Teething in Babies: Symptoms and Remedies

Written by WebMD Editorial Contributors

Reviewed by Amita Shroff, MD

on November 30, 2022.

Reading time: 4 minutes

In this Article

• What Is Teething?
• When Do Babies Start Teething?
• Signs and Symptoms of Teething
• Order of Tooth Eruption
• Soothe a Teething Baby
• Treatments to Avoid
• Teething Necklaces
• Teething Medicine
• How to Care for Baby’s New Teeth

Teething is when your baby’s teeth start to come through their gum line. Another word for it is odontiasis.

Most babies begin to teethe between 4 and 7 months old, but some start much later. There’s no need to worry if your baby’s teeth come in on another timetable — it can be different for every baby.

The symptoms aren’t the same for every baby, but they may include:

• Swollen, tender gums
• Fussiness and crying
• A slightly raised temperature (less than 101 F)
• Gnawing or wanting to chew on hard things
• Lots of drool, which can cause a rash on their face
• Coughing
• Rubbing their cheek or pulling their ear
• Bringing their hands to their mouth
• Changes in eating or sleeping patterns

Teething can be painful, but it doesn’t usually make babies sick. Call your doctor if your baby has diarrhea, vomiting, rashes on the body, a higher fever, or cough and congestion. These aren’t normal signs of teething.

You also should call the pediatrician if your baby’s gums are bleeding or you see any pus or swelling of their face.

When and how teeth come in can be different for every baby and may be based on family history. But most of the time, the lower front two teeth come in first between 6 and 10 months, followed by the opposite top two teeth and the two on either side of those between 8 and 13 months. Next come the two on either side of the bottom front teeth, then the first molars appear between 10 and 16 months. The teeth in front of the first molars are next, and the back molars are the last ones to come in.

In all, 20 “baby teeth” will eventually be in place, usually by age 3.

What works to soothe a friend’s baby might not work for yours. You may need to try different things to help your little one feel better:

• Something cold in your baby’s mouth, like a cold pacifier, spoon, clean wet washcloth, or a solid (not liquid) refrigerated teething toy or ring. Some experts say frozen teething toys are too cold and may hurt your baby’s mouth. Make sure to clean teething toys, washcloths, and other items after the baby uses them.
• Try offering a hard, unsweetened teething cracker.
• If your baby is older than 6-9 months, you can offer cool water from a sippy cup, too.
• Massage the gums by gently rubbing them with your clean finger. If the teeth haven’t come in yet, you can let your baby gnaw on your finger. If you’re nursing your baby, try dipping your fingers in cool water and massaging their gums before each feeding. That may keep them from biting your nipple while nursing.

Never put anything in your baby’s mouth that isn’t specifically approved to help soothe teething. Even some products described as teethers or teething aids aren’t safe choices, including ones:

• Filled with liquid that can tear and spill
• Made of breakable material, like plastic, that can possibly lead to choking
• That are frozen solid — these can be too hard on a baby’s mouth

Another reason to be aware of the material used to make the teethers: Some can be made from harmful substances, like lead. Look for ones made of rubber.

Child health experts don’t recommend teething necklaces. They’re dangerous: They can strangle the baby. They also can choke if the necklace breaks and they swallow the beads.

If you do choose to use one, make sure to:

• Put it on a wrist or ankle, not around the baby’s neck.
• Always watch your baby when they wear it.
• Take it away when you aren’t watching your baby, even for a very short time.

You may have heard that amber teething necklaces release a pain reliever when heated. That’s not proven, and doctors say using one is not a good idea.

Medicine that you rub on your baby’s gums to stop the pain of teething may not help. It quickly washes away in the mouth and may numb the back of their throat and make it hard for them to swallow.

Stay away from over-the-counter teething gels and liquids that have the ingredient benzocaine. The FDA says this ingredient shouldn’t be given to children under 2. It can cause rare but serious side effects.

A small dose of a children’s pain reliever, such as acetaminophen, may help your baby. Don’t use ibuprofen for an infant under 6 months old, and ask your doctor before giving your baby any medication. Use it exactly as the doctor says.

Teething can be rough for you and your baby at first. But it’ll get easier as you both learn how to soothe each new tooth that pops out.

