Toddler

When Mitchell Gendron got his first tooth at five months, his mother hardly noticed. "He just drooled a little," she remembers, "and the next thing I knew, he had four teeth."

The first four teeth (two top, two bottom) usually arrive somewhere between six and 13 months.

But Mitchell is 15 months old now and the teething isn't over. "In fact, it's much worse now that he's getting his eyeteeth," Gendron says. "He drools, his cheeks are red and he cries a lot and screws up his face in pain." Mitchell's teeth are coming in a little ahead of average but they're arriving in the usual order. The first four teeth (two top, two bottom) come in at the front of baby's mouth, and these usually arrive somewhere between six and 13 months (although there are babies who are born with teeth and others who stay toothless until 15 months or so). Then come the teeth just behind where the eyeteeth will appear -- the "pre-molars." These have usually come through by the time a toddler is 15 months old, and they will be followed over the next two or three months by the four eyeteeth, filling in the gap between the pre-molars and the front teeth. Finally, between the child's second and third birthdays, the molars will push their way through.

Many parents find, as Gendron did, that teething is more traumatic for a toddler than it is for a baby. The later teeth often seem to cause more discomfort as they erupt, and it can be harder to soothe an older child. Celine Randall's daughter, Nathalie, is almost two and already has one of her molars. "The later teeth definitely bothered her more," Randall says, although Nathalie never had a fever and as far as Randall could tell, "never felt sick. She would just cry in pain."

Some remedies can help relieve the pain, but there is no magic solution.

Offering Nathalie a chilled rubber teether didn't seem to help -- these often work better for babies when they have pain near the front of the mouth. Instead, Randall turned to homeopathic remedies to relieve Nathalie's discomfort. "They took the pain away quickly and she calmed right down."

Christy Perkins, who is in her internship year in naturopathic studies with the Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine in Toronto, says there are a number of alternative remedies for teething pain in toddlers. "Clove oil, which is available in most health food stores, is a natural anaesthetic," she says. "Put a drop on your finger and massage it onto the baby's gums." (Clove oil should not be given to infants under six months and needs to be diluted for babies and toddlers. Please check with a naturopath first.)

Popsicles are Mitchell's favourite teething remedy, his mom says. "It's great now that he can hold them himself. He also loves to suck on a cold, wet washcloth -- I guess it's easier to get it to the back of his mouth where he's sore." Gendron says that Mitchell also seems to be doing a lot of biting, including trying to bite his older sister! But it's not just people he's hungry for. "He'll bite the edge of the table, toys, anything. It seems to make his gums feel better." She reminds other parents that while teething toddlers may have red cheeks and a low fever, a rising fever shouldn't be ignored. Recently when Mitchell developed a fever, Gendron assumed it was only due to teething. Only after it had persisted for several days did she finally take him to the doctor and discover that he had a viral infection. "Sometimes we start attributing everything to teething when there may be other things going on, too."

Dr. Dorothy Todd, a Hamilton, Ontario dental surgeon, says that the first stage of teething -- when the tooth is pushing through the bone -- is the most painful. The next stage, when the tooth actually breaks through the gum, is usually less painful, but it has some less-than-pleasant side effects. "The mouth always has high levels of bacteria," explains Todd, "and when the gums split open to let the tooth through, those germs gain clear passage into the bloodstream. This can strain your toddler's immune system and that's why teething children often get colds and other ailments." Some remedies can help relieve the pain, but there is no magic solution. Todd recommends that parents of teething toddlers focus on keeping their little ones' immune systems working well. "Breastfeeding is great because breastmilk is a natural antibiotic which reduces bacteria in the mouth." Making sure your toddler's diet includes lots of vitamin C and calcium will also help during teething times.

February 1997