Teething
WHAT IS TEETHING?:
SYMPTOMS:
- Fussiness
- Loss of appetite
- Drooling
- Chewing on things and fingers
- Sleeping problems
- Sore gums
NOTE: FOR SOME BABIE, THERE ARE NO SYMPTOMS AT ALL
WHAT CAN BE DONE?:
- Give your baby cold washcloth to chew on. Teething rings can be placed in a refrigerator before letting them chew on it.
- Use a clean wet gauze, wrap it around your clean finger and rub your baby’s gums.
- Ask your doctor before sign at OTC Teething gels/tablets.
- Ask your doctor before giving OTC pain medications.
- Be cautious before using any natural or homeopathic medications claiming to help teething. They may have contents like belladonna which was found to cause seizures in many cases.
SOME MYTHS ABOUT TEETHING:
- Teething causes diarrhea, rashes or fever (Truth: bacterial or viral infections that can develop at the time of tooth eruption can cause these symptoms, not the process of teething itself causes these.)
- Timing of first tooth eruption is related to advances or delayed cognitive development. (truth: every baby develops at a different pace. The first teeth eruption is not a milestone!)
- You need to buy the expensive and fancy teethers available in the market (Truth: a simple wash cloth works just as fine)
DO BABIES NEED DENTIST?:
- Yes, they sure do.
- AAPD (American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry) recommends that a child should go to a dentist within 6 months after the first tooth erupts or at least by their first birthday.
- At Charter Oak Dental, we do see kids of all ages. We love babies. We give utmost importance to Parent education. Ask us more during your child’s dental visit