Teething

I can't believe I haven't talked about it yet but I was looking in my archives and didn't see a post on teething!! Can you believe it? How is it that I have a post on the importance of brushing your baby's teeth, but not on teething? Go figure...

Willow is in full teething mode with the eruption of her first molar a few days ago so I thought it was high time that I did a post on teething. I love to gather and post information for you, my readers, but also (being a new mom) for me!! I have ZERO experience with a teething baby/toddler, aside from what I have learned over the past 6 months, so I guess we all have things to learn, right?

I don't know about you but I feel like the whole teething thing is a huge guessing game. If Willow wakes up at night crying, which has been happening a lot lately, I have no idea if it's because of her congestion (which doctors CLAIM is not related to teething but any seasoned mom will tell you otherwise), because she had a bad dream or something, or because she is teething. She is such a calm, happy baby that I didn't think about teething at first but once I was able to get my fingers in her mouth to check, sure enough, there were bumps. And BIG bumps at that.

So, what exactly is teething?


Well, Teething is the process by which an infant's teeth sequentially appear by breaking through the gums. Teething may start as early as three months or as late, in some cases, as twelve months. Occasionally a baby may even have one or more teeth at birth. The typical time frame for new teeth to appear is somewhere between six and nine months. It can take up to several years for all 20 deciduous (aka "baby" or "milk") teeth to emerge. The process of teething is sometimes referred to as "cutting teeth".

The typical eruption of baby teeth (from the American Dental Association (ADA)) can be seen in the picture below (click to enlarge).

According to the Mayo Clinic, infant teeth typically begin to erupt at about six months of age. The two bottom front teeth (lower central incisors) are usually the first to appear, followed by the two top front teeth (upper central incisors). According to a study conducted by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the symptoms of teething were only significantly more frequent in the 4 days before a tooth emergence, the day of the emergence, and 3 days after it, so this 8-day window was defined as the "teething period".

How do you know if your child is teething? Classic signs and symptoms of teething often include:

• Drooling, which may begin about two months before the first tooth appears


• Irritability


• Swollen gums


• Chewing on solid objects


• Crankiness


• Trouble sleeping


• Loss of appetite

Of course, some of these signs and symptoms are simply part of a baby's normal development. By 4 months, most babies explore objects with their mouths — whether teeth are about to emerge or not.

According to the aforementioned study by the AAP, the following symptoms were NOT associated with teething:

• Congestion


• Sleep disturbance


• Stool looseness


• Increased stool number


• Decreased appetite for liquids


• Cough


• Rashes (other than facial rashes)


• Fever over 102°F


• Vomiting

HOWEVER, I would like to chime in and say that I have noted congestion was associated with ALL of Willow's emerging teeth. Coincidence? I think not. And, like I said before, seasoned moms typically agree.

So, you have figured out that your child is teething. Now what? What can you do to give the little guy or gal some comfort? I'm so glad you asked!!

Tips for soothing sore gums (from the Mayo Clinic):

• Rub your baby's gums. Use a clean finger, moistened gauze pad or damp washcloth to massage your baby's gums. The pressure can ease your baby's discomfort.


• Offer a teething ring. Try one made of firm rubber. The liquid-filled variety may break under the pressure of your baby's chewing. If a bottle seems to do the trick, fill it with water. Prolonged contact with sugar from formula, milk or juice may cause tooth decay.


• Keep it cool. A cold washcloth or chilled teething ring can be soothing. Don't give your baby a frozen teething ring, however. Contact with extreme cold may hurt, doing your baby more harm than good. If your baby's eating solid foods, offer cold items such as applesauce or yogurt.


• Dry the drool. Excessive drooling is part of the teething process. To prevent skin irritation, keep a clean cloth handy to dry your baby's chin. You may want to lay a clean cloth under your baby's head while he or she sleeps to keep the sheet dry.


• Try an over-the-counter remedy. If your baby is having trouble sleeping or is especially cranky, acetaminophen (Tylenol) or ibuprofen (Motrin) may help. Don't give your baby products that contain aspirin. Most doctors don't recommend teething medications that can be rubbed directly on a baby's gums. The medication may be washed away by your baby's drool before it has the chance to do any good — and too much of the medication may numb your baby's throat, which may interfere with his or her normal gag reflex.

If you talk to your mom friends you will likely find they span the pendulum from pre-medicating to anti-medicating. I have found that those moms who start off as anti-medication end up giving in so they can sleep through the night. With Willow, I typically try to avoid medication during the daytime hours. She is usually so active that she doesn't notice the sore gums. But, at night I am ready with the Motrin before bed (since it lasts up to 8 hours) and I have the Tylenol (which lasts about 4 hours) and Orajel on standby in case she wakes up screaming. Orajel also comes in handy during the day when it comes to nap time since she is less active right before a nap and she starts to notice the pain again.

There is one thing left to talk about. How do you know when you should call the doctor? According to Dr. Sears, if you aren't sure whether or not your baby is teething or sick it's better to err on the side of caution and make an appointment with the Pediatrician. He gives 4 tips to try and differentiate between teething and something else:

1. Teething mucus is clear saliva and doesn't run out the nose. Cold mucus is thick and yellow. A nasal discharge usually means an allergy or an infection, especially if accompanied by eye drainage.


2. Teething rarely causes a fever higher than 101° F (38.3° C).


3. Teething may be confused with an earache. Babies pull at their ears during teething, probably because of pain radiating from the teeth to the ears. Some babies just like playing with their ears. Ear-pulling in babies is an unreliable sign. With an ear infection babies usually hurt more lying down and have accompanying signs of a cold.


4. Babies don't act progressively sicker with teething. As a general rule, when in doubt, have your doctor check it out.

Now for an aside on teething rings. You don't have to buy teething rings if you don't want to but they do come in handy. If you own some teething rings, please check the list below for those that have been recently recalled.

Recent Teething Ring Recalls

• Crib Teething Rails Recalled


• Scenique Toys, Inc. Recalls Teething Wheel


• Whitehall-Robins Healthcare Announce Recall of Teething Rings


• Reed & Barton Announce Recall of Infant Teething Rings


• Magic Cabin Announce Recall of Wooden Teething Rings


• Teething Rings Recalled by Empire Silver Due to Choking Hazard

More Information: Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) Recall Page

I hope you have found this article informative and I would love comments and feedback!! If your child is teething, good luck!!