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What is baby teething


Teething Tots (for Parents) - Nemours KidsHealth

What Is Teething?

Teething is when teeth first come through a baby's gums. It can be a frustrating time for babies and their parents. Knowing what to expect during teething and how to make it a little less painful can help.

When Does Teething Start?

While teething can begin as early as 3 months, most likely you'll see the first tooth start pushing through your baby's gum line when your little one is between 4 and 7 months old.

The first teeth to appear usually are the two bottom front teeth, also known as the central incisors. They're usually followed 4 to 8 weeks later by the four front upper teeth (central and lateral incisors). About a month later, the lower lateral incisors (the two teeth flanking the bottom front teeth) will appear.

Next to break through are the first molars (the back teeth used for grinding food), then finally the eyeteeth (the pointy teeth in the upper jaw). Most kids have all 20 of their primary teeth by their third birthday. (If your child's teeth come in much slower than this, speak to your doctor.)

In some rare cases, kids are born with one or two teeth or have a tooth emerge within the first few weeks of life. Unless the teeth interfere with feeding or are loose enough to pose a choking risk, this is usually not a cause for concern.

What Are the Signs of Teething?

As kids begin teething, they might drool more and want to chew on things. For some babies, teething is painless. Others may have brief periods of irritability, while some may seem cranky for weeks, with crying spells and disrupted sleeping and eating patterns. Teething can be uncomfortable, but if your baby seems very fussy, talk to your doctor.

Although tender and swollen gums could cause your baby's temperature to be a little higher than normal, teething doesn't usually cause high fever or diarrhea. If your baby does develop a fever during the teething phase, something else is probably causing the fever and you should contact your doctor.

How Can I Make Teething Easier?

Here are some tips to keep in mind when your baby is teething:

  • Gently wipe your baby's face often with a cloth to remove the drool and prevent rashes from developing.
  • Rub your baby's gums with a clean finger.
  • Give your baby something to chew on. Make sure it's big enough that it can't be swallowed or choked on and that it can't break into small pieces. A wet washcloth placed in the freezer for 30 minutes makes a handy teething aid. Be sure to take it out of the freezer before it becomes rock hard — you don't want to bruise those already swollen gums — and be sure to wash it after each use.

    Rubber teething rings are also good, but avoid ones with liquid inside because they may break or leak. If you use a teething ring, chill it in the refrigerator, but NOT the freezer. Also, never boil to sterilize it — extreme changes in temperature could cause the plastic to get damaged and leak chemicals.

  • Teething biscuits and frozen or cold food are only OK for kids who already eat solid foods. Don't use them if your child has not yet started solids. And make sure to watch your baby to make sure that no pieces break off or pose a choking hazard.
  • If your baby seems irritable, ask your doctor if it is OK to give a dose of acetaminophen or ibuprofen (for babies older than 6 months) to ease discomfort.
  • Never place an aspirin against the tooth, and don't rub alcohol on your baby's gums.
  • Never tie a teething ring around a baby's neck or any other body part — it could get caught on something and strangle the baby.
  • Don't use teething necklaces made of amber. These can lead to strangulation or choking if pieces break off.
  • Don't use teething gels and tablets because they may not be safe for babies.

How Should I Care for My Baby's Teeth?

The care and cleaning of your baby's teeth is important for long-term dental health. Even though the first set of teeth will fall out, tooth decay makes them fall out more quickly, leaving gaps before the permanent teeth are ready to come in. The remaining primary teeth may then crowd together to attempt to fill in the gaps, which may cause the permanent teeth to come in crooked and out of place.

Daily dental care should begin even before your baby's first tooth comes in. Wipe your baby's gums daily with a clean, damp washcloth or gauze, or brush them gently with a soft, infant-sized toothbrush and water (no toothpaste!).

As soon as the first tooth appears, brush it with water and fluoridated toothpaste, using only a tiny amount.

It's OK to use a little more toothpaste once a child is old enough to spit it out — usually around age 3. Choose one with fluoride and use only a pea-sized amount or less in younger kids. Don't let your child swallow the toothpaste or eat it out of the tube because an overdose of fluoride can be harmful to kids.

