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Teething Pain in Infants 0-24 Months

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About Teething

At birth, it’s likely that your baby was born with bulges on their gums with tooth buds waiting to erupt underneath. At about six months of age, these buds will start breaking through the tissue of your baby’s gums and will cause them some pain. This is all part of a natural teething process that will take years to complete, but teething pain tends to get milder as more teeth come in. In the meantime, there are ways to help relieve your baby’s teething pain.

While teething varies among babies and children, there are some general timelines as to when your baby’s primary teeth get replaced by permanent (or adult) teeth:

  • 6 months to 3 years of age— your baby’s 20 primary teeth will come in
  • Lower incisors (bottom front)— are often the first to erupt
  • Upper incisors (top front) — usually erupt next
  • Other teeth — erupt over a period of about 2-1/2 years
  • 6 to 13 years of age — your child’s primary teeth will fall out and be replaced by their adult teeth; most children have them by the time they’re 13 years old

Common symptoms of teething pain in babies

Like other types of baby pain of discomfort, it’s difficult for any parent to really know what’s causing it. When it comes to teething, the following are considered classic symptoms that your baby may show:

  • Excessive drooling
  • Irritability — for no apparent reason such as fever, hunger, tiredness or injury
  • Difficulty sleeping or settling at night
  • Refusal to eat
  • Gnawing at hard objects
  • Flushed cheeks
  • Red, swollen gums around the site of the new tooth
  • Minimal bleeding — but check with your doctor to rule out infection
  • Gum rubbing, biting or sucking [from http://www.babycenter.ca/baby/ref/teethingdistress/]
  • Ear rubbing — on the same side where a tooth is trying to come in [from http://www.babycenter.ca/baby/ref/teethingdistress/]
  • Eruption cysts or eruption haematoma — a blue or clear swelling may appear at the site where a new tooth is trying to erupt through the gums which will heal as the tooth surfaces

Common causes and symptoms of thrush in babies

Thrush is the least common cause of toothaches in children and is caused by an overgrowth of Candida (a fungus) in the mouth. Symptoms include:

  • White patches or blisters on your child’s tongue, lips, cheeks, throat and gums
  • If these white patches are scraped off, an underlying mucous membrane is exposed and is slightly inflamed and mildly sensitive

You should make an appointment with your child’s doctor if your child is experiencing a toothache as a result of a thrush. Thrush is easily treated with a topical anti-fungal medication.

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References:

BabyCenter®: www.babycenter.ca

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