Oral Health Tips - Teething

Baby teething is a very difficult time for parent and baby alike and finding a remedy to appease your child’s pain quickly becomes a priority. As with many things the successful solution is personal to you and your baby and may include one or a combination of remedies.

Being food based, Bickiepegs complement baby led weaning and are in our opinion better than plastic or other non-food based teethers because our product is designed to access all teeth at the front and back of the jaw. You may also like to try the Bickiepegs Finger Toothbrush and Gum Massager for soothing painful gums and introducing brushing for first teeth.

BIRTH – Teeth start forming in the baby’s gum from 2 months of pregnancy so at birth all “milk” teeth are formed in the gums. In rare instances some babies are born with one or more teeth.

3 MONTHS – Teething may start as early as 3 months of age. Symptoms vary and include flushed cheeks, excessive saliva (dribbling), chewing on a finger (or anything else they can get their hands on!) and irritability.

6 -7 MONTHS – First teeth appear, usually the top and bottom incisors

12 MONTHS – First molars emerge. On average infants may have about 6 teeth.

18 MONTHS – Canines (cuspid) teeth start to appear.

2 – 3 YEARS – Second molars appear. Children tend to have the first set of 20 milk teeth.

See our teething chart

Although the age at which teeth appear can vary greatly, the rules of looking after them are still important. See Caring for first teeth.

Symptoms of Teething

Many babies experience discomfort when teeth begin ‘cutting’ and this can be upsetting for both baby and parents! Babies may show various symptoms of the teething process, these can include:

• Flushed cheeks, especially on the affected side
• Dribbling
• Chewing on anything they can!
• Sore red gums
• Being irritable

Please note if your baby shows signs of bleeding gums, diarrhoea or you are worried about their symptoms, always talk to a health professional.

How to soothe teething symptoms

• Massage the affected gum with a finger toothbrush and gum massager
• Try offering cold slices of fruit such as apple
• Offer something hard to chew on such as a Bickiepeg Teething biscuit
  NB Never leave your child unattended whilst feeding
• Rub a mild anaesthetic on the affected area or apply some to the end of the Bickiepeg
• Avoid giving your child sugary foods or drinks to calm them as these could encourage tooth decay or a ‘sweet’ tooth.

Caring for first teeth

• As soon as possible introduce an open cup such as the Doidy Cup to promote drinking from an open cup rather than a spout.
• In an article on toddler diets and oral health, the British Dental Health Foundation website says that drinks should be offered six to eight times a day, and, from as early an age as possible, should be sipped from a cup or glass, not sucked from a bottle. The same Foundation suggests starting by the time babies are about 6 months old, or when they are able to sit up and can hold things on their own.
• Always stick to water or milk as a drink as acid in fruit juice can attack babies teeth.
• From first teeth appearing it is important to start brushing them with a special finger tooth brush and toothpaste.
• Completely stop the use of bottles and spouted cups by the age of 12 months to avoid premature tooth decay (early dental caries).
• Start visiting the Dentist to get regular advice and help your child become used to having their teeth checked. It is advised to go to the dentist with your little one before their first birthday, Dental Check by 1yr British Society of Paediatric Dentistry 2017.