My baby’s got teeth! What about keeping them?

It’s exciting and curious to witness the eruption of teeth in young people. 

The word “eruption” is important because teeth have formed long before they can be seen or felt! Yes, that’s right. While a child’s first [baby] teeth are likely to emerge through the gums sometime between the age of six months to one year, tooth formation happens in utero. Most often, a child’s teeth will be formed in the first 20 weeks of gestation. 

Baby teeth go by a few names, including deciduous teeth, primary teeth, and milk teeth. 

It’s clear from the chart below that there’s a predictable pattern to emergence, beginning with the bottom central incisors. The upper central incisors follow, and the lateral incisors come next. By this time, a child will have eight teeth, four on the upper (maxillary) jaw and four on the lower mandibular jaw. How balanced is that? Did you know that girls lead the pack when it comes to tooth eruption? Yes, most often, a girl’s teeth will emerge before those of a boy.

Next, come canines. These are the more pointy teeth which emerge either side of the top and bottom lateral incisors. Then, first and second molars generally emerge in the second or third year. Together this completes the complement of 20 baby teeth.

(from: https://www.hardypedoortho.com)

It’s great to begin care even before the very first incisor emerges. What?! Care for teeth that are not even visible? But let’s remember that indeed these precious pearls are just under the surface of the gums. There are a few great ways to care for the mouth at this stage in a child’s life. 

First, it’s very important not to let fluids, including milk, linger in a child’s mouth. Next, think about finger massages for the gums. Be sure that fingers are clean, nails too, that fingernails are cut short, and edges are smooth. Simply insert a pinkie in the mouth and gently massage the gums in a circular motion, moving first around the upper jaw and then the mandible, or vice versa. If a child is unfamiliar with this activity, creating trust will come in stages. Smiles, snuggles, and loving helps to ensure that these early “trainings” in oral care are welcome, fun, and are perceived as happy times.

It is not uncommon for adults to forget that this is where oral care begins. Yes, care changes as we age, and tools change too. However, it can be more difficult to “convince” a child that oral care is an important and necessary part of daily living after they’ve formed a negative impression and possibly an aversion in their early years.

As teething begins, it’s very common for a child to feel discomfort. If you’re undertaking daily massage of the gums, you may feel or see changes in the gums before a single tooth emerges. Other symptoms associated with teething include: a change in temperament; flushing or a mild face rash; a low-grade fever, usually less than 100F (38C); rubbing or tugging on ear lobes is common, as is lots of chewing and more than the regular amount of dribbling.

Herbs can help make the process more comfortable, not just for the child but for other household members. We’ll talk about getting to know the mouth as well as more about internal and external remedies and how to prepare them in the online workshop about Children’s Oral Care on Saturday, the 22nd of October, from 10-12 PM EST. 

Herbs can not only help during teething; herbs are wonderful oral allies throughout our lives! Let’s face it; oral care is not something to take lightly as we age. 

Did you know that after our primary teeth emerge, generally 20 in total, our permanent follow? Most adults have 32 permanent teeth. By the time a person reaches 50 years, they have lost 12 teeth on average, including their four wisdom teeth. On average, they will have lost a third of their teeth. Knowing that this is not inevitable is important.

Tooth loss can occur for a host of reasons. Lack of care, sugar, and indeed lack of access to care continue to shape oral health, as do a number of other variables.

Learning to care for our oral health has far-reaching implications, from contributing to our social ease as well as nutrient extraction. As we macerate our food with our teeth, the better the maceration, the more efficiently digestive enzymes are able to extract nutrients to support our health and wellness. Too it’s important to remember that our “oral microbiome” is not separate from our overall general health. In fact, there is a wealth of material that clearly supports and documents the link between our oral health and our “systemic health.”

While it’s been said that there is a silent epidemic of periodontitis (inflammation of the gums) raging through the adult population, early stages of periodontitis, called gingivitis, is well documented in both adults and children. It is called a silent epidemic, not because we don’t talk about it, but rather because it can be symptomless. This silent epidemic contributes to poor oral health and tooth loss. While some people may experience swelling or bleeding upon cleaning, others may be entirely asymptomatic, and symptoms can go undetected.

Developing a sound oral care regime is key to teeth lasting a lifetime. As they should. And let’s be clear, there isn’t one single oral care regime that fits everyone. Each of us needs to get to know our mouths. Only then can we build a routine that incorporates different actions, different flavors, and even different tools. Yes, for these and more, think herbs!

Yet we cannot ignore the fact that many of us grew up with oral care practices that were based on all household members using the same single tube of commercial toothpaste. Herbal oral care products allow us to focus on actions and choose wanted and necessary ingredients. Indeed, while it’s important to read ingredients when it comes to foods, it’s equally important to consider ingredients in toothpaste.

For example, take this name-brand product. If we explore the label, we see that the left side of the label offers directions for use and cautions, including, “If more than used for brushing is accidentally swallowed, get medical help or contact a Poison Control Center right away.” 

I don’t know about you, but that certainly doesn’t foster confidence, especially when working to establish a daily habit with a young person who will more than likely ‘play’ with toothpaste. 

On the right side of the label we see an array of “inactive ingredients.”

“Inactive ingredients are components of a drug product that do not increase or affect the therapeutic action of the active ingredient, which is usually the active drug. Inactive ingredients are added during the manufacturing process of pharmaceutical products such as tablets, capsules, suppositories, and injections. Inactive ingredients may also be referred to as inert ingredients or excipients, and generally have no pharmacological effect.”
https://www.drugs.com/inactive/

It's easy and simple to make herbal pastes and powders, while refraining from adding inactive ingredients, especially those with a dubious reputation such as PEG-8 and sodium saccharin. Indeed, it is well within most everyone’s capabilities to make effective herbal oral care products in a home kitchen, for a fraction of the cost of mainstream commercial products. 

Such homemade preparations can be used with abandon, without concerns regarding swallowing as children of all ages cultivate effective oral care habits to last a lifetime.

Establishing a healthy, happy practice, free from worry.