Delayed teething in babies

Teething in babies is a very natural process  which does not require any specific treatment for your baby’s first teeth to come out. Normally every newborns teeth come out when they are in between 6 to 12 months old. These teeth are called milk teeth, delicious teeth, or primary teeth. I have written a very detailed article on the whole process of teething in babies. Please click the link below.

Teething in babies.

All the teeth don’t come out at once. At first, you will find only one front teeth coming out slowly from the gums. It takes 5 days to one week for the teeth to come out fully. One or two teeths come out one by one till the age of 2 years. So you can wait till 15 to 18 months if your baby is not getting a single teeth. After 15 months, it’s a must to consult your pediatrician or a dentist. The different types of teeth that come out after 6 months of age are:-

• Central incisiors (front teeth)- 6 to 12 months.
• Lateral incisiors(beside front teeth) – 9 to 16 months.
• Canine (sharp teeth)- 16 to 23 months.
• First molar (big teeth)- 13 to 19 months.
• Second molar(last big teeth )- 23 to 33 months. 

Some babies are already born with one or two very small tiny teeth. And some babies don’t get a single teeth even after one year of age. But according to science the milk teeth should come before 2 years of age. If it doesn’t come even after 15 or 18 months, then there is a really serious problem of calcium and vitamin d in your baby. The same happened to my second baby. I will tell you her story in this article.

My first baby boy was a very healthy boy. His genes came from my me and my parents. In our home, we all have healthy weight and height. My second baby girl was a little thin and a little low in height and weight. She got her genes from her father’s family. So my son grew up in a healthy way and reached every milestone at correct age. He got his first teeth at 8 months of age. He took his first clean steps at 10 months of age. His weight was also at a good range. More than normal weight. But my daughter didn’t reach her milestones at her correct age. She was very strong and active mentally buy physically she was a little weak. But still she sis t fall ill very often. She got fever only once or twice a year. Her height and weight were just normal. She took her first steps after one year and she got her first teeth at 13 months of age. My family members were very worried about her teeth. Particularly my husband. But I was very calm and confident because I know that all kids are different and hence their milestones are also different and my daughter will surely get her teeth one day or the other. I wanted to wait till my baby turns 15 months. If she didn’t get her teeth even after 15 months, then I thought I should take her to the doctor.

I started giving her calcium and vitamin d rich foods like egg yolk, cow milk, vitan d drops, and taking her out in sun for 5 to 10 minutes regularly. The house that I live in didn’t get enough sunlight inside the home. So I have to go out twice or thrice a week for morning sunlight. We talked to our pediatrician too. He gave us hope that no baby grows without teeth and teeth will come after a few months. Another doctor told us that if she didn’t get her teeth at 12 months, then they will do blood test to find out how low is her calcium and vitamin d levels. But I ignored it because I believed that she will get her teeth in a few days. And she got her first two front healthy teeth at 13 to 14 months of age. She is 17 ।intha old now and has a total of 8 teeth. 4 upper and 4 lower teeth. It didn’t hurt her too. Normally teething can be a painful process in some babies.

Causes of Delayed Teething in Babies:-

1. Genes.
2. Malnutrition.
3. Premature birth.
4. Low levels of vitamin d in the body.
5. Not getting enough sunlight.
6. Hypothyroidism.
7. Hormonal disorders.
8. Iron deficiency.
9. Vitamin deficiencies.
10. Fibrosis.
11. Down syndrome.
12. Low birth weight.

Risks of Delayed Teething in kids:-

1. Cannot chew the food properly as there are no teeth. These kids like to eat only pureed and mashed food. But my daughter was a little different. Though she didn’t get any teeth till one year of age, her gums were strong and she chewed so many foods. She hated pureed foods. She ate normal roti, idli, rice, dosa, Vada, and bread all by herself.
2. Many people say that if there is delayed teething in babies, then there might also be some speech difficulties in these kids. They may not be able to pronounce or talk words and sentences properly. But my daughter started telling words clearly at a very young age. My elder son took 2.5 years to say normal simple words but my second daughter said her first word when she was just 1 year old.
3. Many people say that kids who dont have teeth cannot make facial expressions like smiling, talking properly, chewing food, and sounding different while talking. But according to me this all doesn’t happen at all. My daughter didn’t get her teeth even at 1 year of age, but still her face lit up when she smiled, she chewed the food like roti, dosa, idli, vada, rice, very nicely. We were shocked to see her chew the food without teeth. Though she didn’t get teeth, her gums were very strong. She chewed everything with the help of those strong gums. However, hard things like popcorn, nuts, are not possible for children less than 2 years to eat as a whole so she didn’t eat them.
4. If there is a delayed teething in babies for more than 2 years, it causes a problem for the permanent teeth to come. Because permanent teeth also come in the same place as primary teeth. This can cause crowded teeth in kids or two rows of primary teeth and permanent teeth.
5. Sometimes the jaw bone shrinks due to delayed teething in kids which can cause deformed jaw bones and sagging face.

Conclusion:-

After reading all this, you might be tensed about your little baby. According to my personal experience, you should not worry about your baby’s delayed teething. Every baby is different. Some get teeth at 4 month, 6 months, and some are born with teeth. And some babies get teeth after one year. This is totally normal. And this is always not due to lack of nutrition or vitamins. You can wait till 15 to 18 months for your baby’s teeth to erupt. After one year you can start giving your baby vitamin D and iron foods for your satisfaction. You can also talk to your pediatrician about your baby’s delayed teething. They will give you vitamin D and iron drops and take blood tests if necessary to check the vitamin D and iron levels in your baby’s blood.

Teething toys:-