Newborn babies have 20 primary teeth set, which are present under the gums and are not visible outside. They start showing up when the babies are between 4 and 7 months. For most of the newborns, the first teeth set starts to appear during the 6th month.

Drooling, loose bowel movements (since the baby swallows extra saliva), slight cough, slight rashes under the chin are some pre-teething symptoms observed for the baby. At this time, the little bibs should be thrown out and the baby should be cleaned time to time with a cloth diaper or a drool rag. A gentle lotion can be applied for soothing the itching sensation and rash creams can be applied in case of a diaper rash.

Some babies may even develop temperature up to 100 degrees Fahrenheit during teething time. The baby also starts trying to chew anything that is visible or sucking its thumbs. This is because the pressure applied on the gums makes them feel better. Once you run a clean finger along the gums, you may feel some teeth ridges which are a clear indication that the teething period has started.

Generally, girl babies start teething faster than the boys. If teething starts during cold season, babies may experience some pain due to the cold getting on them. At this time, you may wear a hat for the baby when the temperature drops or when the baby starts feeling cold.

If the pain radiates to the face, you may see babies pulling their ears. Sometimes, mood swings are observed and they deny eating anything. They are resistant to nursing and touching by outsiders. It may be possible that some babies demand more nursing and attention during teething.

Frozen fruit slushes, mushy foods that are easy to chew and slip through the throat, cool purees, sweet sauces and yoghurt can soothe the gums during the teething period, and these are all good in nourishing the baby well.

Generally, the top two teeth in the middle show up first although for some babies, the bottom ones show up. Some of the babies develop teeth with an irregular pattern though this is rare. By 7 – 10 months, you may observe a set of 4 teeth coming out. The molars are the next to appear, the first of it is seen between 10 – 14 months. The second set appears only when the child is two or three years old. The wisdom teeth, which comes up next is the third set of molars appearing when the child is between 13 and 18 years or even during adulthood.

Canine teeth appear around 18 months and you may visit the dentist for the first check up. Even if the teeth pattern is not too uniform, it would be become normal over years. By the age of 2, almost all teeth are out for the child and you may visit the dentist for a check-up on the healthy state of your baby’s teeth.

If the baby tends to sleep with the feeding bottle in the mouth, it is better to check with the dentist periodically between 18 – 36 months in order to avoid future problems, or fix any dental problems at an early stage.