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> Baby Information > Teething Health Problems and Issues |
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Teething problems & health issues like fever, ear ache and flu like symptoms that could occur while your baby or infant is cutting a tooth.
Teething can cause mild health problems, but one recent study
found that nurses and doctors tend to ascribe symptoms to
teething even when they may be signs of more serious illness.
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Parents, on the other hand, may worry that teething-related
ailments mean something is really wrong with their baby, so
it's a case of finding a balance between the worries of
parents and the casual attitudes of medical personnel. So,
how can you tell whether your child's symptoms are related
to cutting a new tooth, or something you should be worried
about?
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What to do if your baby has a fever or high grade temperature while
teething?
Fever usually indicates a problem. Fever tells you there
is infection: the body attempts to kill foreign germs by
raising its temperature. Higher temperatures may kill some
germs by making the environment
inhospitable to them, but sometimes the fever can get too high: in this case,
antibiotics may come into play. Babies run low fevers much more often than
adults do. If your baby is under six months old, call the doctor as soon as he
or she is running a fever: there's no sense in taking chances. Little babies can
get very sick very fast, and you should be cautious. If your child was
premature, always check with the doctor when there's a fever. In older children
with a temperature over 100°F, call the doctor. Teething problems can sometimes
cause low fevers, but if your child runs a high fever or has a temperature for a
long period of time, you should get to a doctor because you may be seeing signs
of illness or infection. Ear infections occur at the same ages that children are
teething, and teething crankiness may at first mask the pain of the ear
infection. But if you notice the crankiness worsening (teething pain seems to
come and go), or if fever appears and grows, your child may have an ear
infection requiring treatment.
Teething and Flu Like Symptoms are Generally Not Related Ear infections or
viral illnesses are responsible for flu or cold like symptoms like ear ache,
cough or vomiting. Teething doesn't cause these symptoms, although your baby may
be rubbing her ears either because of ear pain, jaw pain from teething or
sleepiness. You can probably tell by the way she's crying that there's something
else going on. Taking a temperature can confirm the presence of an ear
infection: a trip to the pediatrician is in order.
When to consult a doctor about your baby health or possible sickness? You
can tell a lot about your child's health from the way she looks and acts: a
healthy baby looks and behaves differently from a sick baby: most parents see
the difference immediately. Vomiting is a clue that something is wrong: teething
babies don't generally vomit (there are exceptions to every rule, but this is a
pretty solid rule). Colic may cause crying and vomiting as well as rigidity of
posture and fever. Diaper rash can accompany teething because the amount of
saliva babies swallow when teething can wind up in their stomachs and then in
the diaper, causing irritation. If diaper rash is an issue but the rash doesn't
clear up with the usual ointments and treatment, your child may have developed a
yeast infection in the diaper area. Take her to a doctor for diagnosis and
treatment.
Some blood and bruising during teething is common in most infants and
babies. Teething can be gruesome for new parents. It's normal when cutting a
tooth for babies to have bruises on the gums, and before a tooth pokes through
the gum, there may be a sudden gush of blood that will scare the heck out of you
if you aren't prepared for it. Not all babies bleed from the mouth when
teething, but in some cases, a pocket of blood in the gum just above the tooth
ruptures. Wipe out her mouth, feel around for the tooth bud, and make sure the
blood is indeed coming from the gums. In normal teething, the child won't act
like anything is wrong, because the eruption isn't any more painful than usual.
It just looks scary to parents!
Baby Teething Articles and Infant Information
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