Most babies cut their first tooth at around six months of age, however, there is considerable variation from child to child. Teething is a normal event in a child’s life. It probably does not cause illness in children. Drooling and chewing are also normal around six months of age and these may be in part due to the discomfort of teething. In general, it is not recommended that you put salve or lotion on the baby’s gum for teething symptoms. Acetaminophen (Tempra, Tylenol – see Dosage Guide) can be given for mild teething symptoms. Certainly any severe symptom such as fever, prolonged vomiting and irritability should never be assumed to be due to teething, but rather treat it as you would any illness in your baby. Probably the best advice to give for the child who is teething is to provide a cold pacifier or cold teething ring to bite on.

Mouth Trauma

Young children may take falls and often injure their mouths in the process. Bleeding after such a fall can be due to a tear of the frenulum, which is a small growth of skin between the lip and gum. Applying pressure to the gum will stop the bleeding in a few minutes and no other treatment is needed. If teeth are loosened or knocked out, consult your dentist. If a tooth is knocked out, you should put the tooth in a clean container and bring it to your dentist. Some teeth can be replaced.