Maskot/Alamy
Why is it so painful for babies to get their first teeth, but when children’s teeth fall out, the new ones don’t hurt when they arrive?
Natalie Bradley
Chair of the British Dental Association’s young dentist committee and consultant in special care dentistry, London, UK
The reason why teething is painful in babies and toddlers (which usually occurs between 8 months and 3 years of age) is because the teeth have to break through the gums for the first time.
When adult teeth erupt, they usually descend into the same space where the baby teeth have fallen out, so the…
