Can baby teeth eruption cause fever?
Can babies get a fever from the eruption of milk teeth?
Baby teeth eruption can cause gum inflammation and fever in babies, but never high fever. The appearance of milk teeth is a natural and physiological process. It involves the opening of a buttonhole in the gum, where the baby tooth appears.
Usually, tooth eruption can produce a slight pain in babies that is perfectly bearable. Often, this discomfort worries the child and, to a greater extent, the family.
Most common discomfort when baby teeth erupt
The literature describes that the most frequent signs and symptoms during eruption of milk teeth are:
(a) gum irritation, becoming red and swollen,
b) irritability of the child, and
c) drooling.
Other signs may appear when baby’s teeth start coming out around 6 months of age, although they are less common:
(d) thumb sucking habit,
e) loss of appetite,
f) sleep disturbances,
g) febrile fever,
h) diarrhea,
i) facial rash, and
j) vomiting.
What temperature is a fever when teething?
Dental eruption may cause a mild febrile fever in relation to baby teeth.
A body temperature below 37.5°C does not indicate a fever. Therefore, the temperature should be above this temperature to consider fever as occurring.
In short, we cannot assert that the mentioned case is related to having a fever when teething occurs.
How do I comfort my teething baby?
Babies typically reduce the “eruptive syndrome” or “teething” symptoms with the use of cold accessories. The child uses these instruments to bite. Therefore, the cold acts as a pain reliever and anesthetic for the gums. We can use a full set of instruments, such as:
a) teething rings,
b) teethers,
c) wet wipes, etc.
Additionally, we have to take into account that anesthetic gels, freely available in pharmacies, can be harmful. Also, we should never use this set of teeth anesthetic products on children teeth under two years of age.
Do all baby teeth fall out?
Yes. The number of teeth in the primary dentition is 20. Ten in the lower part and another 10 in the upper part of the mouth.
The first temporary or deciduous teeth that appear are front teeth, normally starting with the lower and then the ones in the upper jaw. All of them are temporary.
Children normally start replacing their baby teeth with adult teeth around the age of 6/7. A new tooth may come in earlier than expected in case of tooth decay or injury. This is because it doesn’t need to exert pressure on the baby tooth to emerge.
On the other hand, when all the permanent teeth have just erupted we have a total of 32 teeth. The last four permanent teeth that appear are the wisdom molars.
When and why do children’s baby teeth fall out?
As already mentioned before, baby teeth start falling around 6-7 and normally ends between 12 years and 14 years of age. During this time we are in a period of mixed dentition (baby teeth and permanent teeth together).
Baby or primary teeth become loose and fall out because adult teeth grow in and take their place. Therefore, the cause is that the permanent teeth push out.
What is the order of eruption of baby teeth?
For most, in the dental clinic we observe that the eruption of the primary dentition follows an orderly pattern.
Therefore, the typical eruption order of milk teeth is as follows:
1. Lower central incisors
Around 6 months of age.
2. Upper central incisors
About 8 months.
3. Lower lateral incisors
Between 9 and 12 months.
4. Upper lateral incisors
Between 10 and 16 months.
5. First molars
Between 13 and 19 months.
6. Canines
Between 16 and 22 months.
7. Second molars
Between 25 and 33 months.
This order of eruption is consistent in most babies, but it is important to remember that there may be some normal variations. In many cases, some babies may experience changes in the order or timing of eruption, which is also normal.
In conclusion, teething, which is a natural and necessary process, can generate a number of discomforts. Undoubtedly, the team at the children’s dental clinic can easily resolve the discomfort with patience and good advice to the parents.
References:
