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Teething symptoms and solutions
How to understand and help your child when she's teething
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“She’s so touchy!” says Melanie Aguiar, mom to 14-month-old Ana. “The slightest little thing like falling down on her bum will start her crying.” Why is this usually sunny little girl so unhappy? “She’s cut four teeth in the last week and a half, including a molar,” says her mom.
Not only has Ana been irritable, but she’s been chewing on her fingers, her cheeks are bright red, and she’s had loose bowel movements. When Ana cut her first two incisors six months ago, she had a mild fever for three days, swollen gums and crying jags.
When a baby’s teeth begin to appear, it can really hurt, says paediatric dentist Raymond Lee, of the London (Ont.) Health Sciences Centre. “Cutting teeth essentially causes an open wound in the gum,” explains Lee. “The root is still developing under the gum line as the crown pushes through the gum.”
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