Is My Baby Teething?
Read the
signs and tell if your baby is teething
When
will teething start?
When a baby begins teething, there is no set pattern on
when it will begin, how long it will take and how painful it
will be. For one baby cutting a tooth might happen overnight
without pain, while another child might have to go through a
long, drawn out and painful experience. You may sometimes
visibly see a rise or lump in the gum for several weeks, while
sometimes there may be no visible clue at all until the tooth
actually appears.
The process of teething often follows hereditary
patterns, so if the mother and father teethed early or late,
your baby may follow the same pattern. On average the first
tooth comes in during the seventh month, although it can arrive
as early as three months, as late as a year, or in rare cases
even earlier or later.
What is the eruption sequence of baby
teeth?
See Baby Dental Anatomy
article.
Teething symptoms:
The symptoms of teething vary from child to child.
Because of these different experiences, parents and physicians
often disagree as to the symptoms of teething and how painful it
is. The list below shows symptoms that a teething baby may
experience. While most parents usually agree that some or
all of the symptoms below happened around the time of teething,
it is still recommended that if your baby experiences any of
these symptoms you check with your pediatrician to rule out
other possible causes for the symptoms.
Drooling
From three to four months of age you may see your
baby start drooling more often than normal.
Teething stimulates drooling, which is often worse
with some babies than others.
Irritability
As the sharp little tooth rises closer to the
surface your baby's gums may become increasingly
more sore and painful, leading to your baby being
very fussy. The pain and discomfort is most often
worse during the first teeth coming in and later
when the molars come in because of their bigger
size.
This is most often the case since babies become
accustomed to the sensations of teething and learn
to live with them. But you may find your baby may
be fussy during the whole time that every tooth
comes in. Every child reacts differently.
Chin rash
If your baby is a big drooler, the constant contact
with saliva can cause the skin around the chin and
mouth to become irritated. To help prevent this,
gently wipe your baby's mouth and chin periodically
throughout the day.
Cheek rubbing and ear pulling
Pain in the gums may travel to the ears and cheeks
particularly when the back molars begin coming in.
This is why you may see your baby rubbing their
cheeks or pulling at their ears. However, keep in
mind that pulling at an ear can also be a sign of an
ear infection.
Biting & gnawing A baby that is teething will gnaw and gum down
on anything she or he can get their mouth around.
The counter pressure from biting on something helps
relieve the pressure from under the gums.
Diarrhea
While this is a symptom that is disagreed upon by
physicians, researchers and parents, most parents
usually notice slightly looser bowel movements when
a baby is teething. While the recent study done by
the Children's Hospital in Australia found this to
be the most common symptom of teething, there are
still many people that will agree and disagree with
this recent study. It is believed that the most
likely cause of this is the extra saliva swallowed,
which then loosens the stool. Be sure and report
any diarrhea to your doctor that lasts more than two
bowel movements.
Low grade fever
A fever is another symptom that doctors are
sometimes hesitant to directly link with teething.
But there are many parents who will disagree with
this and find their baby gets a slight fever while
teething. The best thing to do is be extra safe and
notify your doctor if a fever last more than two
days.
Coughing
The extra saliva can cause your baby to occasionally
cough or gag. This is usually nothing to worry
about as long as your baby seems fine and shows no
signs of a cold or flu and does not run a high
fever.
Not sleeping well
With teething pain happening during the day and
night, you may find your child wakes more often at
night when the pain gets bad enough. Most parents
agree that the night waking happens more often
during the first set of teeth and with the molars
Cold like symptoms
Some parents find that their baby will show signs of
having a cold. Runny noses, coughing and general
cold symptoms are believed to come from the baby
having their hands in their mouth more often. Play
it safe and always notify your doctor if symptoms
such as this occur
When
will teething start?
The
