Teething – Pelham, NH
Helping to Relieve Your Baby’s Oral Pain
At Simply Pediatric Dentistry & Orthodontics, we know how hard it can be to hear your baby cry when a tooth is pushing through the gum line. Although necessary, teething is one of the hardest aspects for both the parents and the child. Fortunately, our team of expert dental professionals have plenty of tips and techniques to help you and your baby get through this difficult time. If you are in need of assistance, don’t hesitate to call our children's dental office for help with teething in Pelham, NH.
What is Teething?
If you’ve fallen in love with your baby’s gummy smile, snap as many pictures as you can because pretty soon their first baby teeth will begin to erupt past the gum line. When your child was born, all 20 of their primary teeth sat below the gums. By the time they’re between 6 and 12 months old, the first tooth or teeth will begin to push through, and when this happens, your baby will probably feel much discomfort and show irritability throughout the day. They might even wake in the middle of the night in pain.
In most cases, you can expect your child to have all of their primary teeth by the time they are 3 years old.
Signs a Baby is Having Trouble Teething
Whether this is your first child or not, each baby experiences different symptoms when teething. Some of the most common signs include:
- Fussiness or irritability
- Difficulty sleeping at night
- Not eating as much as they used to
- Baby is drooling more than usual
- Facial rashes
- Biting on their hands or a teething toy to relieve pressure
- Pulling their ears
- Rubbing their cheeks
However, if your baby is experiencing any of the following symptoms in correlation with teething, it is best if you call and schedule an appointment with your doctor as soon as possible:
- While low-grade fevers are normal, a temperature over 102 degrees Fahrenheit is cause for concern
- If your baby has more than two bouts of diarrhea
- If a severe cough or cold develops
- Although minimal blood on the gums is normal, more than a few droplets are not
When You Should Bring Your Teething Baby to See Us
The ideal timeframe to bring your child in to see us for the first time is when the first tooth erupts or by the time they turn the age of 1.
When you bring your baby in to see us, we will check their smile for anything that might be concerning. If everything looks completely normal, but they are simply going through the teething stage, we will be happy to provide some useful tips to help your baby achieve the maximum level of comfort with each tooth that pushes through. Some of these tips include:
- With a clean finger, gently massage their gums.
- Give your child a rubber teething toy to chew on. You might try placing these toys in the freezer to help numb their gums as they chew.