Dental health is important, and even more so when we are talking about babies. These adorable little beings need special care in their dental growth stage, as it can interfere with many things. In today’s article we want to help you, especially if you are a new parent, to understand your baby’s dental needs in this new stage of their development.
Although most parents feel insecure when it comes to attending to the development of a new child, those who have already had several will know what the symptoms of teething are and how to do it, and also understand that not all babies are the same.
But to make your life a little easier, today we bring you some of the symptoms that you can know at a glance to help you determine when your baby is teething without even having developed their first tooth yet:
Your baby will start inserting different objects into his mouth for no apparent reason just to chew on them. And when he does, he just drools on them and may even damage the corners of his mouth.
● His cheeks tend to have a somewhat elevated temperature and may be a little red.
● Your baby’s gums look more swollen than usual, and also more reddish in color.
● Your baby is not hungry, does not want to eat, especially if you put solid foods in front of him.
● He is more irritable, cries for no apparent reason, has no control over his cries and does not have a good quality of sleep.
He needs to be much closer to you, needs more cuddling and to be constantly in your arms.
Sometimes babies can also develop other types of symptoms, such as diarrhea, fever, etc. But this depends on the child, as not all are the same. What you have to keep in mind is that infections are more prone at this stage of their life since the baby’s defenses are weak due to the effort required to make teeth come out, so you must be fully alert to any significant change in their skin or general health. Just because these are normal symptoms does not mean that we should let our guard down when it comes to prioritizing our baby’s health and well-being.
This is a normal reaction of the body that also happens to us as adults. Since, if we feel bad it is obvious that we will not want to eat food, and much less if our focus of discomfort comes from the mouth. The gums in this case, as we have already mentioned, are quite swollen and very sensitive. Therefore, solid foods can hurt them and cause more pain.
Although it should be noted that not all babies by law should lose their appetite when they are teething, but it does happen sometimes. Always observe your baby in detail and analyze his changes in order to better understand him at each new stage.
Some data collection suggests that babies tend to lose their appetite if they are teething first, since the molars and complementary teeth do not usually hurt. Therefore, this could be when your baby is between 15 and 21 months of age.
If we approach a parenting community, we might also hear different opinions, and they might even say that children lose their appetite before this time estimate. But again, we specify that each child is different and you should observe how yours is to understand their development.
Just as we prefer a vegetable spread after proceeding with a dental operation or deep cleaning, babies may also decide that in this painful process they only feel like eating foods that won’t hurt their gums, such as purees. Every food that is easy to eat will be a relief for their developing teeth.
The best foods at this stage are purees, whether they are of:
● Fruits
● Grains
● Vegetables
● Cereals
Cold foods, despite what you may think, are a great ally at this time. Your baby is going through a stage where his body temperatures will probably start to rise, so you could help him level the temperatures and relieve gum pain with more or less cold foods. Among the options most recommended by specialists in terms of fresh baby food are:
● Cucumber sticks
● Whole strawberries
● Avocado pancakes
● Fruit yogurts
● Cold vegetable purees
Foods not suitable for this type of feeding is animal protein, as it obviously needs to be heated for baby’s consumption.
We will leave you with this option in case your baby is not experiencing so much pain in his gums at teething time. In fact, in case this is not happening, chewing on either food or bottles has been proven to help the baby relieve the pressure on the gums and reduce the swelling.
Among the foods that are acceptable for babies going through this stage are:
● Carrot sticks
● Green pods
● Sliced sweet peppers
● Peas
It should be noted that when you introduce these foods to the baby’s mouth you should be attentive to his reaction to see if it is satisfactory or not, since we do not know if there is pain in his gums.
Not at all, although it is quite alarming, we can clearly say that at this stage your child will decrease the amount of food he/she eats due to the pain caused by the gums. The best thing to do is to continue giving him breast milk (in case he is still in the weaning process) so that he continues to ingest the necessary nutrients for his growth.
However, if he refuses to eat completely, you should be concerned and take him to a pediatrician to make sure that everything is fine and you are not facing a major problem.
At this stage make sure to keep him well hydrated and constantly active. You will notice that your child will be constantly sucking on food, so if you want to give him food through the bottle again it is totally understandable, since the child wants his gums to be active to avoid the pressure he may feel when the teeth are in the process of coming out.
In case he does not want to drink breast milk, you can add small amounts when making his purees so that he can continue to ingest it and take the necessary vitamins.
It usually takes from a few days to a week. It depends on your baby and his individual development, it can last even longer if the symptoms come before the baby’s teeth are fully developed. In case of loss of appetite, the most common is that it returns within a week, in case it does not, it is best to take him/her to a pediatrician to evaluate the case.
The first days when the baby’s first tooth is already visible, it is important to keep it clean with a small sponge or specific cloth for its use. Toothpaste cannot be used yet, but small toothbrushes can be used as the others grow.
In case you are worried about your child’s teeth, visit us at City Dental Clinic! We will be glad to give you all the information you need to know about this new dental stage where the correct development is the most important thing.
