No Longer Toothless!

Yes, it's true! At approximately 8 months and 1 day old our little Emma FINALLY cut her very first tooth! The little bastard (and I say bastard because this tooth has made our lives hell over the past four months) has been sitting just under the gum line causing our poor little princess pain for months! At times, I thought it was never going to cut. However, just when I had almost given up all hope (not to mention lost most of my sanity) the sucker finally broke the skin! Can I get a WOO-FREAKIN-HOO for that one?!?!?! Emma had been in pain and had been behaving like a wild animal for about a week prior to this tooth cutting so you can imagine my elation when it finally broke the skin. Though it did finally cut, we still had another couple of rough days after the fact. Now that it has begun actually growing in, those days are finally behind us. As you can see from the above photo, the tooth just next to it on the right is also nearing the surface. Though this one is pressing on her gum line, it has thus far, not caused nearly as much trauma as the first tooth. Hopefully it will remain that way! As for her two top teeth, they are not yet anywhere near cutting the skin. In fact, there has yet to be any sign of them at all. There is a positive side to Miss Emma cutting her teeth so late and here it is...

Teething late is actually a great thing in terms of the development of the tooth enamel. Statistics show that children who cut their first teeth past the 6 month mark have a greater instance of strong, healthy teeth. This is why... Enamel forms from back to front, gradually wrapping its way around the tooth until it connects front and center. The longer the teeth sit under the gum line, the longer the enamel has to not only wrap around the teeth, but also to build on itself creating stronger, healthier teeth all together. When reading this information over and over in various medical studies I asked myself, "Why would the baby teeth have any effect on the development of the permanent teeth?" After pondering this question over and over I decided to find out why. This is the information I came upon...

Children who cut teeth early typically also loose teeth early leading to the cutting of permanent teeth earlier than other children. Just as in the case of baby teeth, permanent teeth are stronger or weaker based on the amount of time spent under the gum line. This being the reason why cutting baby teeth later in life gives a child a much higher chance of having stronger, well formed, and all together healthier permanent teeth.

All of this being said, I am extremely happy that Emma is cutting her teeth so late in the first year. As an infant I cut teeth extremely early, and just as statistics show, I have very weak enamel and have thus suffered many hours of painful and expensive dental work to make my teeth what they are today.

So my little Emma-Bear, take as long as you would like in cutting your teeth. Mommy and Daddy will be patiently waiting. Though I cannot guarantee our sanity, we are thrilled that you will likely have beautifully strong teeth. Just another wonderfully perfect thing about you our precious little love!