Toddler Teething: What to Expect

Phases of Teeth Growth

If your little one has passed the one year mark and has endured the challenges of teething, you may think the discomforts of teething are behind you. Around 18 months, it often appears that they have a full complement of baby teeth. However, the two-year molars have yet to erupt.

Toddler Teething & Two-Year Molars

Two-year molars are your toddler’s second set of molars that emerge posterior to (that is, emerge further back in the mouth than) the molars that came in around their first birthday. Second molars typically erupt anywhere between 19 months and 3 years of age. Since these molars are large and square compared to your toddler’s anterior teeth (the teeth they use to bite rather than chew), it might seem like they would cause more discomfort—but in fact, you may not even realize when these teeth erupt. Many toddlers present with minimal symptoms with the eruption of these teeth.

Toddlers typically stop teething by three years old, although they may stop teething even before, depending on when their two-year molars fully emerge. By this time, your toddler will have developed all 20 baby teeth, which are also known as primary teeth. To compare, adults have 32 teeth, including 12 molars (4 of which are wisdom teeth) and 8 premolars.

Signs and Symptoms of Toddler Teething

Each child reacts to pain differently. If necessary, soothe your toddler with the same remedies you relied on when their previous baby teeth erupted. At this age, some kids are able to express feelings with signs or basic words, which may be helpful for parents to understand their cause of discomfort, so encourage your child to communicate verbally.

Toddler teething can be mistaken for ear infections, since posterior molar eruption may cause generalized pain that radiates to the ear. Baby or toddler teething, however, does not cause ear infections. If your toddler has a persistent fever, appears lethargic or has ear drainage, consult your pediatrician, as these are more typical signs of an ear infection. Tugging on ears, fingers in the mouth, and increased drool in the absence of the previously mentioned signs are more consistent with teething pain.

Similarly, teething should not cause a high fever. While your toddler may experience a minor uptick in temperature while teething, their fever should not exceed 101°F. If their temperature does rise above 101°F or if their temperature lasts more than a few days, it’s probably attributed to something other than teething. Consult your pediatrician to rule out illness.

Many parents observe that their toddler’s teething pains are worse at night, causing them to sleep fitfully, if at all. There’s no medical reason for why your baby or toddler’s teething pain would be worse at night. Some doctors think that this trend isn’t actually due to an increase in pain, but rather can be attributed to general tiredness after a long day. When your toddler is tired, they may be crankier, which exacerbates their teething aches and pains.

Your toddler may experience ear pain or a minor temperature while their two-year molars erupt; they also may struggle to sleep through the night. The key to determining what can be attributed to their two-year molar versus another illness is longevity. If the symptoms are consistent over three to five days, it’s likely not caused by their molar eruption.

Feeding During the Two-Year Molars

While your teething toddler’s molars are growing, chewing might cause pain. Your child might drool more and become fussy more quickly during mealtime. Plan meals around their symptoms—choose foods that are easy to swallow and don’t take a lot of work to eat. Here are a few food ideas for your teething toddler:

Smoothies. Turn mealtime into a treat that’s soft and cold for your teething toddler’s gums. Smoothies are quick to make if you have frozen food on hand and can be a nutritious breakfast option for your toddler. You can even include dark green veggies like kale and spinach.

Mashed bananas. Even easier to prepare than smoothies, mashed bananas can be mashed with a fork or potato masher. Use fresh or frozen bananas and add a nut butter for a protein boost.

Soups or stews. Healthy, vegetable-filled soups and stews are easy to eat options for your toddler. Opt for smoother soups rather than chunky ones that require more chewing.

Pureed fruits and veggies. Pureed fruits and vegetables don’t need to be chewed, so this may be an ideal choice during periods of discomfort.

Frozen fruit. When flash frozen, produce contains the same nutritional value as its fresh counterpart. Frozen sliced grapes and frozen cherries are great options for finger-friendly snacks, and the cold temperature will be soothing for your teething toddler.

Chilled applesauce. Put this snack standby in the refrigerator before serving to your toddler for a cool, sweet dessert.

When Should I See a Pediatrician or Dentist?

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends a call to the doctor or an emergency room visit if your child has a fever above 104°F, if your child’s fever has lasted longer than five days or if fever reducing medicines do not reduce the fever. Take behavior and activity level into account, too. Observe how your child behaves and whether they’re acting like themselves.

Knowing the symptoms and the timeline for your toddler’s teething will help you be prepared when the two-year molars erupt. Teething symptoms like gum and ear pain can be remedied by soft, cool foods. Once your toddler has all 20 of their baby teeth, it’s now time to keep the teeth healthy and strong. Before you know it, they’ll be losing their baby teeth and developing their first adult teeth: the six-year molars.

