Teething can cause many painful symptoms for your child. The second set of teeth can be especially painful. Although a direct correlation has not been established between teething and fever, many parents have noticed that their child has a fever while cutting teeth.
Diagnosis
The second set of teeth that your child will cut is the back molars. Because these teeth are broader and flatter than the incisor teeth which cut first, cutting them is usually more uncomfortable for your child. Some parents have observed that their child experiences a low fever while cutting teeth. If your child is fussy and irritable, with swollen or red gums and a possible runny nose and slight fever with no other symptoms, then he is probably teething.
Time Frame
Most children begin cutting their molar teeth between the ages of 12 and 15 months and finish cutting all their molars by their second birthday. A single tooth can appear within a few days of symptoms, or it can take months to break through the gum.
Expert Opinions
Expert opinion is divided on whether teething can cause a fever. Pediatrician William Sears states that teething can cause a low fever, under 101 degrees Fahrenheit. However, pediatrician T. Berry Brazelton believes that symptoms such as fever are common during teething because the stress of teething makes your child more susceptible to an infection.
Treatment
For most children, it's fine to use a pain reliever and fever reducer such as baby acetaminophen to help with the pain and fever associated with teething. Check with your doctor before using medications to help with teething problems. Also call your doctor if your child has a fever over 101 degrees or additional symptoms such as severe diarrhea; these are almost certainly caused by an illness, not teething.