By the time all your baby's teeth are in, try to brush them at least twice a day and especially after meals. It's also important to get kids used to flossing early on. A good time to start flossing is when two teeth start to touch. Talk to your dentist for advice on flossing those tiny teeth. You also can get toddlers interested in the routine by letting them watch and imitate you as you brush and floss.

Another important tip for preventing tooth decay: Don't let your baby fall asleep with a bottle. The milk or juice can pool in a baby's mouth and cause tooth decay and plaque.

The American Dental Association (ADA) recommends that kids see a dentist by age 1, or within 6 months after the first tooth appears, to spot any potential problems and advise parents about preventive care.

Reviewed by: Larissa Hirsch, MD

Date reviewed: January 2018

Baby teething symptoms - NHS

When it comes to teething, all babies are different. But your baby will probably get their first tooth some time during their first year.

Find out how to spot when your baby is teething and what order your baby's teeth are likely to appear in.

When do babies start teething?

Some babies are born with their first teeth. Others start teething before they are 4 months old, and some after 12 months. But most babies start teething at around 6 months.

Teething symptoms

Baby teeth sometimes emerge with no pain or discomfort at all.

At other times, you may notice:

  • their gum is sore and red where the tooth is coming through
  • they have a mild temperature of less than 38C
  • they have 1 flushed cheek
  • they have a rash on their face
  • they're rubbing their ear
  • they're dribbling more than usual
  • they're gnawing and chewing on things a lot
  • they're more fretful than usual
  • they're not sleeping very well

Read tips on how to help your teething baby.

Some people think that teething causes other symptoms, such as diarrhoea, but there's no evidence to support this.

You know your baby best. Get medical advice if they have any symptoms that are causing you concern. You can call NHS 111 or contact a GP.

Read more about spotting the signs of serious illness in babies and toddlers.

What order do baby teeth appear in?

Here's a rough guide to how babies' teeth usually emerge:

  • bottom incisors (bottom front teeth) – these are usually the first to come through, usually at around 5 to 7 months
  • top incisors (top front teeth) – these tend to come through at about 6 to 8 months
  • top lateral incisors (either side of the top front teeth) – these come through at around 9 to 11 months
  • bottom lateral incisors (either side of the bottom front teeth) – these come through at around 10 to 12 months
  • first molars (back teeth) – these come through at around 12 to 16 months
  • canines (between the lateral incisors and the first molars) – these come through at around 16 to 20 months
  • second molars – these come through at around 20 to 30 months

Most children will have all of their milk teeth by the time they are between 2 and 3 years old.

Community content from HealthUnlocked

Page last reviewed: 9 August 2022
Next review due: 9 August 2025

Teething in a child: signs, how to understand how to help

Teething in an infant is a very exciting moment in the life of the baby and his parents. And although teething is a physiological process, almost all children experience discomfort and anxiety during this period. From the point of view of a scientific approach to this problem, the difficulty lies in the fact that with all the variety of symptoms of teething from mild anxiety and moodiness, increased salivation to an increase in body temperature to high numbers and signs of impaired digestion, increased colic and diarrhea, there are no sufficient diagnostic criteria to associate all these numerous symptoms with the root cause. Nevertheless, until now, many parents and part of practicing pediatricians are ready to blame teething in an infant for almost all the troubles that fall on their head in the period from 5 to 6 months to one and a half to two years, when the process of teething is mainly teeth should already be completed.

For most babies, teething begins between the ages of 4 and 7 months. As a rule, the eruption of each tooth lasts from 2 - 3 to 8 days. During this time, an increase in body temperature to 37.4 - 38.0 degrees is possible. At the same time, high (from 38.0 and above) temperature usually lasts no more than 2 days. Discharge from the nose during the period when the teeth erupt, usually, are transparent, liquid, and should not contain pathological impurities: pus, greenery, etc. Teething cough is caused by saliva entering the nasopharynx and larynx, which is secreted in large quantities. Treatment of cough on the background of teething does not require. Pediatricians sometimes disagree on diarrhea, with some noting that diarrhea (loose stools) is not directly related to teething. And yet, studies have shown that 10 to 30% of children have frequent and/or loose stools during teething. This is also explained by the large amount of saliva secreted, which increases intestinal motility.

