The Different Stages Of Teething

This morning my youngest came into my bedroom really excited that he had something important to tell me, and once I had managed to open my eyes and reach a relative conscious state of being I could see that his finger was stuck in his mouth and he was proudly showing me his first wobbly tooth. By the time we got down to breakfast there was pain, he couldn't eat on one side of his mouth, and he was worried that the tooth would fall out in school and be lost, meaning no money from the tooth fairy. However as the movement was so minimal there was no chance of this happening for at leat 2 or 3 weeks so i was able to reassure him.

This is his second stage of 'teething'. I can clearly remember the first stage which started from around 6 months. There were red, rosy cheeks and again lots of fingers and fists stuffed into mouth. There had been a vast quantity of teething gel bought, and everytime there was a bad night, an unexplained temperature, a disgusting nappy or any grumpiness it was put down to teething. Whether or not this was actually the real reason will never be known but it made me feel better as a parent to have an answer for all ailments. Weeks of symptons would pass before the first tooth was spotted and it seemed forever before all 20 teeth had appeared.

Fast forward a few years and after all that effort, my son wants to lose those teeth! Now there are 20 to come out and even more to replace them! This will undoubtedly lead on to stage three where my eldest is currently suffering. A couple of years ago the dentist recommended him seeing an orthodontist as he had a few concerns and it transpired that two of his top teeth were growing sideways rather than down. As this can be genetic his brother was x-rayed and they both had the same problem. Each of them needed their milk teeth removed to allow the adult teeth to grow properly and they both continued to see the orthodntist until the day he said one was fine and didn't need any work. Five minutes later the second was told he would be starting treatment that afternoon/. Naturally this did not go down well. Over the past 18 months he has full braces fitted to top and then bottom teeth, regular six week check ups to have the wires tightened and now elastics to align the teeth. These are changed daily to ensure they are tight and my son believes also to keep the pain levels to a maximum!

So I go back to my youngest who I am convinced will also be needing orthodontic work, but thankfully not for a few years.  I do however worry that by the time I am finished with him I will be at an age when I have moved onto stage four myself, the losing and removing of all my teeth!  On the plus side, at least with dentures there will be no more fillings!