There is a lot of natural variation when it comes to teething age, but the general average is around 6 months. Some babies start teething much earlier, and it can happen as early as 2 months. Other babies may not start until they are slightly over 1 year of age. Even though parents may be worried if their baby is at one of the extreme ends of the teething age spectrum, the differences aren’t generally considered to be a cause for concern.
The first teeth that come in are usually in the front, with the bottom teeth generally coming in slightly before the top. After that, the back teeth will normally start filling in, and the back molars are generally the last teeth a baby will get. There is a general consensus that the back teeth are more painful because they are more blunt and have a harder time getting through the gum. This means that teething may get more painful as the process goes along and the back teeth start to come through.
Once babies reach the teething age, they can often become a little bit moody. Many experts believe this is because the process is probably painful. There are a lot of remedies on the market to help babies deal with this pain, and there are also a fair number of home remedies that people rely on.
A common approach is to put something cold on the teeth, because this can numb the area and potentially reduce inflammation. There are rings designed to be frozen before use, and they are given to babies so that they can chew on them. There are also certain medications that can be rubbed on the gums to numb them, but they aren’t generally used except in extreme cases. Sometimes parents will simply dip their finger in cold water and then hold it against the baby’s gums.
When babies reach teething age, there are sometimes other symptoms that can appear. For example, a baby may begin drooling excessively, and this can potentially cause a rash to form around the mouth. There are also parents that claim their children run a mild fever occasionally while teething, but there is some dispute about the accuracy of this assessment. Some experts believe that teething can also cause pain in the area of the jaw and ear, which could potentially cause babies to fidget with their ears or cheeks on occasion.
