DENTITION TROUBLES IN TEETHING INFANTS – GENERAL AND HOMOEOPATHIC MANAGEMENT

Teething is the process by which an infant's teeth erupt, or break through, the gums. Teething is also referred to as "cutting" of the teeth. Teething is medically termed odontiasis. Teething symptoms can precede the actual appearance of a tooth by as much as two or three months.

Typically, babies get their in pairs. First come the middle two on the bottom. A month or so later, the two above those arrive. Still, it’s not uncommon to see a baby with four bottom and no upper teeth, or the reverse. A general timeline for teething are 6 months for lower central incisors, 8 months for upper central incisors, 10 months for lower and upper lateral incisors, 14 months for first molars, 18 months for canines and 24 months for second molars

Common symptoms of Dentition in infants

Short of actually seeing a tooth poking through, and given that the process is different for every baby, some possible symptoms to watch for:

Drooling -  It's hard to believe so much fluid can come from the mouths of tiny babes, but teething stimulates drooling, and the waterworks are on for many babies starting from about 10 weeks to three or four months of age or older. If baby's shirts are constantly soggy, fasten on a bib to keep her more comfortable (and cleaner), and gently wipe her chin throughout the day to stave off chapping.

Teething rash - If teething baby is drooling, the constant drip may cause chafing, chapping, redness and rashes around her mouth and chin (and even on her neck). Patting it away will help prevent her skin from taking a hit.

Coughing and/or gag reflex - All that drool can make babies gag and cough. But it's not cause for concern if baby has no other signs of cold, flu or allergies.

Biting - Pressure from teeth poking through under the gums causes baby a lot of discomfort — which can be relieved by counter pressure (chewing and biting). Teething babies will gum whatever they can find, from teething rings and rattles to your soon-to-be sore nipples (if you're breastfeeding) and fingers.

Crying - Some babies breeze through teething with nary a whimper, while others suffer from a good deal of pain due to the inflammation of tender gum tissue — which they feel compelled to share with you in the form of whining or crying. First teeth usually hurt the most (as do the molars, because they're bigger), although most babies eventually get used to what teething feels like and aren't quite so bothered later on.

Irritability - baby's mouth will ache as that little tooth presses on the gums and pokes up to the surface, and, not surprisingly, it'll probably make her feel out of sorts. Some babies may be irritable for just a few hours, but others can stay fussy for days or even weeks.

Refusal to feed - Uncomfortable, cranky babies yearn to be soothed by something in their mouths — whether a bottle or the breast. But the suction of nursing may make a teething infant's sore gums feel worse. For that reason, teething babies can be fussy about feedings (and get more frustrated as neither their discomfort nor their hungry tummies find relief). Those eating solid foods may also refuse to eat while they're teething.

Night waking - The teething fairy doesn't only work days. As your baby's little chompers begin to emerge, her discomfort may disrupt her nighttime slumber (even if she previously slept through the night). Before offering comfort, see if she can settle herself back to sleep; if she's still restless, soothe her with patting or lullabies but avoid a return to overnight feedings (which will come back to haunt you when this phase has passed).

Ear pulling and cheek rubbing - Babies whose teeth are coming in may tug furiously at their ear or rub their cheek or chin. The reason may be Gums, ears and cheeks share nerve pathways, and so an ache in the gums (especially from erupting molars) can travel elsewhere. Babies with ear infections will also yank on their ears, so check with physician if you suspect your little one may be bothered by more than just teething.

The type and severity of these symptoms vary widely from baby to baby — for one, teething means lots of pain and big-time tears, while another might breeze right through to a mouth full of teeth without a complaint. But can probably expect to see at least some, and maybe many, of these symptoms.

General Management

There are a lot of things can do to relieve baby from teething pain. Here are some baby teething remedies:

·        To relieve the pain temporarily, try running a cold spoon on your baby’s gum. You could dip your finger in cold water and run your finger over the gums. This will relieve the pain for a short duration

·        You can use a cold washcloth over your baby’s gums every now and then. This will keep the pain at bay and prevent any rashes from the drooling as well.

