In most cases, teething causes no trouble at all. Any symptoms your baby does have are
more likely to result from the eruption of the larger molar teeth. Your baby may have one
or more of the following symptoms:
- A barely noticeable rise in temperature may occur immediately before a tooth erupts. Any feverishness will be due to another condition and must be reported to your doctor
- Your baby may be a little irritable, sleep less well and require more attention for a night or two. But teething will not cause hours of prolonged screaming
- Your baby’s gums may look a darker pink and bumpy
Teething is NOT thought to be responsible for:
- Excessive dribbling and the desire to chew anything he can lay his hands on. Most experts now believe both these symptoms are natural stages in oral development
- A red cheek rash or small red area on a young baby’s cheeks. Although traditionally
put down to teething, this is now being queried by some dental experts. They suggest it may be caused by a virus which can affect the lining of a baby’s mouth, and sometimes cause quite severe symptoms
Coping with teething discomfort
You may need to give your baby lots of extra cuddles and attention when he is teething.
Try some of the following:
- Offer him a dry, unsweetened rusk to chew on
- Give a clean, gel-filled teething ring, cooled in the fridge to relieve his tingling
gums. Do not place the ring in the freezer or dip it in honey - Use a barrier cream on his chin, to help prevent soreness from continual dribbling
- Apply a teething gel with a clean finger. This may numb the gum and give temporary relief. The disadvantage of such gels is that their application may introduce infection into baby’s mouth and some babies may be allergic to the local anaesthetic they contain
- Try regular sips of cooled, boiled water If your baby is restless or fretful from teething, give him a dose of a sugar-free paracetamol suspension suitable for babies. If this doesn’t soothe him, talk to your GP or health visitor as your baby may be unwell for another reason
- Homeopathic teething granules seem to help some babies.
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