Teething usually starts between about four and seven months, most often with the lower front teeth. Expect drooling, gum rubbing, chewing on everything, and some fussiness. It does not cause a high fever, diarrhea or a rash beyond the drool line, and those symptoms need a pediatrician, not a teething remedy.
Teething gets blamed for almost everything a baby does in their first year. Some of that is fair and much of it is not, and the difference matters, because assuming a real illness is just teething delays care. Here is what the process actually looks like and what genuinely helps.
When Do Babies Start Teething?
Most babies get their first tooth between four and seven months, though discomfort can begin weeks earlier. The lower central incisors usually arrive first, followed by the upper front teeth, with the full set of twenty baby teeth in by around age three.
The usual eruption order
| Teeth | Typical age range |
|---|---|
| Lower central incisors | About 6 to 10 months |
| Upper central incisors | About 8 to 12 months |
| Upper and lower lateral incisors | About 9 to 16 months |
| First molars | About 13 to 19 months |
| Canines | About 16 to 23 months |
| Second molars | About 23 to 33 months |
These ranges are wide on purpose. A baby with no teeth at ten months and a baby with six teeth at ten months can both be entirely normal. Timing tends to run in families, so if you were a late teether, your baby may be too.
When to ask about a delay
If no teeth have appeared by around eighteen months, mention it at a visit so we can take a look. It is usually just a slow schedule, but it is worth confirming rather than assuming.
What Are the Real Signs of Teething?
Teething symptoms are local and mild: sore, swollen gums, heavy drooling, chewing and gnawing on hands and toys, irritability, and disrupted sleep for a few days around each tooth.
What teething does cause
- Gums that look puffy or slightly bruised where a tooth is coming through
- Drooling, sometimes enough to cause a rash on the chin from constant wetness
- Chewing on fingers, toys, crib rails, anything within reach
- Fussiness and broken sleep, usually for a day or two either side of the tooth breaking through
- Eating less at some feeds because pressure on the gums is uncomfortable
- A slightly raised temperature, but not a real fever
What teething does not cause
A temperature over 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit, diarrhea, vomiting, a body rash, congestion or a persistent cough are not teething. Babies teethe during the same months they encounter their first viruses, so the two often coincide, but they are separate. Call your pediatrician for those symptoms rather than waiting them out.
How Can I Safely Relieve Teething Pain?
Cold and counter-pressure are the two things that reliably help. Everything else is either optional or worth avoiding.
- A clean, chilled (not frozen) teething ring or a cold, damp washcloth to gnaw on
- Firm rubbing of the gums with a clean finger for a minute or two
- A cold spoon or a chilled pacifier for older babies
- Wiping the chin often and using a barrier ointment to keep drool rash down
- Extra comfort and an earlier bedtime on the worst nights
What to avoid
Skip teething tablets and gels containing benzocaine or belladonna, amber teething necklaces, which pose choking and strangulation risks, frozen-solid objects, which can bruise the gums, and anything that lets a baby chew off and swallow a piece. Do not use a bottle of juice or milk as a sleep aid; that habit is a direct route to early decay, which is exactly what our toddler cavity prevention guidance is built around.
About pain relievers
Infant acetaminophen or ibuprofen, dosed for weight and age, is reasonable for a rough night. Ask your pediatrician for dosing and never use adult products or aspirin.
How Do We Get Through the Worst Nights?
Teething tends to hit hardest in the evening, when a baby is already tired and there is less to distract them. A few adjustments make those nights shorter.
Front-load the comfort
Offer a chilled teething toy in the half hour before bed rather than after the crying starts, keep the room dim and the routine boringly familiar, and expect to settle your baby more than once. Teething disrupts sleep for a day or two around each tooth, not for months at a stretch, so a run of bad nights that stretches past a week is usually something else.
Feeding through it
Some babies feed less when their gums are sore, and some bite. For bottle-fed babies, slightly cooler milk can help. For nursing mothers, a quick break and a gum rub before latching often resets things. Cold, soft foods for babies already on solids, such as chilled yogurt or purees, do double duty as relief and nutrition.
Managing the drool
Constant wetness on the chin causes a rash faster than most parents expect. Pat rather than wipe, change damp clothing, and use a plain barrier ointment overnight. It is a skin problem rather than a dental one, but it is the symptom parents lose the most sleep over.
When Should Baby Teeth Be Cleaned and When Is the First Dental Visit?
Start cleaning before there are teeth. Wipe the gums with a soft damp cloth daily, and once the first tooth appears, brush it twice a day with a soft infant brush and a smear of fluoride toothpaste.
The first visit
National guidance is a first dental visit by the first birthday, or within six months of the first tooth. That early appointment is short, gentle and largely educational, and it is the point of our post on when a baby should have their first dental visit. It also establishes a dental home, so if something happens later, you already have somewhere to call.
Why baby teeth are worth protecting
They guide the permanent teeth into position, shape speech, and let a child eat comfortably. Losing one early creates problems that outlast the tooth, which is why prevention starts long before a child can hold a toothbrush. Our preventive care approach begins at that first visit.
Frequently Asked Questions About Teething
Can teething cause a fever?
It can raise a baby’s temperature very slightly, but not to a true fever. A temperature over 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit should be treated as illness and discussed with your pediatrician.
My baby has a tooth coming in crooked. Should I worry?
Usually not. Baby teeth often erupt at odd angles and settle as more teeth arrive and the jaw grows. Mention it at the next visit so we can keep an eye on it.
Is it normal for a baby to be born with a tooth?
It is uncommon but it happens. A natal tooth should be checked, because a loose one can be an aspiration risk and may interfere with feeding.
Do I need to floss baby teeth?
Once two teeth touch, yes. The surfaces where teeth contact are exactly where a brush cannot reach and where early decay tends to start.
Ready for Your Baby’s First Visit?
If your baby is teething, that first tooth is your cue to book. Our doctors will check how the teeth are coming in, show you how to clean them, and answer the questions that come up in the first two years. Learn what to expect on your first visit, then call or text our Fairhope office at (251) 255-2050 or request an appointment.
