Teething can result in multiple symptoms in infants. Some babies are hardly inhibited by symptoms while others may be severely uncomfortable. Some symptoms of teething are similar to those that appear with a common cold. The Baby Center website points out that some parents believe cold-like symptoms are due to teething but many experts attribute these to the development of an actual cold.
Drool
Some babies drool for much of the first year of life. Drool can increase during a cold when an infant is forced to breathe through the mouth due to nasal congestion. The What to Expect website points out that teething stimulates drooling, making drool a shared symptom of a cold and teething. A side effect of drooling so much is coughing, which is triggered by choking or gagging on the large quantities of saliva.
Red Face
Many infants become flushed with the cold, whether or not a fever exists. The skin on the cheeks are rather sensitive in an infant. Excessive drooling can irritate the skin around the mouth, cheeks and chin, explains the What to Expect website. This can cause redness and scales, similar to what is experienced during a cold. The flushing can also make the baby appear to be ill. To cope with pain, an infant may rub the cheeks with her hands or fists. This can lead caregivers to assume many things, such as the cheek redness is due to a rash signifying illness.
Mood Changes
Any time an infant feels bad, whether from teething pain or an illness like the cold, fussing is likely to increase. Many babies cry more frequently when uncomfortable from teething pain. Overall a baby can become more irritable as the teeth push against the gums. This is similar to what may be experienced with a cold. The What to Expect website points out that an infant may even refuse to eat or become fussy when trying to feed due to discomfort. This is common in both teething and a cold.
Fever
What to Expect explains that attributing a fever to teething is still surrounding with debate. Health care providers suggest the fever may be more likely around the same time as teething due to an infant losing the immunity he acquired from his mother. A low-grade fever, such as that below 101 degrees F may signify teething or it may signify a cold that was contracted during teething. Getting sick while teething is not uncommon due to the baby putting more objects and his hands into the mouth than normal. This exposes the baby to many more germs, including cold germs.
Night-Waking
A teething baby may wake more often during the night from pain and discomfort. Colds lead to the same interruption of a baby's routine. The pain from teething can radiate up to the ear and cause an infant to exhibit symptoms resembling an ear infection, including tugging at the ear, rubbing the ear and crying harder when resting flat on her back.
