Acquiring the teeth is a perfectly normal process. It is certainly not a disorder, nor a disease, nor anything sinister. But it is included in this section because many infants experience difficulty when teething.
A large number of disorders have been blamed on the teething process. Diarrhoea, convulsions, coughs and cold and general respiratory illnesses and skin rashes have all been attributed to the teething mechanism. Many parents know that teething time can be the time of an unhappy, distressed baby. Inside the baby’s mouth will often be gums that are red, inflamed and swollen; for sure, this must cause discomfort and pain and make the infant crochety and irritable. The baby may cry, go off food, and in turn predispose to a lot of other symptoms.
During teething time, I believe that a baby’s general body resistance tends to fall temporarily. Therefore the child is more susceptible than usual to respiratory and bowel viruses that are always ready to pounce. Resistance factors in the blood are less, and the child is more susceptible to skin irritations and allergies. So rashes may appear.
All of these should be treated along the appropriate lines. Most respond well to simple measures. If they do not, visit the doctor. Have the baby thoroughly examined to make certain that more sinister disorders are not present. Go along with any further treatment the doctor advises.
A word must be said here about teeth staining. Many older children today have teeth that are irregularly stained an unattractive yellowish colour. In many cases, this was caused by the antibiotic tetracycline being given early in life to treat various infections. Tetracycline has the propensity for collecting in the teeth and causing the discoloration. Today, doctors do not prescribe it for babies and children, but occasionally mothers may have it prescribed, and if they are breast-feeding it may reach their babies via their milk. Ideally, mothers and babies today are not given the tetracycline family of antibiotics.
Some infants and children show evidence of early tooth decay, now referred to as caries. Normally, the teeth have a strong outer coating that resists penetration by germs; however, the free use of sugars appears to contribute to the destruction of this natural barrier. So, the less sugar the diet contains, the better for the infant. Not only in respect of teeth, but for general health as well.
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