Teething - babies - Toothsmith?

mellyp · 16 December 2005 at 8:32PM

This message is for Toothsmith. (Have had some excellent advice from you in the past)

I am really just after your opinion on teething in babies and the related symptoms?

My daughter (now 3) cut all her teeth (she now has the full 20) without any problems at all! Everyone used to tell me to look out for the signs of a teething baby, i.e. not sleeping, red cheeks, drooling, biting down on stuff, high temperature, explosive nappies!!!, generally being unwell etc. She didn't experience any of this AT ALL , i don't know, maybe she was lucky?

However, my son, who turned 1 last week, (currently has 6 teeth), and is showing all the above signs, has a very red left cheek, bit me 3 times today, very red bottom with nappy changes.

I remember asking my dentist before my daughter cut any teeth, for any advice and he didn't believe in any teething gels etc. and said that the symptoms associated with teething, the being unwell, sore bottom, explosive nappy syndrome was unconnected to teething.

Do you believe stuff like Ashtons & Parsons teething powders, various teething gels help?

Would be interested to hear your take on this

Thanks

Sorry, also meant to ask do you think these extra symptoms are connected to teething?

Toothsmith · 16 December 2005 at 9:46PM

You Rang M'lady

There's been a good thread going here on teething which I have chipped into.

Something I've always recommended for teething, as it worked wonders on my own boys, was Calgel. It contains a bit of topical anaesthetic, and really seems to sooth well. (Put a blob on your own tongue, and it goes quite numb for a while!)

As for this other stuff, teething starts on average at six months (I know there is a large variation) and goes on until 2+

Over that 18 months, the baby will be exposed to loads of new viruses and germs it has never come across before. Although these bugs won't always make them 'ill' there will always be a response such as red cheeks, fever, bad nappies, general grouchiness etc.

Chances are then, that one or more of these challenges to the immune system will coincide with one or more teeth coming through, hence the mystique teething has developed.

As a child dental health lecturer of mine used to say "teething causes teeth - nothing else"

Of course, even Mrs Toothsmith prefered to believe the health visitor over me :xmassmile If ever there was a bad nappy, or red cheek in a TS jnr, and a tooth appeared between a day to a month later, she'd be there saying "see...See....!!!"

Anyway, here's another useful site

Off to watch the taped last edition of Bleak House now!!

TS

mellyp · 16 December 2005 at 10:11PM

Thank you very much for your usual prompt and informative reply.

Should have done a search first shouldn't i? Lots of good stuff to try in that other thread.

I did have some Calgel, from when i did some product testing for Calpol products for a magazine, but never had to use in on daughter so it's probably out of date now, so will head off to chemist tomorrow to get some.

My dentist said something similar to you along the lines of, at 6 months the natural immunity a baby is born with starts to run out and that's when colds and various things are picked up and that just so happens to coincide with first teeth coming through (at about 6 months).

I like the "teething causes teeth - nothing else" comment.

LOL at Mrs TS!!!

Luckily, my son sleeps for Wales, so it doesn't affect his (or more importantly - lol) my sleep.

Thanks again, and enjoy Bleak House. :T

black-saturn · 17 December 2005 at 12:47PM

:mad: Ask your dentist if he would like to cut all his teeth without any pain relief. Honestly some of these people who think they know it all about babies but actually know nothing make me mad

Toothsmith · 17 December 2005 at 6:12PM

black-saturn wrote:

:mad: Ask your dentist if he would like to cut all his teeth without any pain relief. Honestly some of these people who think they know it all about babies but actually know nothing make me mad

Read the reply before you go off on one!

No-one is saying teething isn't painful for babies - it obviously can be! Calgel IS pain relief, I recommend it!!!

What it doesn't do is cause diahorrea, fever, vomiting, ILLNESS.

I don't really care if people believe it causes ILLNESS or not. What could be concerning is if baby has symptoms of fever, or other poorly signs and it is just dismissed as 'teething'.

You wouldn't want an old wives tale to be responsible for a parent missing an important sign would you Saturn??

Toothsmith · 17 December 2005 at 6:15PM

Just as a follow up though - how many parents have trouble with sleepless nights from their kids from 6-14 when the adult teeth are coming through??

Wisdom teeth can get a bit sore though!

black-saturn · 17 December 2005 at 6:21PM

mellyp wrote:

I remember asking my dentist before my daughter cut any teeth, for any advice and he didn't believe in any teething gels etc. and said that the symptoms associated with teething, the being unwell, sore bottom, explosive nappy syndrome was unconnected to teething.

Sorry I was going by this.

Toothsmith · 17 December 2005 at 6:25PM

OOps - I should read the posts as well!!

holstar · 18 December 2005 at 11:49AM

Toothsmith wrote:

Wisdom teeth can get a bit sore though!

i knoooooooow!
i got 2 wisdom teeth coming through at the mo...and its flippin painful!

also seems to be no noticeable increase in wisdom either, mores the pity :snow_laug

Toothsmith · 18 December 2005 at 1:30PM

holstar wrote:

i knoooooooow!
i got 2 wisdom teeth coming through at the mo...and its flippin painful!

also seems to be no noticeable increase in wisdom either, mores the pity :snow_laug

Calgel can help too. (The pain, not the wisdom!)

Also, lots of warm salty mouthwashes and keep the area as clean as possible with your brush, or a cotton bud soaked in the salty water if the brush is too painful.

Seek dental advice if symptoms persist, or noticable swelling sets in!

RACHIE77 · 8 January 2006 at 8:58PM

My son cut all his teeth with hardly a whimper, he did seem to get red cheeks and horrendous nappies but didn't really give me any grief at all! He cut his first tooth at 3 months old and he will be 2 years old tomorrow and has had the full line up for some time now (well all that he's supposed to at least!!!)

My daughter however, has been eternally teething it seems, everyone keeps telling me, ahhh she is teething isn't she and i myself keep attributing many syptoms to her teething... She is nearly 13 months old and has only two dinky teeth in the middle and not a great deal of signs of any more appearing!

I'm puzzled too as I have no idea if she is teething or what any more, all I think to myself is that I try to relieve any whingeing and one of the options is that it could be her cutting teeth but i'm not sure?? One day when she did seem to be really bad and was almost gnawing on plastic toys (to give her some relief it seems?) my cousin gave me some ambesol (i think that is how you spell it and it did seem to do the job, I believe it is a mild anesthetic that numbs the gums slightly?) still no sign of more teeth tho!

oh and by the way Toothsmith, I am interested in the history behind your signature??

Teething - babies - Toothsmith?

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