Good oral hygiene is important, even before your baby has teeth:

• Until teeth start to come in, clean your baby’s gums with a wet washcloth or piece of gauze at least once a day.
• Once they have teeth, clean your baby’s mouth the same way at least twice a day. After feedings is a good time for this.
• After their first birthday, you can start to use a soft-bristled baby toothbrush with water and a small amount of toothpaste that doesn’t have fluoride in it. You can also start flossing between their teeth.

Your child should see a pediatric dentist when the first tooth appears, or no later than their first birthday.

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Baby Born with Teeth: Is This Normal?

Teething is a normal part of a baby’s development during the first year of life. Most babies get their first tooth between 4 and 7 months of age. The first teeth that poke through the gums are the central incisors, which are located on the bottom front.

While most infants get their first teeth months after birth, some babies are born with one or more teeth. These are called natal teeth. Natal teeth are relatively rare, occurring in about 1 out of every 2,000 births.

It can be a shock if your baby is born with teeth. But you don’t need to worry or take action unless the teeth interfere with feeding, or are a choking hazard. Your pediatrician can help advise you about what to do.

Natal teeth can seem mysterious, but there are certain conditions that can increase the chances of babies being born with teeth. These teeth may be seen in babies with a cleft palate or lip. Babies who are born with irregularities in dentin (the calcified tissues that help form teeth) may also have natal teeth.

There are underlying medical issues that may cause natal teeth. These include the following syndromes:

• Sotos
• Hallerman-Streiff
• Pierre Robin
• Ellis-van Creveld

In addition to certain medical conditions, there are a few risk factors that may increase a baby’s chances of being born with teeth. About 15 percent of babies born with teeth have close family members that had natal teeth when they were born, too. These include siblings and parents.

While there are conflicting studies on the role of gender and natal teeth, females seem to be more likely to be born with teeth than males.

Malnutrition during pregnancy is another possible risk factor.

While some babies are born with teeth, the situation isn’t always so clear cut. There are four types of natal teeth. Your doctor can determine which case your baby has:

• fully developed, though loose, crowns affixed to a few root structures
• loose teeth that don’t have any roots at all
• small teeth just emerging from the gums
• evidence of teeth about to cut through the gums

Most cases of natal teeth involve just one tooth. Being born with multiple teeth is even more rare. Lower front teeth are the most common, followed by upper front teeth. Less than 1 percent of babies with natal teeth are born with molars.

The exact type of teeth your newborn has will determine the risk for complications. This will also help your doctor determine if treatment is necessary.

Some babies aren’t born with teeth, but get them shortly after birth. Generally seen within the first month of life, teeth that emerge soon after birth are called neonatal teeth.

According to the journal Pediatrics, neonatal teeth are even more rare than natal teeth. In other words, your baby has a higher chance (though rare) of being born with teeth than getting teeth a few weeks after birth.

Symptoms of teething can start as early as 3 months of age. But in these cases, your baby won’t get any actual teeth for a month or more after that. Neonatal teeth appear so quickly after birth that your baby may not exhibit the normal telltale signs of teething like drooling, fussiness, and biting their fingers.

Natal teeth that aren’t loose are usually left alone. But if your baby is born with loose teeth that have no roots, your doctor might recommend surgical removal. These types of natal teeth can put your baby at risk for:

• choking from accidental swallowing of the loose tooth
• feeding problems
• tongue injuries
• injuries to the mother during breast-feeding

A loose tooth will be looked at via X-ray to determine whether a solid root structure is present. If no such structure exists, removal may be necessary.

Being born with teeth is rare, but it’s possible. If your baby has teeth at birth, be sure to talk to your pediatrician. Any loose teeth may need surgical removal to prevent hazards and health complications.

A pediatric dentist can help guide you through the process. Even if your newborn’s teeth aren’t considered an immediate concern, it’s important to monitor them to prevent any complications.

teething. How to help the baby? – FDC French Dental Clinic

Teething is a natural process for every small child, which, however, turns into a painful condition for him, and even more stress for his parents. It is hard to watch when a small child is in pain. During this period, the baby develops symptoms similar to a severe cold: ear pain, fever, diarrhea, general body aches and a runny nose. Plus, the baby cries and acts up more than usual. Sometimes such symptoms are absent or pass almost imperceptibly – after all, much here depends on the nature of the little man. All children are different – this is a well-known truth, therefore their development (and teething refers specifically to growth and development) is completely different. In any case, parents should not be afraid, because their baby is growing, and our article will tell how to help him during this period.

