Our first-born son is eight months old and seems to run a lot of fevers. A friend told me that it is probably because he is teething and we may need to slit his gums. I can’t imagine doing that! Can you give me some guidance here? We don’t have a pediatric dentist yet.

Melanie

Dear Melanie,

The first thing I am going to say is not to slit your child’s gums. I’ve never even heard of that for teething children. Doing that runs the risk that the roots are not adequately formed and they will erupt prematurely now unable to properly support the tooth. Let nature take its course. The teeth will erupt when the root is ready.

That being said, teething can cause fevers. However, it will only be a mild fever. Teething infants will also be a bit fussy, drool a whole lot more, and eat a bit less. Giving them some infants Tylenol will help some.

There is a slight difference when it comes to adult teeth erupting. If the baby teeth are still in place and you see the adult teeth breaking through, you need to seek some help from a pediatric dentist to remove the baby teeth. If you don’t, the adult teeth will get deflected, which will cause them to come in out of alignment. From there, you will be looking at expensive orthodontics that you might have gotten away with needing.

As your son is approaching a year old soon, I recommend beginning your search for a pediatric dentist. It is always best to acquaint them with a dentist before a problem arises. This way their first experience with a dentist is a positive one and not a scary emergency appointment.

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