Baby teething symptoms – NHS

When it comes to teething, all babies are different. But your baby will probably get their first tooth some time during their first year.

Find out how to spot when your baby is teething and what order your baby’s teeth are likely to appear in.

When do babies start teething?

Some babies are born with their first teeth. Others start teething before they are 4 months old, and some after 12 months. But most babies start teething at around 6 months.

Teething symptoms

Baby teeth sometimes emerge with no pain or discomfort at all.

At other times, you may notice:

• their gum is sore and red where the tooth is coming through
• they have a mild temperature of less than 38C
• they have 1 flushed cheek
• they have a rash on their face
• they’re rubbing their ear
• they’re dribbling more than usual
• they’re gnawing and chewing on things a lot
• they’re more fretful than usual
• they’re not sleeping very well

Read tips on how to help your teething baby.

Some people think that teething causes other symptoms, such as diarrhoea, but there’s no evidence to support this.

You know your baby best. Get medical advice if they have any symptoms that are causing you concern. You can call NHS 111 or contact a GP.

Read more about spotting the signs of serious illness in babies and toddlers.

What order do baby teeth appear in?

Here’s a rough guide to how babies’ teeth usually emerge:

• bottom incisors (bottom front teeth) – these are usually the first to come through, usually at around 5 to 7 months
• top incisors (top front teeth) – these tend to come through at about 6 to 8 months
• top lateral incisors (either side of the top front teeth) – these come through at around 9 to 11 months
• bottom lateral incisors (either side of the bottom front teeth) – these come through at around 10 to 12 months
• first molars (back teeth) – these come through at around 12 to 16 months
• canines (between the lateral incisors and the first molars) – these come through at around 16 to 20 months
• second molars – these come through at around 20 to 30 months

Most children will have all of their milk teeth by the time they are between 2 and 3 years old.

Community content from HealthUnlocked

Page last reviewed: 9 August 2022

Next review due: 9 August 2025

Is My Baby Teething? Check our Baby Teething Chart to Find Out

One joy of parenthood is watching your little one reach milestones. It’s common to celebrate a baby crawling or walking for the first time. But these aren’t the only milestones to look forward to. You might even celebrate your baby’s first tooth.

Here’s what you need to know about teething, as well as what you can do to make the experience more comfortable for your baby.

Baby teeth erupt, or come in, gradually at different times. Typically, you can expect your baby to have all 20 of their primary teeth by the age of 3. Keep in mind, though, the timing that teeth appear can vary from child to child.

Here’s a general guideline when you can expect each tooth to erupt:

Lower teeth

• central incisor: 6–10 months
• lateral incisor: 10–16 months
• canine (cuspid): 17–23 months
• first molar: 14–18 months
• second molar: 23–31 months

Upper teeth

• central incisor: 8–12 months
• lateral incisor: 9–13 months
• canine (cuspid): 16–22 months
• first molar: 13–19 months
• second molar: 25–33 months

Eventually, 32 permanent teeth will replace your child’s 20 primary teeth.

The time frame for children losing their primary teeth also varies from child to child. In most cases, this takes place over a course of about 6 years.

Children initially shed or lose their central incisor teeth around 6 or 7 years old. The last teeth to fall out are the canines and molars. Most children lose these teeth by age 12.

While some babies get their first tooth around 6 months old, teething can start a little earlier or a little later. Some babies have their first tooth erupt as early as 3 months old, but other babies don’t get their first tooth until 12 months old or older.

As you see the first signs of a tooth, your baby may seem to experience discomfort and pain. This might make sleep and eating difficult for a short time, and your baby might cry more often.

Common symptoms of a teething baby include:

• increased drooling
• possible reduced appetite for solids
• irritability
• biting and chewing
• gum rubbing

If your baby is between 3 and 12 months old and develops these symptoms, they may be cutting a tooth and there’s likely no cause for alarm.

But it’s important to note that some symptoms are not associated with teething. These symptoms include:

• fever
• facial rash
• cough and congestion
• diarrhea or vomiting
• reduced appetite for liquid foods

If your baby develops any of these signs and symptoms, don’t assume it’s from teething, and contact your pediatrician if symptoms persist or your baby seems sick.

Teething pain can make your little one miserable and irritable. Soreness and pain can occur for some babies as the tooth erupts through their little gums. Other babies may not display any signs or symptoms related to teething.

You might see some crankiness and a lot of tears — but you can make this transition easier for your baby. The trick is making their gums as comfortable as possible.

