Is My Baby Teething?

Teething is the process by which an infant's teeth sequentially appears in the mouth. Teething may start as early as three months or as late. 

Sequence of appearance of Baby Teeth :

• Lower central incisors at approximately 6 months
• Upper central incisors at approximately 8 months
• Upper lateral incisors at approximately 10 months
• Lower lateral incisors at approximately 10 months
• First molars at approximately 14 months
• Canines at approximately 18 months
• Second molars at approximately 2-3 years

Milk teeth tend to emerge sooner in females than in males.

Teething signs and symptoms :

• Common symptoms include drooling, mood changes and feelings of irritability or crankiness and swollen gums.
• Crying, sleeplessness, restless sleep at night, and mild fever are also associated with baby teething. 
• Pain is often associated more with large molars since they cannot penetrate through the gums as easily as the other teeth.
• They may chew on their fingers or toys to help relieve pressure on their gums.
• Babies might refuse to eat or drink due to the pain.

Teething has not been shown to cause the following:

• Fever 
• Diarrhea
• Runny nose and cough
• Prolonged fussiness
• Rashes on the body

Treatment

• Medicinal gels are often applied to the babies gums to relieve swelling and pain. These gels are similar to the toothache gel that is used by adults for sore gums and toothaches, but is administered in much smaller doses.
• A teething ring is generally a soft plastic device that can be chewed on and allows the baby to break down some of the gum tissue which promotes the growth of the teeth out of the gum. 
• Placing a wet washcloth in the freezer for a few minutes and then applying it gently to the gums can be effective, but care must be taken not to expose a baby's gums to coldness for too long.