My Child and the Dentist - What Are Symptoms Of Teething?
Channel: DrLongVo
Date: 2012-02-01

http://SmileCentre.com/category/2x4-early-prevention/

Charlie: This sort of sounds like a disease the way this question is asked: What are the symptoms of teething and what can I do about it? Isn't this when we go to the liquor cabinet, get a little something and we put on the gums?

Dr. Long: No.

Charlie: That's not the way we're supposed to do it, okay. I haven't gotten to that yet with my grandson so I won't do that.

Dr. Long: Teething is basically when the baby tooth is trying to break through the skin and come into the mouth.

Charlie: Okay.

Dr. Long: The symptoms are a little bit of swelling of the gums, a bit of blanching of the gum because the tooth is forcing its way through the gum... it can be a little bit painful the child may start crying, avoid food.

Charlie: A lot of saliva?

Dr. Long: A lot of saliva and putting stuff in their mouth and having a tendency to bite on hard surfaces just to help that tooth cut the gum so it can come out. That's why cleaning baby's gum is a good way to stimulate it and speed it up because having the tooth erupting through the gum is not very pleasant so if we can massage the gum and push it down on the tooth and help cut it faster. It heals very, very well. I often brush my own kid's teeth and have seen a little bit of blood on the cloth and my child is not crying and to me it's like wow that's a good thing because now the tooth is erupting and my child won't need to go through the painful stage. Fever is not really common but sometimes there's that misconception that maybe the fever may be due to teething. Basically if there are any symptoms that are before three days of the eruption of the tooth and then sometimes after three days after the tooth has come in those are really related to the eruption but any symptoms that are before that but there are not teeth coming in, it may be something else and you may want to consult with your physician. If you have a question we're here to help. Just give us a call, drop in and we'll take a look and we'll see. But it's a natural process.

Charlie: Do you ever recommend anything like Oragel or anything like that or do we want to stay away from that?

Dr. Long: I'm the type of guy that avoids medication as much as possible but of course if there's any doubt and you think that your child is going through a painful stage then consult with your physician and perhaps a little medication can help alleviate the discomfort. Remember it's a natural process that will happen no matter what, so whether they're in pain or not it's going to pass and it's the way teeth erupt and it's just natural.

Dr. Marc: Dr. Julie you were kind of enough to give me a little cheat sheet here so I'm going to use my cheat sheet. There are some interesting ones here. Other sort of signs and symptoms that teething may be happening or about to happen. One that I would have never actually thought of is rubbing of the ears as well as cheeks?

Dr. Julie: It's irritating to them. So it's itchy. The kids try to do something. They grab the ear, they grab the cheek.

Dr. Marc: I see.

Dr. Julie: They try to take away that discomfort from their jaw.

Dr. Marc: They're just reacting.

Dr. Julie: Yes, they're reacting to it

Dr. Marc: Okay.

Dr. Julie: Generally speaking it shouldn't be persistent symptoms if it's something that you've noticed that baby's been going through for more than a couple weeks just make sure that is not another underlying condition that they may have.

Dr. Marc: Something like refusing food would be an important one to pay attention to.

Dr. Julie: Yes refusing food is they're not comfortable, they're itchy, the area is tender they may not have as much appetite. Again just make sure there are no other medical conditions that they could have. That's not related to the teeth. Remember teething is a natural process the symptoms should not be severe.

Dr. Marc: And they should not last a long, long time.

Dr. Julie: They should last a long time, so if they have a persistent fever, consult your physician to make sure they're not sick or have any illnesses. If you suspect teething, again, make sure you wipe those gums and you inspect the mouth. Do you see the swelling area where the teeth will come in. If everything looks fine just make sure you rule out any other causes for those symptoms.

Dr. Marc: Okay, great.

There is WAY more interview on SmileCentre.com
Dr. Long Vo and Dr. Julie Dao are the heart and soul of Smile Centre Dental in Burlington, Ontario. If you have questions about your child's dental health, call for an appointment today: 905.332.0330      

This video has one question and answer by Dr. Long Vo and Dr. Julie Dao when interviewed by Dr. Marc Kossmann and Charlie Seymour Jr of DentalTopDocLegends.com. Find more of the interview at http://SmileCentre.com/category/2x4-early-prevention/