Teething

People have been speaking and writing about teething for centuries, so there are many views about what teething does to a child and what one should do about it. Most of these views are unproven. So I’ll look at a few facts about teething, and in doing so I’ll try to answer some of the common questions about what teething can and can’t do to a child.

When does teething start?

Eruption of the milk teeth takes place between 6 months and 3 years of age, but the signs of teething can start weeks before the teeth emerge.

Can teething make a child very ill?

The short answer is no. Teething has been happening in every child forever, long before there were doctors or chemists, and there’s no evidence that it’s ever caused a serious health problem. On the other hand many childhood illnesses happen during the same time frame, so it’s not surprising that sometimes a serious illness at the same time as a tooth comes through.

What are the signs of teething? 

A teething baby or toddler may be niggly, chews things to relieve itchy gums, drools and may have a low grade temperature (37-38 degrees). The nose may be a bit stuffy and the stool may be a bit looser than usual. There may be a rash around the mouth from the drooling. If the child has a high fever (more than 38), one should look for other infections.

Viral infections of the mouth like herpes or herpangina can cause sores in the mouth, fever and drooling, and are common in this age group.

If the stools are watery, very frequent and foul smelling in a child who is also vomiting, it’s likely to be gastroenteritis.

Does teething cause ear infections?

Although there’s no proof that teething is linked to ear infections, I have to say that my own children got ear infections quite often when they were teething. Perhaps the mild nose congestion is the cause.

What can you do about teething?

Teething is not an illness, so there’s no specific treatment and certainly no cure.

• Something to chew on like a teething ring will help with the discomfort. Avoid traditional teething foods (biscuits, biltong or dry sausage) in young infants because of the risk of choking.
• Paracetamol (Panado/Calpol) is safe and effective for discomfort and low grade temperature.
• A barrier cream (Bepanthen or SBR Repair) will help to prevent the rash around the mouth.

What about teething gels and powders? 

Read the list of ingredients. Many contain things which can be dangerous in babies like alcohol, salicylate (related to aspirin) and local anaesthetics (benzocaine or lidocaine). My advice is to stick with Panado and a teething ring.

The take home message is that you should never blame signs of a serious illness  on teething. If your child has a very high fever, a severe rash, bad diarrhoea and vomiting, a mouth full of sores or is extremely irritable, look for another illness that may need treatment.