What Are Normal Teething Symptoms in Babies?

The first tooth usually comes through at around six months, but anywhere from about four to twelve months is within normal. Some babies are born with a tooth or get the first one after their first birthday, and neither is unusual in itself.

The common signs are drooling, a wish to chew or gnaw on anything within reach, red, tender or slightly swollen gums, rubbing the face or ear on the same side, and being a little more clingy or irritable than usual. Sleep is often more broken for a few days around each tooth.

A baby may have a slightly raised temperature. Teething is not known to cause a high fever. The full order and timing of each tooth is in when milk teeth fall out, which also covers when they come in.

A high fever, diarrhoea, a cough or cold with a runny nose that goes beyond a little extra dribble, a rash, vomiting, refusing feeds, or a baby who is floppy, unusually drowsy or very hard to settle is not explained by teething. These need a paediatrician, and a baby who is very unwell or having trouble breathing needs urgent hospital care.

Teething is easy to blame because it is happening at the same age that babies pick up their first infections, when the protection they got from the mother starts to fade. The safe rule is to check the baby, not just assume.

If you are unsure, ask a doctor. A dentist can look at the gums, but a sick baby needs a medical assessment first.

Something safe and firm to chew on helps most. A clean, chilled (not frozen) teething ring, or a clean damp cloth, or a gentle rub of the gum with a clean finger. Chilled is enough. Frozen items can hurt the gum.

Wipe away drool so the skin around the mouth does not get sore. Extra cuddles help more than people expect.

Avoid teething gels containing numbing agents, amber necklaces and anything on a string around the neck, which is a choking and strangulation risk. Do not rub alcohol or any home remedy on the gums. Ask a doctor or pharmacist before giving any pain relief to a baby, and use it only as directed on the label for the baby's age and weight.

Cleaning starts before the first tooth. After feeds, wipe the gums with a clean, soft, damp cloth. Once the first tooth appears, clean it twice a day with a soft infant brush or a cloth. Our guide on a child's first dental visit explains why the first visit should happen by the first birthday, or within six months of the first tooth, whichever comes first.

From the first tooth, a smear of fluoride toothpaste about the size of a grain of rice is the usual advice. For the full picture on toothpaste amounts and professional fluoride, see fluoride treatment for children.

Avoid putting a baby to sleep with a bottle of anything other than water once teeth have come through, and avoid dipping a dummy in sugar or honey. These habits are the start of the decay described in cavities in milk teeth.

Book a first dental check-up when the first tooth appears, or by the first birthday. It is a short, calm visit about feeding, cleaning and fluoride, not treatment. The approach is described on our kids dentistry page.

See a dentist sooner if a tooth looks dark, chalky or damaged, if a tooth has come through very early, or if a gum has a bump or swelling that does not settle.