Massage baby’s gums

If it seems to comfort them, gently massage your baby’s gums with a clean finger. Be gentle, but apply firm pressure. This increases blood flow to your baby’s gum tissue which may reduce inflammation and pain.

Use a cool compress

Applying coolness to your baby’s gums can also reduce discomfort. Some parents will chill a teething ring in the refrigerator (not freezer!), and then give it to their baby to chew on.

You can also apply a cold spoon to your baby’s sore gums. As a precaution, only use a cold spoon if your baby doesn’t have teeth yet. Chewing on a metal spoon could accidentally chip their delicate teeth.

Consider pain medication

Over-the-counter pain relievers like acetaminophen or ibuprofen can also reduce pain. When used correctly, pain relievers are safe to give to babies. These medications can reduce pain associated with teething, but should only be used occasionally.

Be sure to consult your doctor before giving medication to children under 2 years old, or if you’re feeling like you need to give pain relievers for more than a day or two.

Do not use topical gels

There are topical numbing gels containing benzocaine or lidocaine to help relieve teething pain on the market.

But these numbing treatments can be harmful to babies and shouldn’t be used, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. This group also notes that over-the-counter topical gels (even non-numbing ones) aren’t helpful, since all the drool washes them away anyway.

The Food and Drug Administration also issued a public warning about the use of benzocaine oral gels. These gels can cause a condition called methemoglobinemia, which can be particularly dangerous to children younger than 24 months old.

This condition can reduce the oxygen in the body. Signs and symptoms include shortness of breath, confusion, headaches, and a rapid heartbeat.

Your baby cutting their first tooth is an exciting milestone — but may also be a painful one. Your little one doesn’t have to suffer, though. Between a gentle massage, a cool compress, and safe pain medication, you can help your baby get through teething with minimal discomfort.

Timing of teething – Articles

Author:

Marbery Gedrean
| Checked by: Shteba Victoria Petrovna

| Last revised: October 18, 2020.

Most parents are very concerned about how teething (and gums) affects their babies in everyday life. Although we cannot fully predict exactly how each baby will react to their first tooth. However, we can learn about teething symptoms and how to soothe your baby during this difficult time. In general, the more we know about teething, the better we can help our babies get through it. Let’s figure it out.

Timing of teething

One of the most common questions parents ask is, “How long does it take for babies to teeth?”. It is useful to know both the time frame for the appearance of the first tooth and the time frame in which all teeth erupt. In general, teething is an ongoing process that occurs between the ages of 6 and 24 months. Although your baby has twenty milk teeth that will appear within two years, teething, fortunately, only causes pain and irritation at the time when the tooth is about to break through the gum. It is not known exactly how long it will take for a tooth to fully erupt, but on average experts say it can erupt within 1-7 days per tooth. However, teething symptoms usually only last a couple of days, so if a baby experiences discomfort for an extended period of time, it’s safe to assume it’s not teething.

Chronology of teething

In most babies, the first teeth are erupted at the age of 6 to 7 months, but this can happen earlier or later. Typically, your baby’s teeth are likely to appear in the following timeline windows:

6-7 months

During this time, the first teeth begin to erupt. The first teeth to erupt are usually the lower central incisors, which are the two middle teeth at the bottom. Children at this age become more active. They begin to grab and pull objects towards them, transfer objects from one hand to the other, and may even begin to crawl. It’s important to keep an eye on small objects within your baby’s reach, as he’ll want to put everything in his mouth during teething!

8 to 13 months

Between 8 and 12 months your baby will have upper central incisors. In addition, sometime between 9 and 13 months they will have upper and lower teeth next to their upper central incisors (these are called lower and upper lateral incisors). In addition to teething, it is important to understand that other important milestones in gross motor development are also achieved during this developmental window. Most babies are able to sit up, stand up unassisted, take their first steps, pick up and throw objects, roll a ball, and grasp objects.

13 to 20 months

Typically, between 13 and 16 months of age, your baby’s first molars appear at the bottom and top at about the same time. Shortly thereafter, their fangs will appear in both the top and bottom rows, between about 16 and 20 months.

From 20 to 30 months

At the final stage of teething, the back teeth or second molars appear in the bottom row of the baby. While most teething symptoms appear the same in both toddlers and babies, there are some differences as your baby grows older. First of all, your baby can now tell you about their discomfort and pain, unlike non-verbal babies. On the other hand, many toddlers will not show any signs of discomfort and will not complain of pain at all during the passage of molars. For other babies, the pain can be significantly worse because their first molars are larger than their other molars. They may even complain of a headache or jaw pain!

