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If you are a typical mother, don't ask where you -went wrong
if your infant is a thumbsucker. You are completely innocent.
Thumbsuckers are born, not made. Medical pictures of the fetus
show that many babies are already well into the habit of
thumbsucking by the seventh month in the uterus. In fact, all kinds of
preparations are going on before birth to get baby's mouth ready
for its complex tasks.
Did you know that teeth are already beginning to form in the
growing fetus just three months after conception? Indeed, some
parts of the 20 primary teeth, (also called baby teeth) can be
recognized at this early stage. Even tiny pieces of the first
permanent molars are growing. The rest of the permanent teeth
wait until right after birth to start forming inside the gums.
Sometimes, shortly after birth, parents or physicians may notice little white spots on the upper palate (roof of the mouth).
These are little keratinized structures (keratine is a tough, fibrous
protein found in nails, hair and teeth). They are not significant and normally
will disappear in 10 to 14 days. |