When do the first milk teeth appear?

It is generally accepted that the first milk teeth appear in a baby at six months. In fact, they are formed in the baby’s mouth even when he is in the mother’s stomach. In the sixth or eighth week of pregnancy, twenty teeth are born, which are called rudiments. When a baby is six months old, milk teeth appear, deep under which, by that time, permanent teeth are at the embryonic stage. There are cases when a child is born with teeth, but they are very rare. It happens that the baby’s dental system develops too early, and already at three months small white spots in the gums are visible in the mouth. Milk teeth may appear not in six months, but in a year. Although such a development of the situation is considered a deviation from the norm, as a rule, this is not associated with pathologies, but with various characteristics of the child’s body and heredity.

With rare exceptions, children’s dental system develops in this order:

• Six months or about a year – four incisors appear in the mouth: two upper and two lower;
• One year – deuces appear, – one more incisors – four pieces;
• One and a half years – the appearance of molars, upper and lower;
• Two years – teething;
• Three years – the appearance of a row of molars.

Signs of teething in a child. How to define them?

The signs that parents are waiting for – fever and pain – do not appear immediately. But to recognize that the baby begins the process of teething is still not difficult.

If you notice that the child began to salivate, and any thing that was in his hands, he strives to taste and chew well with his gums, then the baby is teething. This sign never fails. During this period, it is especially important to monitor the cleanliness of toys and other hygiene at home.

The second sign of teething is swelling and redness of the gums. In order to detect this, you just need to watch the baby’s mouth, paying attention to the tops of the gums. If you saw white spots there, then it’s time to buy a special device at the pharmacy – a teether.

The third symptom is a bad mood that the child experiences from periodic pain. The kid is not interested in playing, he often cries and is naughty, and in connection with this, his night’s sleep may also deteriorate. This period lasts only two days, but parents should be patient and show their love to the child more often than usual.

The fourth most unpleasant sign of teething is various pains and temperature. It is important here not to confuse these pains with cold symptoms or indigestion. The baby may begin to have a runny nose, diarrhea, fever, ear pain and a general weakening of the immune system, in addition, the gums may ache and itch a lot. During this period, the child’s vulnerability to infections increases. This state can last two or three days, and it ends as quickly as it appeared.

How can a child be helped and relieved?

First aid is the care, affection and kindness that parents are obliged to surround their child with. Indeed, in an atmosphere of love and tenderness, even getting sick is not so scary, and small children feel this truth perfectly.

To protect your baby from infections, it is necessary to maintain hygiene in the house, it is especially important to ventilate the room well while the baby is out for a walk or in another room. If any infection has entered the room, then airing will reduce the risk of its spread to a minimum.

Don’t forget gum toys. The fact is that during this period the baby experiences considerable itching in the gums, and the teether is made of a pleasant, soft material. They can not only scratch the gums, but also cool them, because these devices are filled with cold water.

If you notice that in addition to the teether you need additional help for the gums, you can purchase a special tooth gel with the appropriate age mark: from 0 or 6 months. This drug relieves itching, pain and swelling of the gums.

Also, be careful when using antipyretics. The fact is that temperature is a friend of a person, even the smallest. If the temperature rises to 38 or even 39, then the body is fighting the infection well. Therefore, by lowering the temperature, you will deprive the child’s body of the natural ability to fight infection. In addition, a sharp drop in temperature is very harmful to the body. In folk medicine, there are good ways that effectively, and most importantly, safely reduce the temperature: these are wrappings with a damp cloth. Soak a cotton cloth or gauze in cool water and wrap it around your baby’s legs. This method is not only antipyretic, but also relieves other unpleasant symptoms: headache and body aches.

