Teething of Canines
This has nothing to do with teething troubles in dogs (the word 'canines' might have fooled you there) but instead refers to the next set of teeth that your baby develops during teething. The first teeth are the incisors which are discussed in more detail in our teething of incisors article.
The canine teeth develop between 16 and 20 months and the molars at 16 months. The second set of molars appears at age 2 to two and a half years. There is not much of an interval between the appearance of the first set of molars then the canines and then the second set of molars.
What are canine teeth?
The canines are long, pointed teeth which keep tight hold of any food so that you are able to rip and chew it into little pieces. Funnily enough these teeth are not unlike those found in dogs so perhaps the title of this article, 'teething in canines' isn't far off the mark after all.
The canines are the largest teeth in the human jaw. Wow!! There are two types of canines:
- Maxillary canines
- Mandibular canines
Maxillary and mandibular canines are located between the incisors and molars and towards the back of the mouth. Just think of your own little vampire with these long pointy fangs and hope that she doesn't use these when using your fingers as a temporary teething ring.
Can babies get canine teeth first?
Well, it is unusual but not impossible. There are some babies who do not follow the correct teething process and develop a canine tooth before their bottom incisors. And then there some babies who are born with a couple of teeth which is again, against the norm. But this is less common. The usual pattern is for the first tooth to emerge at the age of 6 months If your baby looks like she could audition for the part of Dracula then accept this as normal as all babies are different when it comes to teething. The other teeth will emerge in the normal way.
