What is Teething?

If your infant seems to be in distress, and you cannot figure out what the problem is, the answer may be that the little one is teething. Also known as “cutting teeth,” teething generally begins between the age of 6 months, but it can start as early as 3 months or as late as 12 months.

Teething is a result of the baby or milk teeth below the surface of the gums preparing to break through. Some babies find teething painful, while others have no trouble with it at all.

There are several ways to help an infant alleviate suffering from teething pain. The most popular aids are teething rings or teething toys. These come in many different varieties, but the most common are rubber. Aside from the basic round rubber rings, some teething rings have various textures or shapes. Also, some are made to be placed in the refrigerator to chill.

A similar alternative is to give the child a cool wet washcloth to gnaw on. It should be noted that a teething ring should never be placed in the freezer, as that could actually hurt the baby’s mouth more. Teething rings are generally quite inexpensive and can be found anywhere baby products are sold.

Another common option is to rub topical pain relieving ointment on the baby’s gums. It is highly recommended that parents ask a doctor about this as using too much or the wrong kind can cause more problems for the child.

Gently rubbing a wet finger over the gums can also help with temporary pain relief for a teething child even without ointment. As with teething rings, teething relief ointments are inexpensive and easy to find either in stores or online.

Along with gum tenderness, babies can experience excessive drooling which can lead to facial rash. If this occurs, petroleum jelly can be place on the baby’s chin before putting him or her to bed. Other symptoms of teething can include trouble sleeping, fussiness, gum swelling, refusing food, and a tendency to bite. Most of these can be cleared up with the teething rings mentioned above.

Depending on the child’s age, feeding him soft foods like chilled apple sauce may help, as well. Overall, the symptoms will clear up over time as the baby teeth break through the gums. In the interim, teething rings are the best option to soothe an infant’s sore gums.