When do infants start teething?
The most important part of determining whether or not your baby is teething is asking the question: “When do infants start teething?” Expect your baby to begin growing in its first tooth at anywhere from 4-8 months of age. Typically, the first teeth to come in are either the top or bottom central incisors.
Symptoms of a teething baby
Any of these can be indications that your child’s teeth are making their presence known:
- Irritability
- Appetite loss
- Swollen/bruised gums
- Mild fever
- Extensive drooling or biting/chewing
Before you start poking around in your baby’s mouth, though, you should consider the possibility that they are just coming down with a mild cold, as the symptoms are often very similar to that of teething infants.
Now that I know my baby’s teething, what can I do?
Just like with adults, you can use cold water to numb a baby’s discomfort. Try refrigerating a pacifier, or simply dip your finger in cold water and massage their gums. Cold water in the sippy cup of a teething baby will often work as well. In addition to cold things, your infant will probably want to chew on things even more than usual. While some people recommend a teething necklace, the general consensus among pediatricians is that the risk of strangulation outweighs any benefits. As a rule of thumb, never put things around your baby’s neck. As long as their teeth haven’t broken through yet, let your baby gnaw on your finger or a teething cracker.
When it comes to medication, avoid anything that’s not over-the-counter. Advil or Tylenol is fine in small doses, and acetaminophen or ibuprofen is even better. Many other remedies – such as ones containing benzocaine or lidocaine – pose a serious risk to your child’s long-term health. Remember, there is almost always an easier, cheaper, and safer method to deal with teething infants than drugs.
Once the immediate discomfort wears off, it’s still critical to maintain your baby’s health and happiness. You can do this by keeping their teeth and gums free of food remnants and other contaminants. Run a cool, clean cloth over their gums at least a couple times a day. Once you finally start to see teeth, you can start using a toothbrush. Take care to select one that’s soft-bristled and smaller than normal. It is also extremely important that you do not use toothpaste, as your baby will more than likely swallow it. Don’t worry, at this time, most parents are not yet bringing their kids in for regular dental checkups. It’ll probably be another couple of years before that becomes necessary.
Although it isn’t particularly glamorous, this stage is a baby’s life is very influential when it comes to whether of not they’ll have good dental hygiene in the future. If you do a good job today, you’ll save yourself a lot of time and money down the road.