Teething is a very normal process that all children go through. Nevertheless, it is disturbing to parents, and to some extent the child. Fortunately, your child is easily distracted. You are not.
For some evolutionary reason, temporary teeth (“deciduous” as they are called) develop before permanent teeth. They are called “milk teeth” because they usually come during lactation. Normally, the process begins between 3 and 12 months. The first ten teeth come over a span of 6 to 9 months.
The signs begin with a fussiness. Your child may start chewing on fingers and any objects available – which can be dangerous sometimes, of course. Appetite may decrease. You may see swelling of the gums, and if you run your finger over them they may be painful. You may see drooling. Your child may tug on ears, which is not an ear infection but a referred pain.
“Cutting” teeth suggests that the teeth are pushing through forcefully. Actually, there is a hormone that encourages cells to die and then separate, allowing the teeth to come through.
Wikipedia has an interesting image that shows the progression of development of teeth:
Historically, teething was considered a danger sign because a high percentage of infants used to die in their first year. This is a very interesting instance of how easy correlation and causation can be conflated and confused. In that era, they thought teething was a fatal condition. Instead, it is truly a very benign and safe condition that just happens to occur at the same time.
There may be a low-grade fever during teething – less than 100ºF or 37.8ªC. A higher fever is rare and might suggest some other problem that should be investigated.
Treatment
The first thing is to help your child realize that pain can be endured and is not the end of the Universe. Calming voice and distracting activities go a long way.
Providing a soft teething ring helps considerably. Acetaminophen and ibuprofen, or paracetamol in many countries, can be used safely.
There are a few eRemedies that are highly effective for teething. Chosen by an expert system, an appropriate eRemedy for your child can be found at eremedyonline.com/module/11/teething/.
One caution in South Asia and the Middle East are several treatments that have high levels of lead – which causes brain damage in the form of “encephalopathy.” One such is “surma” or “kohi”. “Saoott” – also known as “cedagin” are also popular and lead-laden. Finally, in the Middle East, “Santring” is 98% lead oxide.