The first permanent teeth appear at around six years of age. These tend to be the incisors in the middle of the lower jaw and the first permanent molar teeth. The molars come up behind the primary teeth, they do not replace them.

Teething is unique for every infant, from the timeline to the symptoms she may experience. Teething can start as early as three months. If one parent teethed early as an infant, chances are that her own baby may teeth early as well.

Teething symptoms

Drooling is one of the first signs of teething. Parents should not panic when an infant drools in excess, as this is a sign of a healthy mouth. As a baby's teeth start to grow beneath the gums, he may start shoving his hand in the mouth and gnaw on it. A baby may even pinpoint to a specific spot on the gums with his fingers.

A look inside a teething infant's mouth may reveal red, sometimes inflammed gums, with white spots on them.

These early stages are not unbearable. As time goes on, however, the teething process is quite painful to an infant. The good news is that the pain seems to come in waves, and does not last all day. However, the pain can last from minutes to several hours. Parents may even find that the pain occurs during the same time of day, everyday. In fact, many infants experience teething pain during the daytime as opposed to night time.

Treatment

There are several things that you can try to help ease the pain of teething; some work and some don’t, but most parents agree they’re always worth a try.  Teething rings, water filled and chilled rubber teething toys and parents` fingers can all provide counter pressure that can sometimes bring relief.  Offering your baby a cold bottle of water can also help.  If sucking on the bottle bothers your child, offer a cold cup of water.  The water can also help replenish your baby’s fluid if they’re drooling a lot or have loose bowel movements.

Cold food has also been found to be helpful by some parents.  Chilled applesauce, yogurt and pureed peaches may be more appealing to your baby and also more nutritious than a chilled teething ring.

When nothing else helps, you can also turn to the analgesia.  Before giving your child analgesia always check with your doctor first.  Your doctor will tell you if it’s all right and what the proper amount is to give your baby.  Teething gels that are applied to the gums can also provide some relief. Also check with your doctor before giving this type of over the counter pain reliever to your baby.

The teething process will come and go just like so many other things with new babies.  Keep trying different things until you find what provides the best relief for your child.