One of the major milestones in a baby’s development is the appearance of the first tooth/teeth in the mouth. I remember as a parent myself how excited l was seeing my baby’s first milk teeth, as they appeared through the gum into the mouth. That goofy smile will always be my pride and the joy is something l will always remember for the rest of my life. The baby’s smile takes on a whole new dimension and each day it changes and becomes more interesting as the baby grows.
The first tooth/teeth usually appear in the mouth between the age of 6 months and 12 months. However it may sometimes be seen earlier than 6 months even as early as at birth (Natal teeth) or within 28 days after birth (Neonatal teeth), and when the teeth failed to erupt within this stipulated time, it is referred to as ‘Delayed eruption’. I shall be talking about Natal and Neonatal teeth and the myths/misconceptions about them in my next episode. Meanwhile, let’s continue with the subject matter at hand.
What is teething?
Teething is the process by which an infant’s deciduous/primary/temporary/milk teeth sequentially appear in the mouth by emerging through the gingiva (gum). It is a harmless normal physiological phenomenon.Some babies sail through the whole experience of teething without any problem at all. Unfortunately, not all babies are so lucky and so some will experience some degrees of discomfort during this process of teething. The idiomatic expression “Teething problem” which means problems that are usually experienced at the beginning or early stages of an event or activities was coined from this baby’s early experience in life.
Are there any problems associated with teething as people believe?
In most cases eruption of teeth as I said earlier causes no distress to the child or parents, but sometimes the process may cause local irritations and some systemic symptoms which though usually mild, and could be severe enough to interfere with the child’s play and sleep. However, most parents and caregivers usually regards primary tooth eruption as a cause of severe illness including; Fever, diarrhea, Convulsion, Vomiting, Neuralgia, Severe headache, Weight loss, Toxaemia, Tonsillitis, Cholera, Meningitis etc. many of which if not properly managed could result in severe morbidity or eventual mortality of the child.
Other misconception/myths/beliefs about teething around the world.
There are myths and folklore on baby’s teeth and teething all over the world and in different cultures.
- In Germany, there is a belief that on sighting a child’s first tooth, the immediate slapping of the child's face will make the tooth grow without pain. Imagine that!
- In Britain, it is also believed that, carrying the baby outside of a house three times on the tenth day after birth will reduce pain during teething.
- In the USA, rubbing of rabbit brain on the gums three or four times a day is believed to be helpful to teething babies.
- In some parts of Nigeria/African, there are beliefs that the Killing of a cock at the first sight of an erupting tooth in a child to prevent teething problems, Snail consumption during pregnancy causes drooling of saliva in an infant when the teeth are erupting, the eruption of a baby’s first teeth before 6 months means the mother will conceive within a year etc.
How true are these assumptions? Are there scientific explanations for the signs and symptoms seen in children during teething?
It is important to note that, although tremendous research in dental science has led to better understanding of oral diseases and systematic approach to treatment, science has only reduced the myths/beliefs and not completely eliminated it from the minds of the people.
Some of the local and systemic signs and symptoms and the explanation relating to their physiological causes are highlighted as follow;
- Redness and Swelling of gingivae (Gum) is as a result of the interplay between eicosanoids, cytokines and growth factors, thus giving symptoms that are inflammatory in nature.
- Patches of erythema on the cheeks may be due to constant wetting of the cheeks by the drooling saliva
- Slight increase in body temperature less than one-degree centigrade (not fever) is due to the interplay between cytokines and growth factors as mentioned above.
- Drooling of saliva occurs when the salivary glands become active at about 2-3 months and contribute to the discomfort during teething. Also, oral phase begins at about 6 months of age where the child begins to introduce objects and fingers to the mouth and this can lead to increased salivation.
- At about 8 or 9 months of age, infants develop a sense of object permanence. Thus, they call out to the mother by crying. Also, discomfort from oral soft tissues could contribute to Increased crying, Irritability, and sleeplessness.
- Circumoral rash is as a result of constant wetting of lips by saliva, and as a result of the loss of water through drooling of saliva, Increased thirst is noticed in the child due to dehydration.
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However, Fever, Vomiting, Diarrhoea, Cough, Catarrh, Skin rash, etc.are not signs of physiologic teething as is usually reported by parents and caregivers and even some healthcare personnel. Around 6 months of age children are prone to infection due to decreasing maternal antibodies, immature antibodies to fight infection; children also begins to crawl and so touches dirty things which he/she introduces to the mouth.Also, food supplements which can cause gastric upset are introduced to the children around this time. Thus whenever these signs and symptoms are seen in a child, the presence of an infection should be suspected and medical attention should be sought immediately, instead of erroneously attributing it to teething.
Conclusion
The natural process of tooth eruption is eagerly awaited by the parents of a child as it is a developmental milestone. This is usually without problems, but when there is, this should not be confused with other health challenges the child might have around the same time. An adequate knowledge of how to care for a child with teething problems and problems around teething will go a long way to improve the quality of life of the child.
What is your own experience regarding myths/folklores/ or beliefs about teething? Feel free to share with me as I read through your responses. Thank you!