As soon as the first baby teeth make their appearance, your calm little one can transform into a major drooler! Those first teeth can be quite a challenge for your baby, causing significant changes in your little one’s body, and all the discomfort can really affect their mood1. The first teeth usually start to show around the 6th month of life, but sometimes teething can begin earlier, as soon as 3 or 4 months old, and it’s not unusual to see early teething. The signs that the first teeth are coming are:

  • Swollen Gums: they become puffy, red, and a bit whitish
  • Excessive drooling: The baby starts salivating a lot and it’s very noticeable
  • Need to bite hands and objects: due to the itching this phase brings
  • Lack of appetite: If your baby already eats solid food or purees, they may feel discomfort

A very noticeable feature in babies during this phase is irritability when those first teeth signal their arrival. Babies tend to get fussy and cry all the time. Of course, not every unexplained cry is from teething—sometimes it’s a growth spurt, but most of the time it really is those teeth coming in.

Usually, the first teeth to show up are the bottom ones, and it’s pretty common to see photos of babies with their very first teeth coming in. Proud moms happy to have an older baby at home want to capture that moment! Next come the top front teeth, which are the most painful during this growth stage, as are the canine teeth, which can also cause a lot of discomfort. The incisors generally appear around the baby’s first birthday, followed by the molars, which also get very itchy as they erupt.

What can the arrival of the first teeth cause?

In addition to everything mentioned above, those first baby teeth can also cause a fever. Babies in the teething phase can suddenly have a mild to moderate fever2. Anything from 37.9°C to 38.5°C! This usually isn’t something to be worried about, as the process of teething can be inflammatory—so don’t worry, mom. But if a low or high fever lasts more than three days, it is best to see a doctor for evaluation.

Besides fever, the first teeth can also cause changes in your baby’s gut flora, which can lead to mild diarrhea3. At this stage, the baby’s bowels may become looser or even a little constipated, which is another sign of teething. To help ease the symptoms that make them so irritated, there are some simple tips that really make a difference. A piece of gauze wrapped around your finger can help a lot with that itch. Also, rough or rubbery toys can really help. I recently discovered the cooling teether, which you can put in the fridge—when the teether is chilled, it acts like a cold compress to numb the irritated area.

There are medicines that can help make teething less painful. A topical anesthetic medication applied directly to the gums can help. This medicine is based on benzocaine combined with other topical soothing agents—they are effective, but must be recommended by your baby’s pediatrician. Brand names include Nenê dent N and Gingilone, which cost around R$20.

A pretty effective trick is to let your baby bite on a toothbrush designed for their age—the best brands make soft rubbery brushes for little ones. Besides soothing them, this also helps keep their mouths clean. Speaking of cleaning those first teeth, don’t forget that teeth should be cared for as soon as the baby is born. Do you know how? Use gauze moistened with filtered water to gently clean your baby’s mouth with your fingers, after every feeding or at least twice a day. There are also finger-shaped silicone brushes sold at any pharmacy—these are super soft for this job.

Babies who are still breastfeeding and already have their first teeth often bite their mother’s breast! Anyone who’s experienced it knows how painful it is! What to do? Try not to yell, even though it hurts a lot—the baby isn’t doing it on purpose. Often, this happens because of a poor latch, resulting in the “bite.” Some experts say the best solution is to explain—though it may seem like they don’t understand, firmly say No and show a serious face. Also, remove the breast right away, and your baby will soon connect this reaction to what they did. For younger babies, bringing the baby closer to your breast is very effective—if they bite and won’t let go, they will have to open their mouth at some point.

Author’s note: Joana was very early! From the womb, in fact—she was born early and already showed signs of teething at just 3 months! At four and a half months, her first teeth came in, and by her first birthday she had a real keyboard, as my mom used to say. Dudu’s experience was different—it took a long time for his first teeth to appear, only coming in around the 8th month. With Melissa, it was strange—she had only four teeth by her first birthday, and suddenly all of them seemed to come at once! She really suffered, poor thing. She had a fever and wasn’t eating well… What helped each time was scratching her gums when she was very fussy; I used textured teethers and that calmed them down. During fevers, a warm bath and, depending on the temperature, an antipyretic painkiller. I used Camomilina C on my doctor’s advice, but I recently learned that Anvisa banned it, which is a shame because it works great. Instead, you can use chamomile tea, which has the same effect.

Understand your baby—those first teeth can be tough on the whole family! Helping your child through this stage will make all the difference. Lots of love, affection, and patience always.

See also: Speech Development in Babies and Children

Photo: Ashley Morris, Shoptime