Teeth, fever and malaise: is there a correlation?

Most paediatricians do not agree with the fact that teeth when they come out bring with them various ailments. In fact, a direct correlation between teething and fever has never been demonstrated.

If the baby gets sicker during the teething period it is not a fact attributable to the teeth but simply because these usually start to appear in the period in which the protection of the antibodies that the baby received from the mother during pregnancy begins to fail .

Despite this, you will find mothers, grandmothers or aunts who will tell you that your child’s fever, or cough or diarrhea, is linked to teething.

Don’t let gossip influence you and try never to underestimate the child’s ailments. In case of persistent fever and / or cough, it is better to always have it checked by the pediatrician without drawing hasty conclusions.

Red and swollen gums

Teething certainly brings symptoms but they are generally transient and minor: red and swollen gums and the need to drool continuously are the most common symptoms.

When the child has red and swollen gums, to understand if it is a growing tooth, just place your finger on the gum and press lightly. You will see that as soon as you remove your finger, the growing tooth appears under it. While the tooth grows, the child feels a pulsing sensation that bothers him. All of this could make his sleep restless and make him irritable.

How to relieve toothache?

To relieve the pain, you can gently wet the gum by soaking a gauze in cold water, or using a piece of ice always wrapped in sterile gauze. There are also specially made toys that need to be cooled in the fridge before giving them to the child to bite on.

There are also pharmacological remedies (soothing ointments to spread on the gums) possibly to be used as a last resort, just ask your trusted pediatrician or pharmacist.

Salivation and other symptoms

The teething period is when the baby fills bibs and T-shirts with saliva. In fact, in those situations if you think about it, they are great saliva producers

The growing tooth causes the child a sort of itching and hence the increase in salivation. Saliva also serves to soothe discomfort and disinfect the gum.

On the other hand, opinions are very conflicting on diarrhea . Some believe that there is a correlation with the growth of teeth, some do not.

In any case, if diarrhea should appear on the days when the tooth seems to be about to come out, try to hydrate it well and if the symptoms persist, always contact the pediatrician.