Theriot Family Dental

Can Teething Cause a Fever?

Posted by writeradmin

I have a child that keeps running fevers. He’s just about to cut his first tooth and a friend of mine with three children already said that the teething is probably the answer. She suggested that I cut his gums to get them through faster. I’m afraid I’ll do that wrong. Is any of this advice correct?

Pamela

Dear Pamela,

A teething child crying

First things first, please do not cut your child’s gums. The body is designed to do this naturally. I fear that by accelerating the process the roots will not form properly. Then when their teeth come in there will not be enough root to support their teeth. So, as to cutting their gums. Remember, that’s a no.

As to the fever, yes, cutting teeth can cause a child to have a mild fever. Now, anything higher than a mild fever needs to be addressed. There will be other symptoms too, such as drooling, loss of appetite, and fussiness. Of course, illness can make infants fussy too, so look at the symptoms as a whole.

As to when there needs to be some intervention with erupting teeth, this would be more when their adult teeth are coming in. If you see their adult teeth erupting but their baby teeth are not coming out, then you would need to have the baby teeth extracted. Do not do it yourself. You want this to be as pleasant as possible for your child and a pediatric dentist is best able to handle that type of extraction.

I hope this helps. There are plenty of things you can do for a toothing baby. Give them something safe to chew on. You can also get a numbing medication, but be aware they don’t last very long.

This blog is brought to you by Youngsville, Dentist Dr. John Teriot.