Swollen gums and an erupting tooth: what should we know about teething?
Swollen gums in babies are a common phenomenon observed in children during the teething process. Many new parents look for photos of erupting teeth on the Internet, wondering what a baby's swollen gums look like. How do you know when teething has started?
In this article, we'll look at the most common symptoms of teething, including swollen gums in infants. What do they look like? We'll also discuss, among other things, whether teething products are safe to use on children.
Erupting tooth and swollen gums in an infant: Teething is a physiological process that every baby must go through
Photos posted online by parents often show that swollen gums and an emerging tooth can cause a range of discomfort in a toddler . The child may be tearful and have a rash on their face. They also often put everything in their mouth, and these items aren't always safe for a toddler. Be especially vigilant about this.
The teething process is a natural stage of development that usually begins between the 4th and 8th month of a child's life. Statistically, 26,6% of babies start teething in the 6th month.
Expert advises
The first tooth is most often the central incisor tooth of the mandible (the so-called lower tooth one), and subsequent teeth erupt gradually over the course of 17,5-25 months. Therefore, swollen gums may persist in an infant for many months (with varying degrees of symptom severity). Teething usually ends between the 31st and 36th month of a child's life, with the appearance of the second molars.
How do they look teething symptoms? If swollen gums in a baby Could this be the only symptom heralding the appearance of another tooth?
Each child goes through the teething process slightly differently. Some babies only present mild, local symptoms of teething, including: red and swollen gums, while in other infants an erupting tooth causes a number of local and sometimes systemic ailments.
Local symptoms of teething
Local symptoms of teething include:
- increased salivation;
- biting your own fingers, toys and other objects;
- local inflammation, redness/bluishness of the gums.
Photos of swollen gums in infants sometimes also show a small hematoma. It may be caused by extravasation of blood from a vessel damaged by the sharp edge of an erupting tooth. Local swelling and inflammation of the gums often cause pain and discomfort in the baby.
Photos of babies teething often show a rash on their face. This most often occurs locally around the mouth, chin, and cheeks. This rash, mentioned earlier, can appear as a result of excessive salivation and mechanical irritation of the skin.
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Head of the Department of Assessment and Development of Cooperation at the Institute of Mother and Child
Systemic symptoms of teething
In addition to local gingival reactions and increased salivation, 25–30% of children may experience transient systemic symptoms, including:
- sleep disorders: difficulty falling asleep and waking up frequently;
- irritability, tearfulness;
- reluctance to eat;
- loose stools (different than usual);
- symptoms resembling an infection: runny nose, increased body temperature (below 38°C).
Doctors and dentists emphasize that local symptoms of teething (e.g. the appearance of swollen gums in an infant) accompanied by disturbing systemic symptoms (including loss of appetite, low-grade fever, irritability) may herald an infection.
If in doubt, it is worth taking your child to a pediatrician. The specialist will check whether, apart from the erupting tooth, the infant does not have any general disease (e.g. infection of the upper/lower respiratory tract, urinary tract infection) or local infection (e.g. cyst of the erupting tooth that has abscessed).
Photos of swollen gums, what an erupting tooth looks like: information that parents are most often looking for
What does an erupting tooth look like in photos of swollen gums? A baby tooth that is breaking through can most often be seen on the gums as a white-transparent dot or line. Swollen gums in an infant are visible when the tooth is palpable through the mucosa. The average time for a tooth to erupt, from the moment it is felt through the gum tissue to the complete eruption of the crown, is approximately two months.
Parents often wonder what a baby's swollen gums look like. As we have already mentioned, they are clearly swollen and red (bloodshot). Often, there may also be local inflammation, bruising or a small hematoma in the place where the tooth erupts.
Expert advises
The appearance of swollen gums in infants also depends on the stage of tooth eruption: increased inflammation, pain and itching of the gums most often occur approximately 8-4 days before, on the day the tooth appears in the mouth and approximately 3 days after .
What to use, when fluffy and painful gums cause in an infant big discomfort?
In addition to photos of swollen gums and emerging teeth , parents often search the internet for information about effective, yet above all, safe teething remedies. Gum massages and chilled teethers don't always bring the desired relief.
Pharmacological methods for relieving teething discomfort include general and local preparations:
Systemic preparations
For severe teething symptoms, ibuprofen is most recommended . In addition to its analgesic and antipyretic properties, it also has anti-inflammatory properties. In this case, it soothes inflammation in the baby's swollen gums.
Ibuprofen preparations, like all medicines, may cause side effects, so they should only be used temporarily when teething.
Topical preparations
Adhesive gels containing ingredients such as hyaluronic acid, xylitol, marshmallow, licorice root extract, damask rose, aloe, and chamomile are completely safe for infants . Due to possible side effects, including painful and swollen gums , avoid using products containing ingredients such as lignocaine, sucrose, belladonna, alcohol, and choline salicylate.
Topical and systemic teething medications should be used according to the package insert. If teething symptoms are severe and/or parents are unsure which medication is safe to administer to their baby, it's worth consulting a pediatrician or dentist.
Remember that any disturbing symptoms in your child should be consulted with a doctor so as not to miss any systemic infection, the symptoms of which may sometimes resemble teething symptoms.
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