Eruption of the primary teeth usually begins between 4-7 months of age, although some babies won’t have their first teeth until 12 months or later. New teeth will continue to appear until about 3 years of age, when most children have the full complement of 20 primary teeth. Many parents await that first toothy grin with much anticipation, but teething can also be a source of some concern and questions. There are a lot of myths out there, both in terms of teething symptoms and remedies. Here’s the low down.
Myth: Teething causes fever. This is a big one. Many, many people (including health professionals) attribute fever to teething. The truth is, studies have shown that teething causes, at most, a mild temperature elevation. If your infant has a true fever (above 100.4F or 38 Celsius) it is unlikely to be caused by teething, especially if it continues for a number of days.
Myth: Teething causes diarrhea. Again, the available data doesn’t support teething as a cause of true diarrhea. If your child has a diarrheal illness, it is most likely to be caused by a virus.
For young infants, both fever and diarrhea are a reason to talk with your child’s health care provider and should not be attributed to teething alone.
Fact: Teething can cause mild pain, drooling, and mouthing behaviors. Some infants will also have fussiness and sleep disturbance. In many babies, these symptoms are transient and really don’t require special treatment. In others, though, they can be troublesome for both infants and parents. So, what’s the best way for parents to soothe their babies’ teething woes? Here are a few do’s and don’ts.
Don’t use benzocaine based teething gels. The FDA has again recently released a warning regarding these products. The FDA tells us, “the use of benzocaine gels and liquids for mouth and gum pain can lead to a rare but serious—and sometimes fatal—condition called methemoglobinemia, a disorder in which the amount of oxygen carried through the blood stream is greatly reduced.” The risk seems to be greatest for children under two years old.
Don’t use Hyland Teething Tablets. The most common form of Hyland Teething Tablets has an ingredient called belladonna. When consumed in higher than recommended doses, this ingredient can cause serious side effects such as excessive sleepiness and difficulty breathing. Analysis has shown that these teething tablets contain varying amounts of belladonna, and overdose has occurred. In 2010 the company added a child-resistant cap and changed the formulation in order to improve safety. However, the efficacy of the tablets is still unproven. In my opinion, the risk still outweighs the benefit.
Do massage sore little gums with your finger or a cool cloth.
Do give your teething infant a cool rubber teething ring.
If your child still seems to have significant pain, contact your health care provider to discuss whether a small dose of oral pain reliever, such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen, may be indicated.
Do start cleaning your child’s gums and new teeth in order to protect those pearly whites from cavities.
Was teething a big issue for your child, or did they sail through? What remedies worked best?