When will the *@#!%*! teeth come IN?!

[Rachels]

Abigail is apparently going to be teething until the end of time, and I need some reassurance. She's been drooling and gnawing for five months now, and it's escalating rapidly. She definitely seems uncomfortable. In the past few days, she's been crying a lot, waking up constantly, pawing at her mouth, and wincing. She's cringing any time I come near her mouth, doesn't want to eat a whole lot of solids (unusual for her), and would nurse absolutely all night long if I could stand it. On the rare occasion that she lets me get a peek in her mouth, her gums look red, but not swollen, and I don't see any white spots where potential teeth might be. I'm starting to wonder if they're actually there, or if we're in some strange new teething hell in which no progress is ever actually made. What do you think? For those of you whose babies actually DO get teeth, what are the signs that they are going to pop through imminently? Is there hope in our future? Sigh.......

-Rachel
Mom to Abigail Rose
5/18/02

[atlbaby]

Hi Rachel,
Well, it does sound like Abigail is exhibiting lots of signs of teething, but you say that you aren't seeing any white spots in her mouth? Unfortunately, (and of course I only have experience with one baby, so feel free to disregard this!) there are usually hard, white bumps that (eventually, sigh) pop through the gums and then the babies feel a bit better. I was in the same boat as you for (sadly) a long long time. I thought Arielle would never get teeth! I used to call every middle of the night wake up teething for months on end!
She was teething all summer and didn't get any teeth till mid Sept. when she was 10.5 months! At almost 15 months she just popped through #s 5 and 6...But, the good news is the teeth tend to come in two at a time, (or at least that was in our case and the parents I've spoken to). I do hope I am wrong, and there are imminent teeth in Abigail's future! If she'll let you, maybe touch her gums right where the 2 bottom or 2 top teeth will be and see if perhaps you can feel little bumps? I hope she gets some relief soon...
-Rachel
Mom to Arielle Jill, 10/30/01

[nohomama]

From about the age of four months, Lola periodically drooled like a basset hound, had her fists half way down her throat, and went through cranky, sleepless jagswhen all she wanted to do was nurse. She didn't get her first tooth until well into her ninth month. Daniel and I were utterly caught of guard when two teeth popped through at once. We pretty much thought we were going to have a toothless child.

It certainly sounds like Abby's teethiing and as with so many other things Rachel, this too shall pass. And it does seem to get better, or at least Lola has learned to cope better. She just "hatched" four bicuspids in about 10 days. Boiron Camomilla and motrin are our standby meds for keeping Lola comfortable. I hope Abigail feels better soon.

[megsmom]

You have my sympathies, Rachel (as does Abagail). Meghan did the same thing to me and didn't get her first 2 teeth until she was 8 1/2 months. She actually then rapidly cut her 4 uppers at the same time (month of agony). Meghan just finished cutting her first molar (you think these teeth are fun, well wait for those molars!). I generally know when she is teething now because she starts chewing everything (she is less oral now that she is older), drools, starts throwing temper tantrums and wants to suck on her pacifier non-stop. She also starts eating less and wakes up at night or won't go to sleep. This usually lasts for about a week or 2 until the tooth pops through. After that, relief for everyone!

1. Infant advil/motrin. I'm not a big fan of overmedicating but then I'm even less of a fan of letting my dd suffer and be in pain. For us, this works better than tylenol and lasts longer. I usually alternate advil with the tylenol just so I don't worry about giving her too much of any one drug. With the last molar, Meg had a personality change whenever the advil would kick in. Before that I thought Meg was turning into a demon child (not overexaggerating here).

2. Frozen washcloths. You can get these a little wet, stick them in the freezer and they are cold but not so hard for little sensitive gums. This really works.

If you are really wondering, try giving either tylenol or motrin and see if you don't have a different little girl in about 30 min.

Good luck.

Jen
mom to Meghan 7/13/01

[Rachels]

Thanks, friends. Please keep the stories coming of babies who eventually did get their teeth. They help.

Thistooshallpassthistooshallpassthistooshallpassth istooshallpassthistooshallpasss...................

