Before your child’s teeth erupt through the gums, you will not have any need for pediatric dentistry, but this doesn’t mean teeth won’t cause any issues with your child. Just because you can’t see them doesn’t mean they aren’t there! Though we encourage most parents to bring their children into a pediatric dentistry office sometime in the first year, many children deal with pain from teeth at a much earlier age. We refer to this as teething, and in today’s blog, the pediatric dentistry team at Parkcrest Dental Group discusses some teething symptoms to look for and relief strategies to implement.
Related Post: Pediatric Dentistry: What To Know About Your Baby’s First Teeth (Part I)
Common Teething Symptoms
When teeth come in, they must tear through the gums in a process the general dentistry world refers to as erupting. This can cause a lot of pain, as anyone who has undergone wisdom teeth removal can probably tell you. For an infant who doesn’t understand the pain, the eruption process during teething can be very difficult to deal with. Look out for these symptoms to determine whether your child is teething or not.
Biting
Teething infants love to bite because it helps relieve the pressure of their teeth pushing against their gums.
Drooling
Teething stimulates drooling. You might find it difficult to tell that your child is drooling more than normal, but you can check their shirts for dampness.
Rashes
All that extra drooling dries out skin and causes rashes on lips and cheeks.
Gagging
Sometimes your child struggles to deal with all the drool and may gag or cough. If they don’t show other signs of sickness but cough often, they are probably teething.
Not Feeding
Feeding with sore gums hurts, and many infants refuse to feed for short periods of time. If they refuse to feed for more than a day or two, you should contact a medical professional.
Pulling Ears & Rubbing Chins
Ears, cheeks, and gums all share the same nerves, so the irritation in gums can spread easily to ears and chins.
Related Post: Pediatric Dentist: Soothing A Teething Baby
Ways to Soothe the Pain Without Seeking Pediatric Dentistry
Once your child already has teeth, you can seek out pediatric dentistry for any issues with those teeth. The act of teeth erupting from the gums, however, doesn’t call for medical supervisions. You have to find ways to read the symptoms and help your child feel more comfortable.
Give Your Baby Chew Toys
Chewing relieves the pressure of teething. Teething rings, clean fingers, and some toys relieve pain when chewed on. The colder the object, the more relief your child will get from chewing. Consider keeping teething rings or wet washcloths in the refrigerator.
Rubbing Gums
Like chewing, rubbing gums gives relief to the pain of teething. If you rub wet cloths, soft toys, or a damp toothbrush over your infant’s gums, it will bring some much-needed comfort.
Cuddles & Love
It’s no secret that all babies love the feeling of a close body. This will bring your child comfort in a difficult time.
You Don’t Need a Pediatric Dentist to Soothe Teething
Though you may not need any help from pediatric dentistry offices when it comes to soothing your child during teething, you will need to find a pediatric dentist in Springfield, MO, sometime during your child’s first year. At Parkcrest Dental Group, we have dedicated pediatric dentists, and we love teaching children about their oral health. Contact Parkcrest Dental Group today to see what we can offer you.
3 thoughts on “Pediatric Dentistry: All About Teething Babies”
My baby is 8 months old and just now his first bottom tooth poking through! He has been advancing quickly in the crawling/cruising arena, but his teeth are taking forever!
Hi Nancy, babies often develop differently than others – some seem to get their teeth in sooner, and some develop later. Thank you for your comment on the blog – we appreciate your feedback and are always happy to help with any of your child’s dental care needs!
My little boy got both front bottom teethingsymptoms in at about 4 months. He is now, at 7 1/2 working with swollen gums on the top so the top two should be coming in soon.