什么时候长出第一颗牙齿?大多数婴儿在6个月左右就会有第一颗牙齿，但是你的孩子可能会在3个月到14个月的时候出现。这取决于很多因素，比如妈妈和爸爸开始长牙的时间，以及你的宝宝是否是个早产儿(早产儿倾向于晚睡)，婴儿出牙的经历也会有很大的不同。有些人在牙齿出现之前就出现了一些长牙的症状，比如过度的流口水和古怪的变化，而另一些则没有任何迹象。
乳牙时间表
通常情况下，婴儿的牙齿是成对的。首先是中间的两个萌出。大约一个月后，上面的两个长出来。不过，看到一个有4个下牙，没有上牙的孩子，或者倒过来的孩子，这并不少见。一般的时间表:
6个月：中间的下门牙
8个月：中间的上门牙
10个月:下部和上部侧向门牙
14个月:第一磨牙
18个月:犬牙
24个月:第二磨牙
初期的迹象
除了看到第一颗牙齿萌出还要考虑到其他可能出现的症状
肿胀的牙龈：
在一颗新牙齿爆发之前，它会引起婴儿牙龈上的红色、肿胀和擦伤。有时牙龈会凸出牙齿，你可以在皮肤下面看到。(如果你能使宝宝张开嘴足够长时间的话)。
口水多：
更多的唾沫可以预示新的牙齿但它也是婴儿时期的正常发育阶段，所以别以为流口水就意味着长牙了。没有办法判断宝宝的唾液是否是长牙的结果，不过如果你也看到的话……
在晚上尤其暴躁：
牙齿萌出期间，在晚上的生长比白天更多，所以会导致宝宝晚上比白天更暴躁。
拉耳朵：
虽然宝宝拉耳朵可能是因为耳部感染，但是也有可能是因为长牙期间下巴的疼痛转移到了耳道。
饮食习惯改变：
吃固体的宝宝可能更喜欢喝奶，因为勺子会刺激牙龈发炎；而有些宝宝会更喜欢吃比较硬的食物，因为硬物摩擦会缓解牙龈不适；喝奶的时候可能会更快，因为吮吸的动作会给牙龈和耳道带来不舒服的压力。
缓解疼痛的方法
你可能需要尝试一些方法来看看什么对你的孩子最有效:
一件湿的，冻着的毛巾，把一端弄干，这样她就能抓得很紧了
厚重的织物感觉很好，冰冷使牙龈麻木。一个在冰箱里冷冻的长牙玩具也可以使用，但是冷冻玩具对婴儿敏感的牙龈可能太粗糙了。
按摩：
如果牙齿还在牙龈深处，还没有形成疼痛的瘀伤，那么它即将爆发的反压力或摩擦就会产生奇迹。试着用你干净的手指(裸露的或用毛巾包裹起来)摩擦这个区域。
止痛药
扑热息痛和布洛芬是暂时缓解疼痛的好方法，正如局部麻醉剂一样，只要你不超过建议的剂量。
分散注意力：
长牙的疼痛就像头痛一样，会导致慢性、低度的不适。你可以仅仅通过让她的大脑远离痛苦来抚慰你的孩子。给她更多一对一的时间，或者给她一个新玩具。不要低估触摸带来的治愈能力:在沙发上多放一点拥抱可能是让孩子的注意力从她的嘴巴里移开的必要条件。
不应该尝试的方法
像zwieback饼干、烤面包或冰冻百吉饼、胡萝卜和冰冻香蕉等硬食物。它们可能会吸引婴儿强烈的咀嚼欲望，但当它们长时间啃食时，它们就会被咬碎。
在肿的牙龈上擦点白兰地。即使是少量的酒精也会对婴儿有毒。
什么情况下该叫医生：
因为一些初期的迹象可能是疾病的迹象,称如果症状恶化(例如,低烧达到101°F或更高版本)或持续超过几天。同样的，如果15个月后没有牙齿，你的儿科医生可能会希望你带你的孩子去看牙医。
长牙的过程大约持续两年，但在最初的几颗牙齿出现之后，这个过程就不会那么痛苦了。(专家们不确定这是为什么——可能是婴儿习惯了长时间的感觉。)当第一颗牙齿出现时，试着用毛巾轻轻擦一擦，每天两次。无论你做什么，不要让你的孩子睡觉时拿着奶瓶睡觉，或者在他的牙齿出现时让他睡觉，因为他现在很容易蛀牙。对你的宝宝(和你)来说，这可能是一段艰难的时期，但只要稍加帮助，他就会拥有一生幸福的微笑。
When will your baby's first pearly white start to poke through? Most babies get their first tooth at around 6 months, but your child's chompers may appear as early as 3 months or as late as 14, depending on such factors as when Mom and Dad started sprouting teeth and whether or not your baby was a preemie (preemies tend to teethe on the late side). How babies experience teething can vary widely, too. Some have teething symptoms—such as excessive drooling and crankiness—weeks before a tooth actually emerges, while others show no signs at all.
