They say that when you or one of your family members suffer from a toothache, consider it as a dental emergency and head straight to an emergency dental clinic. It may be a simple problem that can encourage development of a more serious condition. However, if your toddler suddenly complains of tooth pain, should you respond the same way? Let us discover everything about toddler teeth pain, its causes, and what steps parents need to take when a child complains of tooth pain.
A child’s teeth
You can expect your child to get his first tooth from 6 to 12 months of age, but some can develop it earlier or later than that. After that first tooth, the next ones will erupt one by one, until they get the whole 20 teeth before they reach the age of 3. The first few teeth will not elicit any pain, only that itchy feeling in the gums that would require kids to chew or bite harder on their teething toys and pacifiers, even hurting their parents’ shoulders in the process.
Toddler teeth pain: Growing molars?
By the time they reach their first year, babies may have 16 teeth all in all. This is the start of the eruption of their molars, or the last teeth to erupt at the back of the mouth. The first ones may appear on the upper row between 13 to 19 months, while the molars develop starting 23 to 33 months (before 2 to 3 years of age). This may be the reason your child may complain of toddler teeth pain.
Symptoms of toddler teeth pain
Because they do not have the capacity to express the discomfort they are feeling, toddlers would normally show symptoms like chew vigorously on things that they can grab a hold of, like toys, teethers, pacifiers, and clothes. You can also notice that they drool more during this time. They may cry or seem irritated more often than usual due to the discomfort. You may see redness on their gums or they may develop low-grade fevers. However, if your toddler develops high-grade fever or diarrhea, suspect that he may have developed an infection since teething does not cause high grades fevers and stomach upset.
Toddler teeth pain management
Parents should not be too alarmed with your child’s teething problems. However, you may find ways on how to lessen their discomfort using some home remedies.
- Massage their gums with a clean finger.
- Let them chew on cold fruits to alleviate the redness and swelling of the gums.
- Put their teething toys in the fridge for a few hours before letting them chew on it.
- Distract them or divert their attention to doing playful activities so they would not focus on the pain.
- Apply lip balm to avoid dryness of the lips while they are excessively drooling.
Toddler teeth pain: When to see the doctor
If all else fails, and you notice that your kid is feeling weak or sick during the teething process, maybe it is not their molars that are causing the toothache. Consult your dentist or pediatrician if the tooth pain is in conjunction with signs of gastrointestinal problems like vomiting, diarrhea, ad stomach pain. As mentioned earlier, see a doctor if your child also develops high-grade fevers. The culprit may be a viral or bacterial infection and not your toddler’s molars.
