As Recommended by 19th and 20th century Doctors! Courtesy of www.DoctorTreatments.com |
|
and please share with your online friends.
Teething.It is understood, of course, that their development has begun at a period previous to birth, but their growth appears to have no particular influence on the general condition of the child until the commencement of the irritation caused by the protrusion of the teeth through the membrane covering the gums. This irritation is doubtless often the cause of troubles manifested in other parts of the body ; yet there is a too prevalent disposition to ascribe all the ills which afflict babyhood during this period, to the process of teething. Any indisposition of the child, whatever its nature or wherever manifested, is often regarded merely as a manifestation of the teething process, the evil result of which is that affections dependent upon other causes which might be detected and removed, are regarded as inevitable because the child is teething. The fact is, that many a child acquires its milk teeth without suffering any appreciable disturbance of its general health ; and that the troubles ascribed to teething are oftentimes the result of errors of diet and improper management, which originate quite independently of the teeth, and are merely aggravated by the effects of the irritation in the gum. The first teeth ordinarily appear during the sixth or seventh month, though there may be variations of several months either way. In fact, instances are recorded in which some teeth have been cut before birth. If there be any irritation, it is often manifested some weeks before the tooth becomes visible-in which fact lies sometimes the explanation of an unusual fretfulness. It is desirable to know and note the periods at which the teeth appear, since in order to avoid the complication of teething, the child should be weaned at one of the longer intervals. The teeth ordinarily appear in a certain order, and at regular periods, which may be grouped as follows : First. The first to appear are usually the two middle teeth of the lower jaw, technically called incisors; this ordinarily happens in the course of the seventh month. Second. After a pause of one or two months the corresponding teeth of the upper jaw appear, usually followed, after a short interval, by two more, one on either side of the two central teeth. Third. There now occurs a pause of six or ten weeks. It is during this pause, while the child is quite free from any irritation of the gums, that weaning is ordinarily advisable. This pause occurs, it will be noticed, during the tenth and eleventh month. Fourth. At the completion of the first year there usually appear the first grinding teeth. Fifth. At about the eighteenth month, the eye-teeth appear, ordinarily in the upper jaw first. Sixth. The full set of twenty teeth is completed during the early part of the third year, by the appearance of the remaining grinding teeth, or molars. So long as the process of teething proceeds naturally, and causes nothing more than restlessness, or perhaps even slight fever, no interference is demanded. The advance of the tooth into and through the gum is, of necessity, slow, but cannot be hastened by recourse to the lancet. There are cases in which, undoubtedly, the gums should be lanced ; but it is just as certain that the early and frequent use of the lancet is undesirable. We may say, in general, that the gum should be lanced, first, when the child is evidently in pain, and the tooth is so nearly through that a slight incision will relieve the tension of the gum ; second, when the gums are hot, tender, swollen and full of blood, in which case an incision, even if it do not remove an obstacle to the progress of the tooth, will nevertheless relieve the congestion of the part; third, when the irritation in the gum is so great as to disturb the child's nervous system, inducing, perhaps, convulsions. In this case, even though the gums be not obviously swollen, an incision will often relieve the difficulty entirely. But first, if you want to come back to this web site again, just add it to your bookmarks or favorites now! Then you'll find it easy! Also, please consider sharing our helpful website with your online friends.
|