Guide
10 reasons why babies cry
by Myrtha Brunner
The first milk tooth
9.3.2019
Translation: machine translated
Teething is associated with great pain. Thanks to various signs, you can recognise when your baby is teething and help them to fight the pain. The first tooth is also accompanied by dental care.
My daughter recently flashed a bright white baby tooth at me. It's time, the first tooth! A milestone in the development of every baby. And when the first tooth arrives, it comes out of the mouth in quick succession. Every white eye-catcher is a highlight and is celebrated with the child. For the baby itself, however, it's unfortunately not a walk in the park. They suffer. One minute they are playing happily and the next they are crying. Each time I went through possible reasons for the crying in my mind. Here's another checklist:
Once the nappy had been changed, the hunger and thirst had been quenched and other forms of closeness and distraction hadn't helped, I turned to the teeth. The basic problem here is that not every child struggles with teething at the same time. Some babies are born with one tooth, others can't even eat their first birthday cake because they are toothless. Normally, the first milk tooth breaks through from the sixth month. The pain can appear much earlier, as the pressure on the pilgrims is constantly increasing. However, there are enough clues to indicate that your baby is teething.
Signs of teething
- Increased salivation and constant drooling
- Biting on objects, hands or other things
- Rubbing cheeks and ears to relieve pain
- Reddened cheeks
- Red, swollen gums
- Sore mouth area due to increased salivation
- Increased temperature (if you have a fever, you should consult a paediatrician)
- Change in stool and urine (more intense)
- Slight diarrhoea
- Diaper rash
- Low appetite
- Refusal of warm milk
- Bad, restless sleep
- Unpleasant, whiny, moody and cranky
Supportive aids
You can use various products to help relieve your baby's pain. One aid, for example, is the teething ring. If it also contains liquid, you can put it in the fridge and give it to your baby in chilled form. The teething ring relieves the pain better with this variant. However, please do not put it in the freezer as it will be too cold and cannot be held in the hand. For me personally, pain-relieving dental gels, such as Osa dental gel, are useful alongside cooling teething rings. Some parents swear by homeopathy or "Zahnchügeli". Other remedies include objects to chew on, massaging the gums with your finger, chamomile or sage tea to dab on the gums, amber necklaces or violet root. Due to the risk of choking, you should only give your baby violet root when you are present.
Milk tooth care
Brushing your baby's teeth is important from the first tooth at the latest. However, there are various items available to get your baby used to oral hygiene at an earlier stage. For example, a finger toothbrush, finger cots to clean the mouth area or teething rings with bristles.
Manual toothbrush
Quantity discount
CHF6.20 per piece for 3 units
Nuby Finger toothbrush
Extra soft, 1 x
If your baby is still sceptical despite their first experience, you can give them the toothbrush themselves first. Provided they can already hold it. They can explore it and make friends with it. It is important that parents clean the teeth at the end of every toothbrushing session.
For gentle cleaning, I recommend a small toothbrush with extra soft bristles. You will usually find the age information on the packaging. Also use a toothpaste for children. These are specially developed for milk teeth, contain significantly less fluoride than those for adults and are available in child-friendly flavours and sweet designs. From our own experience, the latter is very relevant for little ones, even when it comes to toothbrushes. Nevertheless, it is not worth buying the most expensive models, as children bite the bristles again and again. After just a few days, they sprout in all directions. A quick change of toothbrushes is often unavoidable.
Manual toothbrush
Quantity discount
CHF10.20 per piece for 2 units
Nuby Toothbrush Trainer Set of 3
3 x
We have also combined dental care with a song. This means that we sing the ABC song as a ritual. This distracts our daughters and they really enjoy brushing their teeth. It also gives us an idea of how long we need to brush their teeth. Alternatively, you can use toothbrushing hourglasses. Cute accessories for the toothbrush are of course a plus point for any child.
Find the entire dental care range for babies and toddlers
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