When Do Babies Cut Teeth?
By: Amy Rose
Tags: Teething, Health, Parents, Parenting, Baby

Photo by The Honest Company on Unsplash

The birth of a child is a miracle of nature. What’s more miraculous are the stages of development of humans from an infant to an adult. Regardless of the race, religion or ethnicity all children broadly follow similar phases of development. The development cycle consists of milestones which mark an end to one phase of growth and the beginning of the next.

One such milestone is teething. As parents of a newborn child, a lot of questions surround young couples.

· When do babies start turning sides on their own?

· When Do Babies Cut Teeth?

· When do babies start sitting?

These questions though very basic can cause a lot of paranoia among parents as the answers to these questions may vary from child to child.

Baby teeth usually cut through anytime between 3–12 months. The entire process of the 20 baby teeth erupting can last until 2 years of age. Although the process is calling teething or cutting teeth, the teeth do not actually cut through the gums. On the contrary, the gums separate thereby allowing the teeth to emerge. Babies usually have noticeable symptoms a month or two prior to cutting teeth like chewing on toys or fingers, restless sleep at night, drooling, etc.

Babies can go through a lot of discomforts before and during the process of cutting teeth. It is a difficult period for both the baby and the parents as babies tend to get irritable, cranky and can also have trouble settling at night. Gently massaging the baby’s gums with a clean finger usually helps soothe the irritation and pain, if any. This period of discomfort, fortunately, does not last long.

Babies cut teeth in a fairly predictable order. The process normally starts off with the lower central incisors (front two teeth on the lower gums) cutting through. This is followed by upper central incisors (front two teeth on the upper gums), upper lateral incisors, lower lateral incisors, first set of molars, canines and second set of molars. The onset of the teething phase may vary but the order usually remains the same. Female infants usually cut teeth sooner than their male counterparts.

However, heredity plays an important role in the process of teething. Babies may start cutting teeth early or follow a different order of teeth eruption due to heredity. Hence the question — when do babies cut teeth? — can provide a generic response not taking into consideration the heredity factors.

Every baby has a different way of reaching the development cycle milestones. Some babies can tolerate pain and discomfort more than others. Hence it is important to keep an eye of the little activities that a baby does on a daily basis to be able to identify the symptoms of cutting teeth correctly. The pain and discomfort experienced by a baby while the teeth are cutting through usually do not last for more than two days.

Mild fever or mild diarrhea is also experienced by some babies. These symptoms may denote teething or some other health discomfort. Hence it is important to observe these symptoms closely and consult a pediatrician if the symptoms persist to avoid delays in treatment.

There are a lot of activities a baby does on a daily basis which may include biting fingers, pulling ears, creating coughing sounds, drooling, difficulty sleeping at night, etc. These activities, as innocuous as they may sound can indicate that the baby is entering the teething phase.

A sudden increase in such activities should induce the parents to check the gums for swelling, redness or any signs of teeth cutting through. Although when babies cut teeth has an approximate time frame of 3–12 months, there have been many instances when teeth have cut through at the age of 15 months. The cycle of development of an infant is a process and there can be variations in the process.

Cutting teeth early is by no means an indicator of a healthy child (which used to be a belief in ancient times). It is a milestone in the development phase and comes to some babies sooner than the others.

There are a lot of medicines available which claim to make the process of teething easier and pain-free for the baby. These are usually child-safe pain relief medicines. These medicines, if used should be given to the baby only after consultation with the pediatrician.

When babies cut teeth, it will be discomforting for the baby and parents both. While in some cases the pain can be overwhelming for the baby, usually it is more of discomfort that keeps the baby irritated. Under any circumstances, over the counter medicines (OTC’s) should be avoided and only taken post consultation.

There are a huge variety of soothing toys for infants cutting teeth. These are usually called teethers or teething rings. These are often filled with some sort of a fluid or gel than can be frozen or refrigerated. A frozen or cold teether can soothe the teething pain that babies experience when their teeth cut through. These products can usually withstand tough bites to ensure the fluid stays inside. However, teethers need to be cleaned regularly with warm water to avoid any infections.

Historically, teethers date way back to the 17th century thereby making them the oldest tried and tested companions for babies in the teething phase. Teethers come with rings or rattlers to keep the baby occupied and get distracted from the irritation or pain caused by the cutting teeth.

As parents watching the miracle of nature unfold in the form of the development cycle of their baby, questions such as “When do babies cut teeth?” are expected. But, a good understanding of the baby’s daily activities, consultation with a pediatrician, teethers and warm loving parental care can make the experience more enjoyable than worrisome.

It is important to remember that the age for a baby cutting teeth can vary and so can the symptoms. There are no fixed time frames; it is a process that unfolds itself.