Toys that can help

Teethers – Teething toys that help to significantly relieve the symptoms of teething in children, while keeping them occupied during play. Because teething babies are always looking for something they can chew on, teething toys are specifically designed to soothe gums and temporarily ease teething.

“6 months? But my 3 month old is teething right now!”

Some babies start teething early at 6 months – and usually it’s a minor thing to worry about!

Many babies begin to drool more often and explore their world by bringing their hand to their mouth to chew at about 3-4 months. This is completely normal and is often accompanied by teething after some time.

If you suspect that your little bundle of joy, which can be much less joyful during gum pain attacks, is teething, look for symptoms such as:

• saliva, the surest sign;
• capriciousness – unfortunately, also a frequent indicator of common childhood worries;
• slight temperature increase approx. 37.2 – 38 ° C.

The bottom two teeth usually appear first, so keep an eye on this area and be prepared to be over-the-top when they appear.

When your child has their first teeth, you can use a small, soft-bristled toothbrush. You can also wipe your child’s gums daily with a clean, damp cloth.

Remember that your child’s pediatrician is your ally! Let him know about your child’s teeth at your next appointment. The doctor can make sure that everything is in order and, if necessary, recommend visiting a pediatric dentist.

It’s really impossible to tell exactly how long teething lasts, but fortunately, regardless of your baby’s age or stage of teething, one of the best ways to help your little one is to provide a variety of fun and lovable teething toys.

To help relieve discomfort to the child, you can use special gels during teething. One of the best and safest is the Italian gel Dentinale natura. It is harmless if swallowed. It does not contain synthetic anesthetics and analgesics. The herbal ingredients that make up the gel relieve pain and inflammation from irritated gums. After its application, a protective film forms on the baby’s gums. At this time, the baby can safely eat or sleep.

Causes of delay in the appearance of teeth in babies

Author: Ishchenko Elena Nikolaevna

• Children’s dentist

Experience: 22 years

Articles written

3

Content:

• Causes of delayed teething
• How to help your baby?

The timing of the appearance of the first teeth is a very individual indicator for each baby. This process depends on many factors, in some cases the very first milk incisors grow from 4 months, and sometimes babies are already born with teeth. It may also happen that the growth of the first teeth of the baby is slightly delayed, and at 10-11-12 months there is still not a single tooth. Should I be worried?

The first teeth usually begin to appear at 5-7 months, and by the first year of life, the baby already has several pairs of first teeth. All parents begin to worry if the teeth are delayed, because the reasons are unknown.

Causes of delay in the appearance of teeth

A lot depends on nutrition: breastfed babies depend on the quality of breast milk. Babies who grow up on artificial mixtures get a little more vitamins and minerals, because the mixtures contain a well-calculated amount of nutrients.

• If a child does not have a single tooth at the age of 1 year, this may be a consequence of some previous disease: intestinal disorders, metabolic disorders, as well as insufficient calcium and vitamin D.
• The teeth may be late due to the special course of pregnancy, perhaps mommy suffered complications during the gestation period. /li>
• Eruption after 12 months may mean that the tooth is not properly positioned in the gum, for example growing horizontally.
• Congenital absence of rudiments of teeth in a baby. These are either hereditary disorders or a congenital pathology caused by a failure in the normal course of pregnancy. It happens very rarely.

How can parents understand that at 12 months the baby’s teeth are just late and you need to be patient, and when should you sound the alarm?

Children’s dentists admit that the first teeth are delayed by 6 months, so if after the 1st birthday the baby has not grown a single milk tooth, you should endure a little more. Try to find out from your relatives about the timing and features of the appearance of the first milk teeth in their childhood, perhaps this is just a family feature.

But if the teeth are already more than 6 months late, and the baby’s gums do not think to swell, then you should contact a pediatric dentist. The specialist will conduct an examination and advise what needs to be done to help the teeth appear faster.

In addition to the above reasons, the appearance of teeth after 12 months may be affected by the following:

• The teeth are very tightly packed in the gum.
• There are diseases of the endocrine system, for example, hypothyroidism, due to which the activity of the endocrine glands is reduced.
• The baby suffered serious systemic diseases.

In this case, the pediatric dentist will recommend a biochemical blood test, the baby will need to examine the thyroid gland, with an ultrasound examination. After the results are obtained, the dentist will be able to prescribe the necessary course of treatment.

Make an appointment

How can I help my baby?

Your dentist will first take an X-ray of your baby’s jaw to make sure the baby has teeth inside. If there is, then eruption will happen soon. At first, the gums will swell a little and salivation will become very abundant: these are the main symptoms of the imminent appearance of teeth.