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My son got a little bit of temperature and diarrhea, and our nanny said it could be because his teeth are about to come out. Did this happen to your children? Could the cause be this? |
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Healthy Children, run by the American Academy of Pediatrics, says: Teething occasionally may cause mild irritability, crying, a low-grade temperature (but not over 101 degrees Fahrenheit or 38.3 degrees Celsius), excessive drooling, and a desire to chew on something hard. The University of Michigan Health System says: Although there is actually no scientific evidence to support the connection between teething and low-grade fever or mild diarrhea, most parents and many health practitioners believe in this connection. I've also heard from several parents that their children also tend to get ear infections when they teethe so that might be something to watch out for. For the first 6 months we would give him acetaminophen for the pain and after that switched to ibuprofen which works better for him (but shouldn't be given prior to 6 months). It felt like our first had an ear infection for each tooth...
(08 Feb '10, 07:54)
Benjol
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My doctor kept repeating that "Teething does not cause a fever. A fever is an indication of an infection." However since Tylenol is useful for both, I would give a normal dose and see how he felt later. If the fever went up or persisted into another day, I would call the doctor because there was something else going on. I would also run my finger along his gums and see if there was something breaking through. Rarely did my kids run a fever on the exact day that a tooth came in - maybe the day before or the day after, but not the exact day. If I were to guess at the coincidence - when a tooth breaks through, a small infection of the gums occurs and the fever is a symptom of the body fighting off the infection. There is bacteria in your mouth. And if you were to get a wound on your gums, you would run the risk of an infection. Hm, Tylenol, I think we need to add a drugs section to the English to English translations page...
(08 Feb '10, 07:30)
Benjol
Tylenol is the brand name for the drug Acetaminophen.
(08 Feb '10, 13:41)
mkcoehoorn
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Yes. It is quite ordinary for a slightly increased temperature during teething. Our son usually only gets hot cheeks, but I have heard from various sources that even a noticable fever is quite normal and common. Nothing to worry about, simply keep an eye on the temperature and try to distract your son, even if he is whiny and annoying :) I think Kiesa's answer has some more tangible guidelines about when the fever reaches a point you need to be concerned.
(04 Feb '10, 17:24)
Scott ♦♦
Yeah, I didn't have the time to search for sources, I just wanted to remove any unnecessary worries :)
(04 Feb '10, 20:46)
brandstaetter
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A lot of websites like this one say that doctors or "experts" will tell you that
BUT...In my experience, I think it's too much of a coincidence that on multiple occasions, on the days my child teethes badly, he has come down with a fever and has needed a little bit of baby motrin. I believe that teething can cause a fever, just like it causes the drooling & rosey cheeks. |
+1 Good question! (wow he's about to start teething!)
@Emi, Yeah... and only 4 month ago he was a newborn... time flies!