Temperature due to teething in a child - what to do

The appearance of an infant’s first milk teeth is a difficult period for both him and his parents. The baby often cries, is capricious and demands increased attention from mom and dad. Teething is often accompanied by an increase in temperature. It lasts for 1-3 days, after which the child’s condition stabilizes.

Teething can be called a purely individual process. In some children it is completely asymptomatic, while in others very unpleasant symptoms appear that significantly worsen the baby’s life - diarrhea, hyperthermia, loss of appetite, inflammation of the gums and others. This clinical picture often confuses parents - they cannot understand whether these signs are related to teething or whether the child is developing some kind of pathology.

Parents' biggest concern during teething is temperature. It can rise to dangerous levels - 39-40°C. To alleviate the child’s condition, it is necessary to be able to provide him with first aid, as well as to recognize in time the signs indicating that you urgently need to either call an ambulance or go to the hospital yourself.

Why does the temperature rise

Teething is a traumatic process. Dental units damage the gum mucosa and inflammation occurs, which in medicine is called aseptic (microbial-free). This process is accompanied by an increase in temperature. In addition, during teething, some processes occur in the baby’s body that stimulate hyperthermia:

• at the site of localization of future milk teeth, specific substances necessary for softening the bone tissue of the jaw begin to be actively produced;
• Since all the forces of the child’s body are aimed at teething as quickly as possible, the immune system weakens a little. During this period, infectious agents present in the body may become active and diseases will begin to progress. Many of them are accompanied by an increase in temperature.

Damaged gums are the “entry gate” for infection. Through them, pathogenic microflora can penetrate the body and provoke the development of a septic inflammatory process. The body also responds to such an attack with an increase in temperature. To prevent infection, it is recommended to take more careful care of your baby’s gums during this difficult period for him. Pharmaceutical companies now produce many drugs that have a triple effect - relieve pain, reduce inflammation, fight viruses, bacteria and fungi. But before using these medications, it is recommended to consult your pediatrician.

Treatment of caries in children under 3 years of age

The method of treating caries in children under 3 years of age depends on the stage of the disease, the individual characteristics of the child and, of course, his attitude towards dentists.

• At the stain stage, the doctor removes plaque and remineralizes the enamel using solutions or silvers the teeth.
• Superficial, medium and deep caries in children 1-3 years old (and older) are treated using a drill. If necessary, the doctor uses anesthesia. If a child suffers from aching toothache, canal depulpation is performed.

Remineralization

Remineralization is the restoration of damaged tooth enamel. To carry it out, the doctor cleans the surface of the affected area, and then covers the rows with a special composition with fluorine and calcium. The procedure is absolutely painless, most children tolerate it easily.

To avoid the development of caries in children, dentists recommend repeating remineralization every six months.

Silvering

This method enhances the protective abilities of enamel and is recommended for children who are afraid of dentists. The surface of the teeth is coated with silver nitrate. The substance provides a reliable antiseptic effect, but parents should be mentally prepared that after treatment the child’s teeth will turn black.

Sealing

For children over 1 year old, the dentist can fill damaged teeth. This treatment does not necessarily require the use of a drill. If the caries is shallow, the doctor applies a special solution with acid to the tooth. The substance corrodes the affected tooth surface, disinfects the carious cavity and applies photopolymer material.

If a child comes to the doctor with deep caries, it will not be possible to do without drilling. Before starting treatment, the doctor gives the baby anesthesia, since baby teeth have nerve endings.

Treatment of caries in children 2-3 years of age and older can be supplemented with procedures such as

• preparation or opening of a cleaned carious cavity;
• depophoresis – introduction of an electric current of copper-calcium hydroxide ions;
• ozone therapy - treatment of carious cavities using a jet of ozone gas;
• photodynamic therapy – application of a special medicinal paste to a carious tooth and subsequent laser treatment of the area.

Teething symptoms

A child's first teeth begin to erupt between 4 and 8 months. There are exceptions. Sometimes children are born with several teeth, while others show them only after a year. Teething is a difficult process for a child. It can be accompanied by various symptoms, but the most common are the following:

• How long does it take for drugs to leave the body?