Teething or infection

Nevertheless, most modern pediatricians agree that such symptoms in an infant as: prolonged, over 2 - 3 days diarrhea, cough, vomiting, fever (body temperature rise above 38.5 degrees) are most often caused by infection, and not just teething teeth. Therefore, for any of the above symptoms, it is necessary to examine the child by a pediatrician, and only after other causes of an increase in body temperature are excluded, efforts should be concentrated on helping the baby to reduce discomfort from teething.

Teething, how to help the baby

This may require a fair amount of patience. In such a difficult period, you should often take the baby in your arms, caress, distract from unpleasant sensations with toys, turn on pleasant, soothing music, you can sing if natural data allows. A walk in the fresh air can also have a calming effect. Breastfeeding children, during teething, begin to cry and ask for breasts more often, and a loving mother needs to be patient, putting the baby to the breast every time, even if it grabs the areola of the nipple more than usual during feeding. To satisfy the child's need to chew and hold something in his mouth, you can naturally use special rubber rings or toys, the so-called teethers. You can offer your child a dryer or baby cookies.

Currently, pharmaceutical companies offer a wide range of different products, primarily in the form of gels for “soothing the gums”. Basically, most of these products contain painkillers such as lidocaine. It is not worth it to abuse these funds. They are not completely harmless, the anesthetics that make up them can have an adverse effect on the nervous and cardiovascular systems of the child, and most importantly, they can cause serious allergic symptoms, exacerbate atopic dermatitis (diathesis) in children predisposed to allergies. In connection with the foregoing, I can recommend, to reduce swelling and inflammation of the gums during teething, such special dental anti-inflammatory drugs for topical use as cholisal gel, which can be applied to the baby’s gums 2-3 times a day, but it must be rubbed (not strongly of course) with light massaging movements over the entire surface of the gums, and not just put it in the child's mouth.

In addition, you can give a child suffering from teething, special homeopathic drops, such as Dantinorm baby, according to the instructions for the drug. In any case, when the disturbing symptoms appear, which are described above in this article, I advise you to play it safe once again and call a pediatrician to a child with a high temperature. Your diagnosis and recommendations should be given by a professional.

Teething in children: symptoms and complications

Teething in children very often raises a lot of questions from parents. As a rule, during teething, babies experience discomfort, which significantly affects the nervous system of the child and makes parents pretty worried. In our article, we will look at the order, symptoms and complications of teething.

Teething in children

In what order do teeth erupt in children? As a rule, this is the following order of growth of milk teeth:

  1. First two lower central incisors - 6-8 months
  2. First two upper central incisors - approx. 8 months
  3. First two upper lateral incisors - 8-12 months
  4. First two lower lateral incisors - 10-12 months
  5. First four posterior teeth - 14-20 months
  6. First four canines - 18-24 months
  7. Second four posterior teeth - 2-3 years

Teething symptoms

What are the symptoms of teething in a one year old baby? What are the symptoms of teething in children? Typically, symptoms of teething in children under one year of age include:

  • Excessive salivation. It may cause coughing and hoarseness, as well as a rash around the mouth and chin
  • Swelling, redness and tenderness of the gums
  • Itchy gums. Toddlers often try to relieve it by chewing on just about anything they can get their hands on
  • Decreased appetite or its complete absence, as well as refusal to eat
  • Temperature increase
  • Sleep disorder
  • Hyperexcitability
  • Changing chair
  • Runny nose

It is important to understand that when teething in children, the symptoms can be different and it is not at all necessary that the child has everything from the list. Symptoms of teething in children after one year are very often similar to those present before the year. Even with the eruption of molars in children, the symptoms may be similar, but, of course, everything is purely individual.

Complications of teething

The symptoms of a child's first teething are important to monitor in order to predict complications. Complications may include: