Getting Your Child And Yourself Through The Painful Ordeal Of Teething

Teething is the process which marks the time when an infant’s teeth first start to emerge. The teeth emerge by breaking through the gums which makes them increasingly painful and uncomfortable for the baby. The gums become swollen which cause extreme soreness and itching to the baby

The teething process for an infant may start as early as three months or as late as twelve months. However, the average time for the process to start is when the infant is between six months to nine months old. While it can take several years for all the milk teeth to grow. The teething process is also some times referred to as “cutting teeth”.

The pain threshold for each infant is different. Some infants are not even bothered by the process. The swelling, itching and the soreness that is caused by the coming tooth is the reason behind the infant’s fussiness and pain. The symptoms for teething start to appear 5 or 6 days before the tooth shows. These symptoms include swollen gums, mood changes, dribbling, and crankiness. Sometimes the teething process may also cause mild fever, restlessness and sleeplessness. If you see your child pulling its ear, it is also a symptom of teething. The pain may sometimes cause a head ache, and the child believes that pulling the ear may relieve the pain. Chewing their fingers and toys; which temporarily helps them relieve the pressure on the gums; is another symptom. In some cases, teething may also cause diarrhea. But, as soon as the tooth breaks the gum skin, the pain and the soreness go away, and so do the symptoms

You can help your child through the teething process by adopting certain measures or practices that help relieve the pain

Teething gels help to temporarily remove the pain. The gel can be applied manually to the affected areas. There are some teethers which have the gels in them; therefore, when the child bites on them the gel is automatically released onto the gums.

Chewing on things really helps the child to relieve the pressure from its gum, and thus the pain as well. Therefore, buy your child some toys that are specially made to aid in the teething process; called, conveniently, teethers.

Pain relieving medication, designed specifically for kids, can also be used to help your child through the teething process. There are certain painkillers that are available over the counter, but always make sure that your child falls in the age group that is advisable to use that drug. Consult your doctor or pharmacist to determine the dosage.

Chewing cold things also help relieve the child’s pain. The cold helps numb the gums for a little while. Therefore, you can either use ice cube (rub them on the gums yourself); or you could refrigerate a damp cloth for a while and then hand it to your child to chew on; or you could simply buy teethers that can also be refrigerated.