Baby-tooth timeline
Typically, babies get their teeth 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:
6 months: lower central incisors
8 months: upper central incisors
10 months: lower and upper lateral incisors
14 months: first molars
18 months: canines
24 months: second molars
Signs of teething
Short of actually seeing a tooth poking through, and given that the process is different for every baby, some possible symptoms to watch for:
The need to gnaw
The pressure of an emerging tooth beneath the gums may be relieved by counterpressure, so teething babies often want to chomp on things. The chewing instinct may also be a response to the odd sensation that something's going on in there.
Puffy gums
Before a new tooth erupts, it can cause a red, swollen and bruised-looking area on a baby's gums. Sometimes the gum bulges with the emerging tooth, which you can see faintly beneath the skin (if you can convince your baby to open his mouth for long enough).
Excessive drooling
Increased spittle can herald a new tooth—but it's also a normal developmental stage of infancy, so don't assume that drooling means teething. There's no way to tell whether your baby's saliva is the result of teething or not, though it may be if you also see...
Fussiness, especially at night
Tooth eruption—when the tooth moves through the bone and gum—tends to come in stages, with more activity at night than during the day, so your baby may be more irritable then.
Ear pulling
While it can also be a sign of an ear infection, tugging can be a symptom of teething: The pain from the jaw gets transferred to the ear canal.
A change in eating habits
Babies who are eating solids may want to nurse or bottle-feed more because a spoon irritates their inflamed gums. Others may do the opposite, eating more than usual because the counterpressure feels good. And babies who are still on the bottle or breast may begin feeding eagerly but pull back because the activity of sucking puts uncomfortable pressure on the gums and ear canals.
Ways to soothe the pain
You may need to try a few methods to see what works best for your child:
A wet, frozen washcloth(leave one end dry so she can get a good grip)
The thick fabric feels good, and the icy cold numbs sore gums. A teething toy that's been chilled in the refrigerator also works, but frozen toys may be too harsh on an infant's sensitive gums.
Massage
If the tooth is still deep in the gum and hasn't formed a painful bruise, counterpressure or friction where it's about to erupt can work wonders. Try rubbing the area with your clean finger (bare or wrapped in a washcloth).
Pain Reliever
Acetaminophen and ibuprofen are good bets for temporary pain relief, as are topical oral anesthetics, as long as you don't exceed the recommended dosage.
Distraction
Teething pain is like headache pain—it causes chronic, low-grade discomfort. You can often soothe your child simply by getting her mind off the pain. Give her more one-on-one time or offer her a new toy. And don't underestimate the healing power of touch: A little extra cuddling on the sofa may be all that's needed to take a child's mind off her mouth.
Teething tricks you shouldn't try
Hard foods like zwieback crackers, toasted or frozen bagels, carrots and frozen bananas. They may appeal to a baby's intense urge to chew, but when gnawed on long enough they can come apart in choke-hazardous chunks.
Rubbing a little brandy on swollen gums. Even tiny amounts of alcohol can be poisonous to a baby.
When to call the doctor
Because some signs of teething may actually be signs of illness, call if symptoms worsen (for instance, a low-grade fever reaches 101° F or higher) or linger for more than a couple of days. Same goes if no teeth have come in by 15 months, in which case your pediatrician may want you to take your child to a dentist for an x ray.
The teething process lasts about two years, but after the first few teeth come in, the process tends to be much less painful. (Experts aren't sure why that is—it could be that babies get used to what teething feels like over time.) Once the first tooth appears, try to start cleaning it twice a day by rubbing gently with a washcloth. Whatever you do, don't put your baby to bed with a bottle or nurse him to sleep once his teeth come in, since he's now prone to cavities. This may be a tough time for your baby (and you), but with a little help, he'll have a lifetime of happy smiles.