·        Teething rings are recommended for babies at this age. There are many silicone based rings that can be sterilized and are healthy. You can put these teething rings in the fridge for a while so they become cold, and then give it to your baby. The cold will relieve the swelling in the area, and help cure the rashes too.

·        You can give your baby a pacifier. Your baby will have an intense urge to chew on things during this period.

·        Giving a comfortable pacifier to chew on will make your baby feel calm and soothe the pain. You could refrigerate this pacifier before you give it to your baby. Do not put it in the freezer. A pacifier put in the freezer will become too hard, and hurt your baby’s jaws.

·        If your baby is over 6 months old, you can give some breadsticks to chew on. You could also try feeding some cold fruits and vegetables at this point. These fruits and vegetables can relieve gum pain as well. When feeding frozen vegetables and fruits, stay away from feeding your baby with carrots or any other hard vegetables that will be tough to chew on.

·        Make sure your baby gets as much liquid nutrition as possible. Since your baby will not be interested in eating food due to the pain, you can try to feed healthy but liquid foods. You should always keep some cold water handy in these situations. You can also make some smoothies, purees or give yogurt to your baby.

·        Putting some pressure on your baby’s gums would also help. Rub your baby’s gums till you can hear a squeaky noise. This pressure will relieve your baby and the squeaking noise might distract from the pain as well.

·        Brushing your baby’s gums with a soft toothbrush about twice a day really helps relieve the pain. It will certainly help for you to feed your baby some chilled smoothies. The taste will distract from the pain, and the chill will relieve pain.

·        There are some really funky pacifiers you can try out. There are some that vibrate, in order to provide pain relief to the baby. See if these work for your baby.

Do’s and Do not’s

·        Do’s - Give baby something cold to suck or chew e.g. teether or a clean cloth dipped in water and kept in the freezer. Wipe your baby's face often with a soft cloth to clean the saliva to prevent rashes.

·        Don't - keep small objects within the reach of babies. Don't give any unclean object to the baby.

HOMOEOPATHIC MANAGEMENT

Homoeopathy has been found to be very successful in treating dentition problems in children’s and medicines are perfectly safe. These natural homoeopathic remedies do not have any side effects at all. Safety of the medicines is a major issue when you are to give any medicine to your child. Therefore it is of utmost importance that the medicines should be completely safe. Homoeopathic remedies are known to be perfectly safe and have been tried by millions of patients all over the world over the last 2 centuries. Homoeopathy is a safe and natural way to relieve the red, swollen gums and the pain. Homoeopathic medicines also help your baby calm down and get to sleep. Following are some of the commonly used homoeopathic medicines for 'Dentition troubles in children '. It is advised that a qualified homoeopathic doctor should be consulted.

Indicated Remedies	Indications
Aconite	Fever with chills Excessive thirst Anxiety and restlessness Relief with sweating
Chammomilla	Child extremely irritable and peevish One cheek red and other pale Profuse sweat on head Greenish offensive diarrhoea Gums red and tender
Calcarea carbonica	Delayed dentition in fat, fair and flabby baby Profuse sweating on head Child has likings for eggs and indigestible things like clay, chalk,coal etc.
Aethusa cyanapium	Delayed dentition in thin emaciated child Indigestion Vomiting of curdled milk or greenish vomiting followed by exhaustion and sleepiness No desire to drink water Sour smelling diarrhoea
Calcerea phosphoricum	Whole body of child smells sour Pain in abdomen with tenesmus (painful urge for stool) Child is unable to digest milk Milk causes pain in stomach Undigested sour smelling stool
Belladonna	Red, severely inflamed gums. Agitated child, can`t fall asleep. Teething is sometimes accompanied by tonsillitis or earache with high fever.
Mercurius solubilis	Excessive drooling, bad breath, coated tongue. Pain is often worse at night.
Pulsatilla	a clingy and tearful baby, wants to be held and comforted all the time. Pain is relieved by sucking a cold teething ring or when breathing cool, fresh air