When Is Pain From A New Tooth Abnormal?

Posted on: 22 September 2018

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Children typically experience some discomfort that can last for days when a new tooth is growing in. Most parents know to expect it, but in some cases your child can experience abnormal levels of pain because something is going wrong with the tooth pushing through their gums. Here are some signs that your child is in too much pain and some potential reasons why:

Unwillingness to Eat

If you know that your child has a tooth coming in and they've stopped being willing to eat as much, the tooth is likely to blame. It's understandable: children generally lack the coordination to be able to eat only on one side of the mouth like adults can, so your child is likely experiencing pain every time they try to chew.

Crying

Most children don't cry when a tooth is breaking through the surface of the gums. If you've already tried icing the area, using child-safe pain relievers, or trying a topical pain reliever and they're still crying, this is a bad sign, and no child should be going through that much pain due to their teeth coming in.

Excessive Bleeding

A little bit of bleeding is common when new teeth come in. This is because the gums are slowly split open as the tooth pushes its way up and out. However, this shouldn't create enough blood to come out of your child's mouth or to be noticeable when they're brushing their teeth. If you're finding blood when your child is brushing, contact a dentist.

Reasons

There are a few common causes of growing teeth causing more pain than they should.

One common reason is that a tooth may not be coming in the right way. Teeth should emerge either by coming straight down (upper teeth) or straight up (lower teeth). Unfortunately, it's quite common for teeth to be overly crowded. This means that a tooth that's trying to come out may be effectively blocked in, or it could be pushing neighboring teeth out of the way and hurting your child in the process.

Another less common issue is teeth that grow in sideways. Sometimes tooth development goes astray and a tooth will emerge sideways rather than up or down. This will shove other teeth aside and can cause extreme pain if it isn't detected and treated by a dentist.

Lastly, it's possible that your child's gums are thicker than the average child's; this can make it more painful for teeth to come out. Your dentist can help by creating a sanitary opening for the tooth to emerge through the gums.

Having teeth grow in isn't always the easiest thing for a child to go through. It can be tempting to wonder why your child is overreacting to their discomfort, but it might not be an overreaction at all. If your child is showing any of these signs, get in touch with a pediatric dentist to find out if something's wrong. You can also visit sites like http://www.apollodentalcenter.com for more information.