Teething and Tooth Development
Teething symptoms will usually start to rear their ugly head 6th months into your baby's development. We will get into some of the Teething symptoms that are associated with this in a moment, but first, let's break down the names and the order of arrival for the new teeth that you will see over next few months.
Emerging Teeth are similar to shoes in this way, "they usually come in pairs." We say usually because diagnosing "teething eruption" is an art and not an exact science. Just as every child has their own unique personality "you can bet your bottom dollar" that their teething experiences will be unique also. But don't fret, because you can glean from the experiences that other families have had over the years to get a pretty good idea of what you need to do in a given situation.
Usually between the 6th and 9th month the teeth will erupt. The bottom pair of teeth may arrive a couple of months before the corresponding top pair. The first teeth that you will most likely see are the Incisors. The "Incisors" are sharp knifelike teeth that are used for cutting food. The first 4 Incisors will emerge from your little ones gums in a pattern similar to this- 2 in the bottom center and 2 in the top center of your baby's mouth. The other 4 Incisors will continue to emerge, with 1 appearing on each side of the bottom 2 center teeth and 1 appearing on each side of the top 2 center teeth, until your child has a total of 8 beautiful Incisors.
The next teeth that you will see are the "Pre-Molars" and they will probably appear somewhere between the 12th and 18th month. The Pre-Molars are 8 teeth in total. Included in the 8 Pre-Molars are two "Cusps" (also referred to as canines). These 8 teeth are used for grinding food. The Pre-Molars actually skip a space and then come in 2 on each side of the bottom incisors and 2 on each side of the top incisors. The four skipped spaces are where the Cusps/Canines are going to emerge. 2 will appear on the bottom in between the Incisors and Pre-Molars and 2 will appear on top in between the incisors and The Pre-Molars making a grand total of 8 Pre-Molars.
Lastly to appear will be The "Second Molars" and they will likely emerge between the 20 and 24th month. The Second Molars also help to crush and grind food. The Second Molars will appear right next to Pre-Molars and yes, you guessed it, 2 will appear in the bottom and 2 in the upper top part of your baby's mouth for a total of 4 Second Molars... And That's it parents, for what it's worth, because teething has such a notorious reputation that precedes itself with regard to unpredictability.
Now just to recap, your baby will have twenty teeth in all: 8 Incisors, 8 Pre-Molars, and 4 Second Molars. Other synonyms which are used to describe these new pegs are: baby teeth, deciduous teeth, milk teeth, and primary teeth.
Baby Resource Tip: The Complete Teething Guide