For more information about Dr. Reena’s work at Growing Smiles, please visit the Growing Smiles website.

Teething and Baby Sleep | Taking Cara Babies

Teething- UGH! The very word causes parents everywhere to cringe and have visions of drooling, fussy babies.  

Watch the IGTV video below for a deep dive on teething. You’ll learn: symptoms of teething, symptoms that are often confused with teething, ways to soothe inflamed gums, common teething toys, things to avoid with teething babies, Tylenol vs. Motrin usage, and tips to help your teething baby to sleep.

Here’s a recap of the basics from that deep dive:#anchor

How long does teething last?#anchor

Teething lasts from approximately 5-30 months of age, but the actual PAIN associated with teething only lasts for about 24-72 hours prior to the tooth eruption. Once the tooth is through the gum, most of the pain is gone.

Text version of table

Signs of Teething	Not Signs of Teething
Swollen gums with white nubs	Fever (greater than 100.4°F, 38°C)
Irritability*	Vomiting/diarrhea
Less interested in solids*	Congestion/cough
Chewing on fingers and toys*	Intense crying
Increased drooling*	Refusing breast/bottle
*Can also occur as a normal part of baby development. The only SURE sign of teething is seeing a tooth.

Here’s the research!

How can I help?#anchor

• Try teething toys.

• Give baby cold washcloths to gnaw.

• Massage the gums.

• Offer comfort (hold, babywear, rock, nurse/feed, etc.).

• Avoid amber necklaces and teething gels.

• Talk to your doctor before trying anything homeopathic.

• Administer pain relievers if needed.

• Watch this for more!

(Teething pain is inflammation of the gums. That’s why Motrin is typically a more effective pain reliever for teething. However, baby must be 6 months of age or older to use Motrin. Use Tylenol instead for babies younger than 6 months.)

What about sleep during teething?#anchor

Remember, every baby is different. However, those with a strong sleep foundation tend to handle nights and naps better during teething.

The first and best advice about teething and baby sleep:#anchor

Lay a strong sleep foundation in the first few months of your baby’s life. My no-cry newborn sleep class gives you the tools to help create a good little sleeper from the start. Having a strong foundation in place PRIOR to teething is so helpful!

If your baby is 5–24 months, there’s still hope.#anchor

The ABCs of Sleep will give you a plan to achieve 10-12 hour nights of independent sleep in the crib. This will be a plan to follow through regressions, teething, illnesses, and setbacks too. Many of our families report that their little ones simply wake well-rested in the morning with a new tooth!

But let’s say you have a great little sleeper who is suddenly struggling…#anchor

First, let’s make sure it really is only teething. Remember, intense crying is typically NOT teething. You could be seeing signs of an illness or something that requires further investigation.

If it is teething…#anchor

First, understand that consistency is still so important. Maintain your normal routine, bedtime, and approach to night wakings.

If your little one is struggling with pain, do what needs to be done to help soothe him. It’s always okay to comfort your baby while he’s in pain. A few nights won’t derail a great little sleeper. Once that tooth pops through, go right back to your night wakings approach, and sleep will return to normal quickly.

Teething can seem intimidating at first, but with the right tools and understanding: You’ve got this!

TOP 6 questions about teething in children

Teething in a child is a process that frightens many parents with unpredictability. What to expect: fever, diarrhea, runny nose, long sleepless nights? It is not surprising that there are always a lot of questions on this topic, both for mothers and fathers of first-born children, and for those who have already experienced this period.

1. What sedatives and ointments can be given to a child when he is teething?

If teething is difficult, you can use one of these products – on the recommendation of a pediatrician. “Babident” is a drug for local anesthesia, which is rubbed into the gums 3 times a day. “Kalgel” based on lidocaine is indicated for children after 5 months and has a number of contraindications, it is applied topically 5-6 times a day. “Kamistad” is suitable from the age of three months, “Cholisal” has an analgesic and antimicrobial effect, but is suitable only for children from the age of one.

“Dentol” is available in two dosages – for children from 4 months and from 6 years. There are other means, not only local action. Pediatricians recommend Viburkol as an anesthetic – candles based on chamomile, plantain and other plants. In addition, paracetamol-based syrups can be used.

2. Is it necessary to treat a runny nose during teething?

Teething runny nose often does not have a viral origin. The discharge is transparent and lasts for weeks, without fever and loss of appetite. When teeth erupt, blood circulation is activated in the gums and nasal cavity, which are interconnected. The glands of the mucous membrane begin to work more actively and secrete additional mucus. This situation is a physiological norm that does not need treatment.