Also, do not rush to give your child medicines if the baby has a little stomachache or a runny nose. Any medical medicine is produced chemically, which is not so good for the health of the child. In addition, teething is not a dangerous process, so such strict measures should not be applied. But it is still necessary to alleviate the condition of the child, for which proven folk methods are perfect – these are decoctions of herbs. Pain in the tummy very well and quickly soothes a weak infusion of peppermint, which, moreover, will help the baby calm down and fall asleep faster. The same herb also helps with vomiting. In addition, peppermint is an antispasmodic, which means it copes well with headaches. In addition to mint, you can prepare a light decoction of chamomile or oregano. Natural pomace of eucalyptus or Kalanchoe helps with a runny nose, but they are far from always available. It is worth preparing for this in advance by asking the local pediatrician for a prescription for preparing an ointment for a cold in a pharmacy. These remedies are made from herbs. They are natural, safe and effective.

In order to survive the period of teething as painlessly as possible, try to prepare all the means in advance, while not forgetting to consult a pediatrician.

Healthy teeth and good health

FDC will be a pleasant find for you and your family on the way to impeccable aesthetics and good health.

How to properly care for children’s teeth?

Your baby’s oral care should start from the first milk teeth. The best toothbrush for a child under one year old is the finger of mom or dad, which is wrapped in a soft cloth, mostly gauze. During such brushing, it is very important not to frighten or upset the child, trying to turn this activity into an interesting game.

Children under the age of three who already have molars should buy a soft silicone brush and fluoride-free toothpaste. To make your baby like pasta, choose products with a pleasant, sweet taste. Most importantly, make sure that the child does not swallow the paste. It is very important not to scare the child away from brushing their teeth, but on the contrary, to show that this is an interesting and enjoyable activity. It is good if the parents themselves set an example for the baby, performing the procedure of brushing their teeth together. Try to get your child to brush their own teeth by the age of three. At the same time, you must control this process, check the result, and, if necessary, gently show the child where he made a mistake this time.

Teach your child to brush their teeth correctly from an early age, that is, after eating. After all, this is logical, because after breakfast, the teeth will see the brush and paste only in the evening.

Another important rule for a child’s dental hygiene is to limit the consumption of sweets such as sweets, cakes, lollipops, cakes and sugary waters. To maintain healthy teeth for as long as possible, ideally, it would be worthwhile to completely protect the child from this kind of sweets. But we all understand that it is not easy. Therefore, an important and responsible matter of parents should be to control the amount of sweets, because in addition to the risk of caries, sweets can cause other problems in the body.

Taking care of your baby’s teeth will help him avoid many problems in the future, such as tooth decay, toothache, malocclusion and disproportionate growth of facial bones. Thanks to the right actions and the responsible approach of parents, children will keep a beautiful smile for life.

We hope this article has helped you prepare for the big event of teething and put our tips into practice.

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Where does malocclusion come from in children?

Malocclusion begins to form in infancy. There are several main reasons.

Fissure sealing of teeth – what is it?

Fissures are characteristic grooves on the teeth, which are most often subject to the development of caries. It is in these irregularities that carious marks appear, because microbial plaque often accumulates here. In the grooves on the chewing surface of the teeth, it is difficult to carry out hygiene measures, so an unhealthy cariogenic environment always remains here.

Why is milk teeth silvered?

Silvering milk teeth is an effective method of treating and preventing the spread of caries in young children. Due to the frequent feeding of a child with carbohydrate sweet foods, night snacks, the use of candies, chocolate, juices, caries develops. First, barely noticeable spots appear on the enamel, which become darker and, if left untreated, lead to carious defects.

Baby Teething – Advice for Parents from FDC Dentists

The first teeth begin to erupt in children between 5 and 8 months of age. Often during this period, babies become capricious, their body temperature may rise, and insomnia appears. Due to pain, itching and discomfort in the gums, children begin to pull foreign objects into their mouths, chew on toys, and slightly increased salivation causes inconvenience to the child during games.

Dental treatment in children: features of anesthesia

Children’s fear of dentists is common. Sometimes it persists even in adults, forcing them to refuse to go to the doctor when the first signs of illness appear. But pediatric dentistry has its own characteristics. Children under 5–8 years old are restless, which introduces certain difficulties in the process of dental treatment.

What can be fraught with trauma of milk teeth?

Every child gets some kind of trauma in childhood and it is inevitable. Children are often in motion, moving and running a lot, and falls often occur. When falling face down, the probability of injury to milk teeth is very high.