1. Increased nervousness. The child cries for no reason, whines. Teething may be accompanied by painful sensations that prevent him from sleeping normally. As a result, the regime of wakefulness and rest is disrupted.
2. Heavy salivation. This is a protective process. Saliva has anti-inflammatory and bactericidal properties. Hypersalivation helps protect inflamed gums from infection. Sometimes there is so much saliva that it flows down the chin onto the neck and chest. You should not constantly rub your baby's delicate skin. It is permissible to periodically carefully blot with dry wipes.
3. Loose stools. During teething, the baby may experience diarrhea. It is caused by increased salivation, changes in intestinal microflora, or increased bacterial activity due to a decrease in the body's immune defense.
4. Decreased appetite. Often, due to pain in the gums, infants refuse to eat. In this case, it is a little easier for those who are breastfed, since the sucking process calms and pacifies the baby.
5. Inflammation of the gums. This is the natural state of affairs at the time of teething. If a white stripe appears in some place of the gum, the tooth will soon come out.
6. Runny nose. Sometimes swelling and inflammation from the gums spreads to the nasal mucosa. As a result, the baby begins to snot.
7. Itching in the gums. The baby puts all the objects that come to hand into his mouth. This is how he scratches his gums. To make his task easier, you can purchase special teething toys in stores.
8. Hyperthermia. The temperature rises in 80% of cases. It is important to ensure that it does not reach critical levels. Once every 1-2 hours, it is recommended to measure it not with an electronic, but with a mercury thermometer, since it is more reliable.

All these symptoms frighten parents, as they are similar to the signs of many other diseases of the upper respiratory tract and gastrointestinal tract. These symptoms are typical for teething. But you need to monitor the baby’s condition very carefully, and if the clinic is accompanied by other alarming symptoms, you need to immediately contact your doctor.

When should you start brushing your teeth?

From the moment the first tooth appears, which can erupt between the ages of five and eight months. Most often, the central incisors on the lower jaw appear first.

This is preceded by a period when the gums swell and bother the child. To alleviate the condition, you can give your baby a teething brush - it looks just like a regular one, but has thick and soft rubber bristles that massage the gums without injuring them. The baby will hold it himself, move it along the gums, bite the bristles to relieve itching, so he will quickly get used to the brush and the teeth cleaning procedure.

The teether has soft and thick bristles

When a child's first incisors appear, it is important to clean them with a children's toothbrush with rubber bristles. This procedure cannot be neglected, since at this age the baby eats liquid food, and only solid food (for example, raw carrots or apples) contributes to the process of self-cleaning of the oral cavity. Therefore, it is important to help the child get rid of plaque.

To begin with, let the baby touch the brush, examine it, and try to move it over the teeth himself. This will help him get used to the new subject. After this, you can begin the cleaning itself. It is important to brush your teeth correctly: move the brush from the gum to the edge of the tooth and do not forget about the inner surface.

Let your child try brushing his teeth so that he gets used to the procedure/figcaption>

In addition, the appearance of the first teeth is a reason to take the baby to the dentist. First, the doctor will evaluate the quality of the enamel and help prevent possible problems that may appear at an early age. Secondly, over time, such examinations will become something ordinary for the child and will not cause fear.

Symptoms indicating pathology

An increase in temperature during teething is a natural process. This is a kind of protective reaction of the baby’s body. At this time, it is necessary to carefully assess the general condition of the child. Sometimes dangerous pathologies can be hidden behind teething syndrome. Therefore, parents should know the symptoms indicating the progression of the pathological process:

1. Vomit. Single vomiting can occur at high temperatures. But if it recurs, the baby feels very bad and has diarrhea, you need to see a doctor as soon as possible. These are signs of intestinal infection or poisoning.
2. Nasal congestion or discharge of thick yellow-green snot. This is not the norm, it is a pathology that requires adequate and immediate treatment.
3. Coughing. During teething, a lot of saliva is released. Often children simply do not have time to swallow it, and they may choke. A cough appears reflexively, which is not pathological. But if wheezing is heard and a certain amount of sputum is released during coughing, this indicates the development of diseases of the upper respiratory tract (tracheitis, bronchitis and others).
4. Stomach ache. With normal teething, this symptom should be absent. If the baby is restless, capricious, cries, or pulls his legs toward his stomach, these are alarming signs. Especially if the abdominal pain is accompanied by repeated vomiting. This symptom complex indicates the development of an intestinal infection. The child could pick it up through toys and other objects that he pulled into his mouth.
5. Red throat. Swelling from the gums does not spread to the palate. It can spread to the nasal cavity. If the throat and palate are hyperemic (reddened) upon examination, this is the first sign of the development of pharyngitis.