If the situation is aggravated by coughing and hard breathing, the child should be seen by a doctor. Perhaps these are only residual effects of the transferred ARVI. In this case, it is enough to humidify the air, ventilate the room, walk and stand the time. Sometimes an infection joins such a physiological runny nose, then treatment may be needed.

3. How long does the temperature last during teething and when should it be brought down?

Often, when teething, the child’s body temperature rises to 37-37.7 ° C: it is not necessary to bring it down. On average, at the highest level, it lasts from two to five days, although in practice everything is very individual. Pediatricians recommend knocking it down after 38 ° C. With indicators up to 39° C and above, it is better to call emergency help.

4. Is it possible to speed up teething?

Pediatricians and pediatric dentists agree that this process cannot be accelerated. Neither calcium preparations nor other manipulations will help: everything is very individual. It is better to be patient and help the baby, providing him with affection, warmth, support, as well as “natural” teethers – a cracker, a bagel, a piece of hard bread to “scratch the gums”.

5. How can you tell if a child is teething?

You will recognize this by reddened and swollen gums, as well as a number of other signs. The child will become capricious, sleep and eat poorly, and other symptoms will appear that are not typical for typical behavior. If you are afraid to miss this event, look at how the inflamed gums look like in such a baby – there are many photos of gums on the Internet before the appearance of a milk tooth.

6. How to treat teething diarrhea?

The most important thing is to understand that the process of teething caused diarrhea, and not an intestinal infection. Such diarrhea is not accompanied by pain in the abdomen, fever and dehydration, the color and smell of stool does not change, there are no pathological inclusions in them, the child is not lethargic, and diarrhea lasts no more than three days.

Drug treatment is usually not required in this case. The main thing is to ensure plenty of fluids to prevent dehydration. If complementary foods have already been introduced, then you need to feed the baby with thermally processed vegetables, do not give new products, refuse recently introduced ones and do not drink juices.

You can replenish the water and electrolyte balance with the help of Regidron for children, and if the baby refuses it – with chamomile tea or plain water.

7 tips to help your baby teething | Megastom

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This is a difficult period, but the baby will cope

06/12/2021

You begin to notice that your cheerful and very calm baby at 5-6 months from time to time cries for no reason, is naughty and refuses to eat. At the same time, the child has a large amount of saliva and may even have a runny nose. What’s happened? All of the above signs indicate that the baby’s teeth are beginning to erupt. In this difficult period for him, he especially needs your attention.

How to help a child with teething? With this question, we turned to Svetlana Frolova, dentist-therapist, candidate of medical sciences, specialist of the Megastom clinic network

Don’t rush to wean off the pacifier

The lower incisors erupt first. As a rule, these teeth do not cause concern to children. However, at this point, salivation increases sharply.

Therefore, it is better not to give up the dummy for the time being – leave it for a while and carefully monitor hygiene.

Wash the pacifier more thoroughly with special baby solutions, rinse with warm boiled water.

Do not introduce new foods into the diet

During the period when the baby is teething, it is not recommended to introduce new foods and complementary foods into the diet, because the gums are now especially vulnerable.

The temperature of the food taken should be at a comfortable room temperature. Preferably semi-liquid food.

Follow your pediatrician’s instructions

If a child develops a fever, the pediatrician may give him antipyretic drugs.

In some cases, the doctor prescribes painkillers, for example in the form of syrups.

Do not forget about hygiene

Good oral hygiene is essential, because the baby cannot cope with such a large amount of saliva on its own. Therefore, napkins and bibs will serve you well.

Try to clean your child’s mouth after every meal.

To do this, it is enough to wrap the index finger with a gauze cloth, moisten it with boiled water and gently wipe the gums so that there are no food residues on them. Otherwise, it can lead to various inflammatory diseases of the oral cavity.

Use teethers

Special teethers can be used to ease the pain of teething.

They are filled with cold water or pre-cooled in the refrigerator.

When a baby puts such a simple device in his mouth, its cold surface helps to distract from the discomfort in the gums.

In some cases, the pediatrician may prescribe special pain relief gels, such as Calgel or Kamistad. They are applied several times a day (up to 6 times a day) and reduce pain due to local anesthetic.

Wash your child’s hands regularly

Carefully keep your baby’s hands and toys clean, because everything that gets in his way during this period, the baby will put in his mouth.

Be patient

Lateral incisors appear behind the lower central incisors. Chewing teeth are considered the most difficult in terms of teething. And here you will have to be patient.

For everything to go well, do not change the child’s habits and daily routine.

Maintain meticulous hygiene. As prescribed by your doctor, use painkillers and local anesthetics, as well as suppositories and antipyretic syrups.