When your baby is teething, you often feel extremely helpless. Understanding the steps for soothing a teething baby can go a long way toward helping to alleviate their discomfort. This can help to substantially reduce issues and helps them through their teething process. Here are a few of the best steps for soothing a teething baby. It is also important to ensure that you provide the appropriate dental care for your baby’s teeth. At Bismarck Advanced Dental Implants, we offer family dentistry services to ensure that these needs can be met.
Wipe Drool Away
A baby that is teething will often drool excessively. When this layer of drool remains on their skin, it can cause rashes and irritation to occur. It is important to ensure that you regularly wipe the drool away in order to prevent this from happening. You need to pay special attention to ensure that you don’t wipe too frequently, because this can also cause irritation to occur.
Cold Washcloth
A cold washcloth can be a helpful tool when you have a teething baby. You can dampen a washcloth and place it in the fridge so that it can cool. However, you should refrain from freezing the washcloth because this can cause additional problems. Once the washcloth has cooled, you can allow the baby to suck or chew on it. This often helps to alleviate the pain that comes from teething. You need to take care not to leave your baby unattended while they have the washcloth. This can be a choking hazard, so your baby needs to be supervised while they have the cool washcloth.
Massage Gums
It can be beneficial to a teething baby to take a moment to massage their gums. This can help to improve blood circulation and minimize their discomfort. Simply massaging their gums can go a long way toward meeting these needs. However, whenever you intend to massage their gums, it is important to trim your nails first. This can prevent you from accidentally scratching the surface of their gums, which will only exacerbate their discomfort. You should also make sure that you wash your hands first. This can help to minimize issues that may occur by introducing harmful germs into their system.
Care for their Teeth
Even babies need dental care. It is important to start caring for their teeth once they become visible. This can help to prevent their teeth from decaying, which is often an incredibly common issue with the health of a child’s teeth. It is also important to bring them in for dental visits. Most dentists recommend that your child receives their first dental visit around the same time as their first birthday. This can help to ensure that they get the best head start possible for the health of their teeth.
Teething Toy
Teething toys are designed specifically to help alleviate the discomfort of teething. However, it is also important to ensure that you use teething toys that are safe. Several types of teething toys have been recalled because they can possibly be hazardous. For example, you shouldn’t use the teething toys that are in the form of jewelry, such as necklaces, because they can lead to strangulation and other issues. It can be beneficial to chill the teething toy in the fridge prior to use. This can help to ensure that the teething toy is much more effective at reducing discomfort.
Medications
Various medications can be used to offset the discomfort and pain of teething. However, it is important to ensure that you talk to your pediatrician prior to using any of these medications. Like with teething toys, there are various medications that have been shown to be unsafe for soothing teething babies. Only use the medications that you are certain are safe.
Implement a Regular Routine
It is extremely common for babies that are teething to have difficulty sleeping. Because this is a common symptom, it can be particularly beneficial to ensure that you take other steps to make it easier for your baby to sleep. A routine can be a valuable addition. For example, when your baby goes to sleep at the same times every day, they will be more likely to sleep at that time, even when they are experiencing discomfort from their teething process.
Symptoms of a Teething Baby
There is no set time where every baby will begin teething. While teething generally begins around 4 to 7 months of age, some babies start teething later than this and some begin teething earlier. Because they often begin teething at different times, it can be extremely beneficial to ensure that you are familiar with the symptoms of a teething baby. A baby that is teething will often show more of an inclination to chew on hard objects. This is usually because putting pressure on their gums helps them to alleviate some of their discomfort. Teething babies will begin to drool excessively, and their gums will become swollen and tender. These babies often have a low fever. They often become irritable, fussy, or cry more often. Teething babies may have trouble sleeping or eating, as well.
It is similarly important to understand what is not one of the signs of teething babies. When a baby is ill, many of the symptoms interlap with teething babies. This can cause babies to not receive the medical care that they need when it is necessary. Teething does not cause babies to have diarrhea, vomit, or have a particularly high temperature. If their temperature runs over 100.4 degrees, you should consider calling a doctor.
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Getting started on dental care early on can make a world of difference for your children’s teeth. These steps can help you to soothe your teething baby, as well as ensure that you obtain the appropriate dental care that they need. At Bismarck Advanced Dental Implants, we offer family dentistry services to meet the needs of your entire family. To learn more about the importance of dental care early on, contact our professional team at Bismarck Advanced Dental Implants today.