Can Teething Cause a Fever In Children

Posted by writeradmin

I’m at my wits end with my nine month old. She keeps getting fevers, but when we take her to the doctor they insist she’s fine. A friend of mine said that their baby had done that and they discovered it was because he was teething. Her grandmother slit the baby’s gums and he was fine. I don’t think I could slit my baby’s gums, but was wondering if teething could cause fevers. If so, is there anything I can do for her other than slitting her gums?

Carolyn

Dear Carolyn,

I’m glad you completely threw out the idea of slitting your daughter’s gums. That is an absolutely horrible idea. Babies teeth erupt by the roots growing and pressing upward on their gums until they erupt. If someone slits the baby’s gums then it will arrest that process and the baby’s roots may not fully develop. You want to make sure the roots are strong enough to support their teeth.

As for whether or not teething can cause fevers, that is possible. However, it would only be a low-grade fever. There are generally other symptoms as well.

• Crying
• Extra drooling
• Difficulty Sleeping
• Loss of appetite
• Pulling at ears

If she’s teething and having a fever, you can give her some children’s acetaminophen. This will be helpful for the fever as well as the pain they are feeling.

I thought I’d take this opportunity to mention to parents that it is important a child first goes to see a pediatric dentist early. It is always better for them to see the dentist when nothing is wrong and they can have a fun experience at the dentist. Too many parents wait until there is a cavity or other dental emergency. Then their child’s first experience with the dentist is a painful, frightening one. This could cause them to have dental anxiety for the rest of their life.

This blog is brought to you by Lafayette, LA Dentist Dr. DeJean.
We accept Medicaid.