Teething Fever Management Tips for all Parents

Your six months old bundle of joy who has been quintessentially angelic since delivery has abruptly begun exhibiting crankiness, fussiness, started dribbling & chewing on whatever comes in front of his/ her munching range – a total 360 of what he/ she was earlier. The infant has started to keep you awake in the wee hours of the night, & holding, nursing & bouncing needed to be done throughout the day to mollify him/her. Welcome to the wondrous reality of ‘Teething’.

One could even spot protruding gums with teeth outline visible with the mid-bottom tooth generally the foremost to erupt.

Is Teething Fever normal?

Once the infant’s tooth begins surfacing from the gums, he/she might feel off-colour as compared to what is normally seen. Several infants would be experiencing hardly any symptoms while others would ail every instant a new tooth erupts out of the gums. A low grade fever noticed in an infant can be indicative of him/her teething, however it can even be a sign of other conditions like virus-caused infection, hence it vital that any other possibility be ruled out prior to just coming to the decision that it is a teething-related matter.

Teething fever is one thing that several physicians show reluctance in agreeing as there appears to be no real link between rising body temperatures & teething. But, all those parents that have lost sleep tending to their babies with fever who didn’t develop any viral signs, but popped a tooth would certainly agree to teething & fever definitely having a link.

The fact is that a child develops temperature for an array of reasons. Firstly, fevers are the innate responses of our bodies to anything which has upset the innate equilibrium of things within. With a child’s body being so small-sized, it is hardly surprising to notice a fever taking hold in an endeavour to get riddance of any likely ailment. Parents prevalently are apprehensive regarding fever & start panicking. This then leads to all possible damage-control measures been taken to allay the fever, though it is vital to understand that fever is basically a shielding mechanism of our body – better stated as the cop instead of the offender.

In regards to the query of whether low grade fevers are normal occurrences when babies are getting new teeth, one might get mixed answers from various medical professionals. In these situations, parents are basically offered reassurance that they should stop worrying about the fever & would be offered guidance on what steps generally to take when the baby is teething.

Body temperature that ranges between thirty-eight to thirty-nine degrees centigrade is termed as low grade fever. In case the symptoms, inclusive of fever are mild-ranging & not worsening over the period of some hours then avoid pushing the panic button. High fevers of forty degrees centigrade or more which swiftly plummets to between thirty-seven and thirty-eight degrees centigrade with therapy measures mentioned below are also not a matter to be concerned about & waiting till the next morning is alright.

Scenarios when fever warrants promptly paging your paediatrician.

When the baby is six weeks or lesser in age & having fevers of 101 degrees or more then it is deemed as a medical crisis situation and prompt evaluation by a physician becomes necessary irrespective of day or night. Avoid offering fever-allaying medicines in such scenario as the fever mustn’t be hidden till the physician has examined the infant. Ensure confirming any fever using rectal thermometers prior to getting in touch with the physician.

Infants that are seven weeks till 3 months of age having fevers crossing 101 should immediately visit their physician at the earliest. In case the emergency situation has arisen in the wee hours of the night then visiting a reliable 24 hours run facility in case your paediatrician isn’t available on call during that time. In case the emergency situation has cropped up in early dusk hours then paging your physician as his clinic or office would soon close for the day to only re-open the subsequent day. Ensure confirming any fever using rectal thermometers prior to getting in touch with your physician.

For children irrespective of age having any single or more of the below mentioned symptoms, one must possibly be calling the physician instantly.

High temperatures of forty degrees Celsius or more which doesn’t dip to thirty eight degree centigrade despite therapy measures mentioned herewith.

When your child has become lethargic exhibiting limpness, lifelessness, non-responsive or not making eye-to-eye contact.

The kid is behaving in an irritable manner, crying for protracted periods of time while not communicating verbally & difficult in consoling.

When the child is suffering from high temperature, neck stiffness or pains in the backside of the neck, puking, headaches, vivid lights are hurting his/her eyes are all meningitis symptoms. Prior to calling your paediatrician one must even be checking for other symptoms that the kid might be having such as coughing, puking, rashes among others.

For remedying temperature, administration of infant formulas of mild pain-killers (ibuprofen/Acetaminophen) is often the option & following the right dose as per the paediatrician’s instructions. Avoid giving aspirin to kids below twelve. In case the kid is puking & incapable of keeping down the medicine then using acetaminophen suppository is also a good choice which is obtainable as OTC form. Also giving the child tepid bath & using cool washcloths over the body to be continued alongside fever-allaying medicines. The kid should be offered cool fluids for drinking to aid in bringing down the temperature & maintaining optimal hydration.

With so many options of OTC teething gel, liquid or paste brands in the market for de-sensitizing the gums, one could zero in on one after seeking advice of your trusted paediatrician. The ideal way of using teething gels are firstly patting the infant’s gums dry with a clean cloth & then applying a miniscule quantity solely to that spot on the gum which protrudes out. A number of downsides to these exist hence must be used solely as a final option. Firstly these gels are awful-tasting, travelling all through the mouth in the spit & numbing lip & tongue, easily ingested and an infant might end up swallowing excess of it.

For teething infants who feel the strong urge for biting firm items could be offered some relief by using brands like Baby Anbesol, mouthwashes like Cepacol/Scope applied after placing on Q-tips. Avoid using mouthwashes on infants once teeth have surfaced due to their sugary presence. In case the infant is unable to get sound sleep due to teething woes then checking with a dentist or child specialist regarding the use of Baby Tylenol or other pain-allaying medicine or sedative to assist mother and child in getting sound slumber.