If you have at least one of these symptoms, you should immediately contact your doctor or go to a medical facility. There the child will be examined by a pediatrician and prescribed the correct treatment. It is prohibited to give any medications (except antipyretics) at home without prior approval from the doctor.

How long does the temperature last

During teething, the temperature rises on average to 37.7°C. This has practically no effect on the general condition of the child. He is active, eats well, plays. But hyperthermia can also reach high numbers - 39-40°C. In this case, the baby is lethargic, capricious, and refuses to eat. It is better to take measurements every 1-2 hours. If the increase is critical, an antipyretic drug should be given. Normally, the temperature during teething can last up to three days. If hyperthermia is present even on the 4th day, you cannot do without the help of a doctor.

How to choose a toothbrush?

The main thing when choosing is the material of the bristles: it should be synthetic, since natural materials do not dry well and microbes can accumulate in them. In addition, it should be soft or ultra-soft.

Children aged from one to two years need a brush with a head no more than 1.5 cm and a handle no longer than 10 cm. It is recommended to choose models with rubber or silicone inserts on the handle so that they do not slip out of the hands. From two to five years, a brush with a head length of 2 cm and a handle of 15 cm is suitable, and from five to seven years - 2.5 cm and 17 cm, respectively.

Children aged three years and older can use an electric toothbrush. Firstly, it will clean your teeth better. Secondly, often such brushes can be synchronized with a smartphone. This way, the child will be able to keep track of the procedure time and see on-screen tips on how to brush their teeth correctly.

It is necessary to change a regular brush or an electric brush head every two to three months, and also immediately after the child has had an infectious disease, such as a cold.

Measure the brushing time using an hourglass, so the child will understand how much time is left until the end of the procedure

When to lower the temperature

There is no need to lower the temperature to 38.5°C. If it rises higher, you need to take action. Hyperthermia affects many processes in the human body. During fever, the water-salt balance is disrupted and the load on the heart increases. In severe cases, convulsions may occur that can lead to respiratory arrest. In no case should this be allowed to happen, as this would pose a threat not only to the health, but also to the life of the little patient.

• How many days does a baby's teething temperature last?

When to give antipyretic drugs:

• temperature exceeded 39°C;
• breathing rate increases;
• the baby sleeps for a very long time;
• the child is restless, cries, cannot calm down;
• drying of mucous membranes, redness of the skin;
• the occurrence of convulsions (in this case, they give an antipyretic and immediately call an ambulance).

If the child has already had convulsions once, the temperature must be brought down when it exceeds 38°C.

What can you do to bring down the temperature?

An increase in a child's temperature is always a reason for panic among his parents. But it is important to control yourself and be able to properly help your child. To normalize body temperature, you can resort to methods of traditional and folk medicine.

Medications

For young children, it is best to give the medicine in syrup form or use rectal suppositories. Both the baby and the older child will refuse to take the bitter pill, and giving it to him will be problematic. If you don’t have anything else at hand, then you can try mixing the medicine with something tasty - honey, fruit puree.

Medicines for fever in a child

To normalize a child's body temperature, medications based on paracetamol or ibuprofen are used in pediatrics. The first can be given to a baby from the first days of life, the second - from three months. Before use, you should consult with your doctor, and also study the instructions for the drug in detail, paying special attention to side effects and dosage.

Traditional methods

If you don’t have the required medications in your medicine cabinet at the right time, you can resort to traditional methods of lowering your temperature. They allow you to reduce the heat by 1-2 degrees. This is often enough to stabilize the child’s general condition.

