9 Common Symptoms Of Teething In Babies

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Eruption of milk or deciduous teeth in an infant’s oral cavity is an essential process that marks the initiation of transition from the edentulous state (without any teeth) to a dentulous one. This process is known as teething or cutting teeth and commences between the age group of six to eight months.

The very first milk tooth emerges in the lower front region of the arch closely followed by the upper front teeth. All the remaining teeth take up their position in the mouth by the age of three.

One of the best ways for the parents to deal with the teething phase their little one undergoes is to be fully aware of the possible teething symptoms which can take place.

Common Symptoms Of Teething

Oral Pain And Teething

As the very first teeth known as mandibular central incisors attempt to make their presence appreciable in the oral cavity, the unpleasant sensation of pain begins to bother many infants. The intensity of pain is, however, a symptom that is not omnipresent in every small baby.

Some toddlers may find the pain unbearable whereas a few do not even get the feeling of any discomfort. In many, the pain continues to spread to adjoining areas of the ears and cheeks, particularly when the upper and lower back teeth begin eruption.

The good news is that subsidence in pain and discomfort usually begins soon after teething.

Increased Salivation

When it is time for the milk or baby teeth to begin eruption through the gingival tissue into the oral cavity, you’ll notice that the little one salivates more than before. There is absolutely nothing to worry about for drooling of saliva is a fairly common symptom during the teething phase.

The increased production of saliva begins roughly around the fourth month of age (varies with each child) and dribbles over the chin and neck area of the baby. This in turn increases the chances of formation of an itchy skin rash which makes the poor baby more fretful.

Inflammation Of The Gums

To gain entry into the oral cavity, the milk teeth have to make way through the tissue that covers the dental arches. This consequently, leads to inflammation of the tissue which can be seen clinically as reddened, swollen gums.

It is further easy to determine that the soreness is related to teething if a slight bulge is noticed in the region of inflammation. It is the inflammation and increased sensitivity of the gums that amps up the distress of your precious one.

Raised Body Temperature

There are toddlers who begin to exhibit symptoms that bear slight resemblance to conditions such as flu or nasal congestion as seen in common cold.

This covers slightly elevated body temperature that stays below 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit (38 degree Celsius). In short, the increase in body temperature is insufficient to be regarded as fever.

Phase Of Irritability

If your bundle of joy is around six months of age and is showing symptoms of irritability in the form of frequent crying spells or fussiness, you can be certain of its link to the normal process of teething. The pain can make some infants extremely restless too. As they cannot express what they are going through verbally, symptoms are projected in the form of cheek rubbing and mood variations because of which the child is mostly not in the best of moods.

Chewing Tendency

With teething, you might notice that your baby has been showing more interest in chewing on items such as toys or any other object they get their little hands on!

This symptom stems as a counter mechanism that allows the baby to relieve the gnawing sensation and pressure triggered by the process of tooth eruption.

Variation In The Routine Sleep Pattern

For kids with a low threshold for pain and inflammation, other symptoms such as disturbance in the pattern of sleep are observed. During the time of cutting teeth, many infants find it difficult to go to sleep easily. Consequently, the loss of adequate sleep further makes them crankier.

Loss Of Appetite

Of the many symptoms seen during teething, what worries parents the most is the loss of appetite infants show during the phase of teething. This takes place in many teething cases and usually lasts for a few days during which the child may refuse to eat once or twice during the entire day. However, if this symptom continues for many feedings at a stretch, you must get in touch with his or her pediatrician for a medical opinion.