Children’s dental trauma

The most traumatic period of life is undoubtedly childhood. Due to the fact that children are constantly in active movement, injuries happen all the time. Often this is perceived without much anxiety, because the injured milk tooth will still fall out, and a permanent one will grow in its place, and there is no need to worry.

Removable bite correction plates

Timely visits to the orthodontist in childhood will help to avoid bite problems in adulthood.

bottle caries

The disease with the unusual name “bottle caries” is a common childhood ailment. It affects the teeth of children aged 1-4 years. It is associated with the habit of the child to drink milk or mixtures containing sugar at night.

Braces for children: at what age is it better to put

The question often arises: if braces are needed for children – at what age is it better to put this orthodontic construction?

Teeth are erupting – what to do?

This is expected with anticipation and anxiety – teething in babies is an important milestone in growing up a child and often a real test for parents. What do dentists say? Where are the boundaries of the norm and pathology when the first teeth appear? How to care for erupted teeth?

First visit to the dentist

How many adults, counting the number of fillings and looking at the curvature of their teeth, regret that their parents did not take them to the dentist on time. After all, as you know, it is necessary to protect health from an early age. Therefore, you should not wait until the child has a toothache to show it to the doctor for the first time.

Child’s front tooth injury

Dental trauma in children is a frequent problem. Carelessness during the game, children’s fights and falls on a hard surface are not at all uncommon. As a result, injuries become the next cause of tooth loss after caries. According to statistics, every third or fourth child at least once had damage to the teeth as a result of a bruise, dislocation or even a fracture.

What to do if a child has no teeth at 8 months

The first teeth appear in a child at about 6-7 months. But sometimes, even after one or two months, the baby still pleases with a toothless smile, making parents worry. What to do if a child has no teeth at 8 months?

Why a child has no teeth: the most common causes

• Sometimes the reason lies in nutrition. In breastfed babies, the teeth come out a little later than in artificial ones.
• Sometimes the delay is due to a past illness, bowel dysfunction, abnormal metabolism or vitamin D deficiency.
• In some cases, late eruption is the result of pathologies during the mother’s pregnancy. In this case, the sequence can be broken, and sometimes the rudiments of the teeth are completely absent.
• If the tooth is initially located in the gum not vertically, but horizontally, which also occurs, it will erupt after 10-11 months.
• It is extremely rare for teeth to be missing due to congenital adentia (genetic predisposition).

What to do if your baby has no teeth at 8 months

First of all, don’t panic. Dentists are convinced that a delay of 5-6 months is a physiological norm, so you can safely wait up to a year. Perhaps the closest relatives of the baby – parents, grandparents – had a similar situation, so the cause of late teeth is a hereditary predisposition. Now is the time to find out.

How a dentist can help

If you are not ready to wait a year, seek help from a good pediatric dentist. The specialist will take a picture of the jaw to make sure there are rudiments of teeth. If everything is fine, you will only have to calmly wait for the process to begin – an increase in the gums and an increase in salivation. Now it’s time to help your baby:

• ring stimulator will relieve itching, reduce discomfort and speed up teething;
• With a clean finger or a small spoon, the child can gently massage the gums;
• stimulates the growth of teeth in and fortified complementary foods – healthy juices and purees. While there are no teeth, it is impossible to introduce solid complementary foods.

The most popular myths about teething

Myth 1. If teeth erupt after 10-11 months, then this indicates a developmental delay.

In fact, this is only an individual feature of the organism or a hereditary predisposition. In most cases, it is completely unrelated to the level of general development of the baby.

Myth 2. The later the first milk incisors come out, the healthier the teeth will be.

Dentists claim that there is no such connection between timing and quality. It is also purely individual.

Myth 3. Special medications can help teeth erupt.

There are no medicines that would speed up this process. Only mechanical stimulation can help the teeth, but even this procedure can be carried out in consultation with the dentist.

So what to do if a child has no teeth at 8 months? Do not panic. Most likely nothing bad is happening. If the pediatrician has no questions for your baby, the child is gaining weight well, developing according to his age and behaving habitually, then you will have to be patient and wait a little longer. Very soon, the gum will signal its readiness to please you with the first milk incisors. If you still have doubts, you can make an appointment with a pediatric dentist you trust.