Effective methods:

• Toothache and fever

1. Physical cooling with a diaper or sheet. This method can hardly be called purely folk, since it is also used in medical institutions. Its essence is to cool the “burning” human body. It is necessary to wet the diaper in warm water and wrap it around the baby.
2. Rubbing with warm water. It is necessary to prepare a sponge and a deep container with water. Her temperature should be 36-37 degrees. Water that is too cold can cause chills and even trigger cramps. Hot water will not bring the expected effect. Take a little warm water into a container, moisten a sponge in it and carefully wipe the child’s feet and hands, elbows and knees, and armpits.
3. Cabbage leaves. They need to be kept in boiling water, and then beaten a little, cooled and applied to the baby’s body.
4. Linden blossom. It can be given even to children under one year old. It has a pronounced diaphoretic effect. As a result, the child sweats and body temperature decreases. Use after consultation with a specialist and in the absence of an allergic reaction to this plant.

It is best to use traditional methods of treatment in tandem with traditional ones. This will not only achieve the desired effect, but also quickly improve the child’s condition.

How to convince a child to brush his teeth?

If a child has not brushed his teeth since infancy, he will find the new procedure interesting the first or second time. And when he realizes that this is a daily activity, he may begin to “forget” or openly protest. In this case, we recommend proceeding as follows:

1. Eliminating negativity.

If your child is angry or crying and doesn't want to brush his teeth, don't force him to comply at all costs. Don’t scare him with the words: “If you don’t brush your teeth, I’ll take you to the doctor.” This way he will become afraid of dentists. In addition, do not promise rewards: “If you brush your teeth, I’ll let you play some more before bed,” otherwise it will be difficult to refuse this scenario later.

Instead, allow him to express his emotions and don't scold him for them. Say: “I see you are upset/angry. You don’t feel like brushing your teeth.” When a person feels that he is understood, the degree of negativity decreases. You can give him a piece of paper and ask him to show how upset or angry he is. If your child, for example, crumples up paper or scribbles something furiously, say, “I understand that you are very angry.”

Do not scold your child for negative emotions, allow him to express them

1. We brush our teeth together.

Show your child by personal example that brushing teeth is a daily procedure, obligatory even for parents. You can create a common ritual when dad, mom and baby brush their teeth together. This will allow the child to understand that he is in some way equal to his parents, since he has the same responsibilities.

Show him how to brush his teeth properly, and even if he is too slow at first, do not rush him and encourage him.

1. We allow the child to show independence.

Let your child choose his own toothbrush and toothpaste. This will make him feel more independent. In addition, the process will be more interesting for the child if the brush or toothpaste packaging depicts favorite cartoon characters.

To prevent the procedure from being too short, buy an hourglass that measures two minutes and place it in the bathroom. This way your baby will be able to control the time himself.

The plaque indicator will give a rich color to poorly cleaned areas and motivate your child to brush their teeth more thoroughly.

1. Discuss dental health with your children.

Offer cartoons and books about dental care and discuss what the child learned from them. Often there are stories told about heroes who did not brush their teeth, and as a result they got sick.

In addition, you can invite him to play dentist and buy a toy that needs to be used to fix his teeth. This will give your child information about why they need to take care of their mouth.

By playing out different situations, the child stops being afraid of doctors and understands the importance of dental care

What not to do when teething

It’s hard to look at a child when you know that he’s feeling bad right now. Therefore, many parents try to take some measures to somehow help their child. But not everything goes to his advantage. During the teething period, you cannot rush the course of events. Teeth will erupt in any case. If you try to speed up this process, you can only do harm.

What not to do:

• give adult medications to bring down the temperature;
• wipe the child with vinegar or alcohol;
• massage the gums;
• make cuts on the gum so that the tooth emerges faster;
• give the child dry bread crust (it can scratch the swollen tissues in the mouth and infection can penetrate through the wounds).

Now in children's stores there are a sufficient number of various “rodent” toys, as well as pain-relieving gels that will help simplify the teething process and reduce pain and inflammation. It is to them that you need to resort if there is a need to help the baby.

“Rodents” for teething children

What if you don’t treat caries in a child?

Not treating caries on baby teeth means providing your child with a painful childhood. Firstly, caries suddenly “infects” other teeth, and secondly, it almost instantly turns into pulpitis and brings excruciating pain to the baby.

Untreated teeth in children can in the future provoke such serious diseases as:

• chronic allergic processes;
• inflammation in the oral cavity;
• periodontitis;
• chronic inflammation in the mouth.