Your baby may get her first tooth as early as three months or as late as one year. And in rare cases some babies are even born with a tooth or may take longer than a year to get there first one! But on average most babies get their first tooth at around seven months old.
There's no telling how long it will take for a tooth to come through or how painful it will be. With some babies it can seem to happen overnight and with others it can be quite a long drawn out process.
What to expect:
There is a whole range of symptoms that go hand in hand with teething. Your baby may experience some or all of them, however if you are in doubt ask your doctor as some of the symptoms may be caused by something else.
Often the first tooth is the worst and as your baby becomes accustomed to the teething sensation they will be less fussy as later ones come through. But in saying that, you may find that your baby is fussy and uncomfortable as every tooth comes in. Below is a brief outline of some of the things to look out for as your baby goes through the teething process.
Drooling and Dribbling:
Your baby may start drooling (a lot!) at around the three to four month mark. Teething stimulates saliva in your baby's mouth so now might be the time to check for any visible lumps or redness on your baby's gums that may signal a tooth is about to come through. Also the extra saliva can make your baby cough or gag sometimes, this is usually nothing to worry about so long as your baby seems happy and isn't showing any signs of a cold or flu and doesn't have a high temperature, but check with your doctor if you are unsure.
Chin rash:
All that extra drooling can irritate your baby's sensitive skin so it's important to gently wipe their chin throughout the day to help prevent any rash from developing.
Gnawing:
A teething baby will gnaw and chomp down on anything they can get in their mouth! So breastfeeding mums watch out! The pressure of biting down can help relieve the pressure of the tooth pushing up from under the gums.
Unsettled Sleep:
Teething continues whether your baby is awake or asleep, and if the pain is particularly bad they may wake more frequently. Many parents say this happens more with the first teeth and then later on when the molars start to come through.
Ask Your Doctor:
Other symptoms that parents often notice are cold or flu like symptoms such as a runny nose and coughing, low grade fever and even diarrhea. The best thing to do is to check with your doctor as these could just be part of teething or possibly something more serious, it's better to play it safe and consult a health care professional if these symptoms occur.
Teething is an ongoing process that can start anywhere from around 3 to 4 months old, most children will have all of the primary teeth (baby teeth) by the time they are two to three years old.
When it comes to teething it's hard to tell exactly how much pain those new teeth coming through will cause your baby. And obviously as your baby is so little they can't tell you either, so that makes it all the more confusing.
The best idea is to check with your doctor. They will be able to advise you of what type of infant pain medication to use (e.g. Infant Tylenol or Infant Panadol), the appropriate dose to administer and how often. They may also recommend an oral teething gel as well.
Easing The Pain
Apart from pain medication that your doctor may prescribe there are several things that may help to ease your baby's teething pain.
When your baby is teething they will want to chomp down or gnaw on just about anything they can get in their little mouths. The pressure of the tooth coming up from under their gums is relieved by the counter pressure of biting down on something.
- Teething rings and water filled teething toys that you can chill in the refrigerator are great for teething babies, your baby will have something to gnaw on while the coolness can help soothe the inflammation on their gums. Just make sure that you chill these teething rings in the refrigerator NOT the freezer, you don't want to hurt your baby's sensitive gums with freezer burn!
- Cold foods such as pureed fruit, vegetables or yoghurt are good for soothing sensitive gums.
- A bottle with cool water can also help. Just be aware that your baby will also gnaw on the bottle teat or nipple and probably put large holes in them, so you may want to try using a sipper cup with a solid mouth piece. Water will also help replace some of the fluid your baby may lose through all that extra drooling!
- Even mum or dad's finger is good to gnaw on! Just make sure you have washed your hands and be careful, some babies can chomp down pretty hard!
- Older babies who are already eating whole pieces of food will enjoy gnawing on hard crackers or biscuits like teething rusks or cold pieces or fruit like apple or pear.
Please note: If you are in any doubt about your baby's teething or managing their pain, always play it safe and consult your doctor.
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