-Rachel
Mom to Abigail Rose
5/18/02

[todzwife]

Rachel, I just wanted to let you know that the boys that I nanny (who were born the same day as Abigail) just BARELY got some teeth. Mark has 2 and Carl only has 1, even though they have been exibiting the "signs" for months as well. Don't worry! She will get those teeth!
Shandelle :)

[KathyO]

Something else that helps to know is that the first teeth are usually the worst. Both my dd and all the kids in our moms' group had the worst time with the first four teeth, then it seemed like they knew what was happening (or something) and went from being frantic to being vaguely annoyed... some kids I know teethed their two-year molars without anyone noticing at all...

Some of dd's teeth came in as white bumps, but sometimes they started as little slot-shaped dimples in the gum that opened up to let the teeth break through.

Don'tworryyouwon'tgonutsyouwon'tgonutsyouwon'tgonu ts.... at least not irreversibly...

Cheers,

KathyO

[atlbaby]

Jen,
Like I replied above to Rachel, Arielle just (at nearly 15 Mo.) cut her teeth #s 5 and 6 (making 4 on top, 2--very crooked:) --on bottom), and she's been up every night for 8 (long) straight days, and now that I've been reading this thread I'm wondering if maybe she's getting a molar and not the matching 2 on bottom? I always assumed they had to get a certain number of teeth before they'd cut the molars, but maybe not? I ask this bc she is behaving a lot more cranky, irritible etc overnight than she'd been w/ the other teeth, so maybe these are the 'biggies' I've heard such wonderful things about? :) Or else I'm in for it...

Sounds like your Meghan and Arielle are twins--I just gave her some tylenol bc she can't get to sleep, she was screaming her poor heart out, but in 1/2 hour she was out cold (yay!)

I guess it's teeth or another ear infection to match the stomach bug she had last week...

-Rachel
Mom to Arielle Jill, 10/30/01

[mamahill]

From 4 months on I eagerly peered (when she let me) into Ainsleigh's mouth hoping to see those "white bumps" indicating teeth were on the way. Never happened. A few days after she turned 8 months, I felt a rough bit in her mouth, and two days later, it's twin cracked through. She now has two very visible teeth on the bottom, but that's it. She is drooling more than EVER (we go through 4 bibs a day!) and on top of that thinks it's hilarious to blow raspberries as hard as she can. hilarious, child. Anyway, I know this isn't helpful, but I didn't really have any indication they were coming. She seemed to be fussy for the month leading up to it (although I read somewhere that teeth do an up/down movement so they're actually moving little bits for months before they break through), and then got a cold right after, so it wasn't a pleasant experience. Hang in there (and motrin became our friend!).

[Rachels]

No, no, it helps! I've been feeling so bleak because I feel no bumps, and she clearly is so miserable. But bumpless teeth! What a revelation! Maybe I can muster a little hope now...

-Rachel
Mom to Abigail Rose
5/18/02

[muskiesusan]

I have to post to this thread as ds teeth has become a huge obsession for me! The teething "signs" started at 3 months and by 12 months, still no teeth! I was convinced that he would be toothless forever and was ready to look into baby dentures when a week after his 1st birthday, he cut his 2 top teeth (aren't the bottom ones suppose to come in first?) and then bottom 2 followed a week later. I think he was wishing for them when he blew out his birthday candle! He never had the swollen white spots nor was he any more cranky then he was the previous 9 months. I wouldn't have noticed them at all if his normally gummy kiss hadn't cut my lip! Now, almost 4 months later, we still only have those four teeth. Will more come in? I keep waiting. He has been chewing on things for the past few weeks, but still, no white spots.

My mom thinks I'm nuts for worring about it, she said my older brother didn't get his first tooth until 18 months and the other five of us not much sooner than that.

Susan & Nicholas (10/01/01)

[sparkeze]

I thought my DS was teething starting at 3 mo and he didn't get his first tooth until he was almost 8mo. And, when I asked our ped about it, she said she herself thought her son was teething at 4 mo and he didn't get teeth until 10mo. Then with her daughter when she started having signs around 4 mo, she figured she was just being cranky, but then she got her teeth at 5mo! So I guess you never know, even if you're a doctor.

But even if you're sure she's teething, if she shows any signs of a cold, see your ped. Some symptoms are very similar for both.