopituitarism, hypoparathyroidism, and hypothyroidism are endocrine system abnormalities that can cause delayed tooth eruption, as can other developmental disorders.
Vitamin deficiencies
Delays in tooth eruption can occur in children with vitamin deficits, such as Vitamin D-resistant Rickets, and other nutritional difficulties.
Is late teething a sign of autism?
A careful examination of newborn teeth is providing new insight into the causes of autism – as well as techniques to detect it early.
According to the findings, the way babies metabolize two nutrients – zinc and copper – may predict who will acquire the illness.
“We have identified cycles in nutrient metabolism that are apparently critical to healthy neurodevelopment, and are dysregulated inautism spectrum disorder,” said one of the study’s lead authors, Paul Curtin.
They were able to discover an abnormality in autistic children’s metabolic processes by analyzing their baby teeth and comparing the results to those of healthy children.
According to the research team, this is the first study to uncover a marker that can predict the risk of autism with 90% accuracy, and it may hint to a possible new technique for diagnosing autism.
However, one autism expert stated that the findings were intriguing, but that they were still in the early stages.
Is late teething a sign of intelligence?
Another superstition associates teething with intelligence. Some people believe that delayed teething in an infant is a sign of intellect. Others, on the other hand, believe that early teething leads to a higher IQ.
According to legend, Julius Caesar and Napoleon Bonaparte were both born with natal teeth. However, it cannot be confirmed. Children with a high IQ can be early or late bloomers.
When should you take your child to the dentist?
Take your child to the dentist if he or she does not have any baby teeth by the age of 12 months. You should also take them to the dentist if their remaining baby teeth do not appear by the age of four.
To determine the cause, the dentist may recommend you to a specialist.
Other symptoms that necessitate a visit to the dentist include:
- missing teeth
- widely spaced teeth
- unusually large or small teeth
- signs of cavities in baby teeth
- baby teeth fail to fall out when permanent teeth come in
If a child has a fever, a temperature of 38°C, you should take them to their pediatrician. A slightly elevated temperature is common while teething, but a fever is usually a sign of something more serious.
When your child’s first baby tooth does come in, bring them to the dentist as well.
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