The Trouble with Teeth

8/13/2013

Kenzo is 7.5 months and has 4 teeth already. Early? Perhaps. Cute? Definitely! But teeth are not as simple as they sound. With teeth come trouble...

1) Teething
For Kenzo it hasn't been so bad, thank goodness. He's never been inconsolable or needed Tylenol. He just gets has a few days and nights where he is extra needy, wakes up throughout the night in search of comfort (i.e. boobs!), and is cranky throughout the day - meaning he needs constant distraction and stimulation. If you let him ponder on what's going on in his mouth for more than a few seconds he'll start to fuss and then wail.

2) Biting
Babies get used to breastfeeding and are quite comfortable in using their mouths and tongue to get milk. But then all of a sudden there are teeth getting in the way! The bottom teeth must be scraping the underside of his tongue when feeding, and I've felt those teeth, they are like serrated knives!! And now the top teeth... there is nothing coming between those and my nipple. We had our first "CHOMP" situation today and WOWZA!! I screamed, he screamed, we all screamed for (not ice cream). He cried so hard, poor guy! He still can't produce tears, but he did manage to squeeze one out! It's not just the nipples that have to worry about being bitten though. Anything he can get his little mouth on - your shoulder, your finger, the table... I'm looking into getting a teething guard for the crib soon. Not that it was ever safe for him to gnaw on electrical cords, but now it's even more of a hazard so I can't even let him approach them.

3) Grinding
This is something I had no idea would happen. He is grinding his teeth!!! He makes a funny little Popeye face which is hilarious, sorry I haven't been able to catch it on camera yet! But the sound.... ohhhhhhhhhh the sound! Like nails on a chalk board!! On the bright side, maybe he's making those razor blade teeth a little smoother?

4) Brushing
Did you know you have to start brushing your baby's teeth? I sure didn't. Not sure when I thought that was supposed to start, maybe around 2 years old? Anyway, I'm not using a tooth brush but just a washcloth after he eats solid food. I just kinda rub it around for a few seconds on the top and bottom. He was fine with this at first but now he tries to escape my efforts. Ah, what fun.

5) Worries
Of course worries. What part of parenting comes without worries? For me, I worry about the spacing of his top teeth - aren't they like REALLY FAR APART??? Like, you could fit 2 more teeth between them!! I know baby teeth are supposed to be spread out, but come on, is this normal: