What is teething?.

A Babies start to grow their teeth during pregnancy when they are developing in the womb. These teeth then sit in the gums, until chemicals in your child’s body are released to start the process of the teeth growing through the gums. The chemicals that are released by the body help the tooth push through the gum rather than tearing the surrounding skin and this helps to diminish some of the pain. This process of the teeth growing through gums usually occurs from 3 months to 6 months of age and is known as teething. It also co-insides with your child’s readiness for weaning onto solid foods.
Most children will have their full set of first teeth by the time they are three or four years of age. A full set of first teeth contains 20 teeth in total.
Though the order in which teeth appear during teething differs from child to child, it tends to follow a general pattern with the bottom teeth coming through first.

Little girls tend to begin teething at a slightly earlier age than boys. During teething, some children may experience a considerable amount of discomfort and pain, which leads to them becoming restless and irritable. Other children may appear to have no symptoms whatsoever and make it through the entire teething process without any problems.

For more information on the symptoms of teething and how to manage them please take a look at our other frequently asked questions in this teething section.

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