Why is it that Pediatricians deny common teething symptoms?

Question

Pediatricians, and even teething medications (orajel) claim that "Fever and nasal congestion are not symptoms of teething and may indicate the presence of infection" Today my doctor even said that it's a coincidence that kids get a cold every time they teeth, and the symptoms are viral. I was like...this is BullCrap.

When my daughter teeths (and she tends to get 4 teeth at a time, then take a break, then months later get 3 or 4 more at once), she ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS has a runny nose like Niagra falls. I mean, that is when I KNOW the teething has begun, is her nose is so uncontrollably runny. then when the teeth are broken through and in....the nose stops.

Do you kids get fever, runny nose, and diarrhea when teething? If that is generally the case, then why does the Medical world deny the relation?

Answer 1

Drs like to associate EVERYTHING with a viral infection or allergies. My kids did the same when they were teething. I would give them some tylenol if they seemed really bothered by it.

The Drs do seem to take the smallest common childhood thing and make it into a serious ordeal. And I like how when you think there is something serious going on they try to dismiss is as nothing at all.

Answer 2

My dear.... doctor's these days forget what we all went through growing up and the medicine of years past, now they all deny that fever and diareah and runny nose and the endless screaming are part of teething. I am not sure why, they acclaim it's medical studies.

My experience shows otherwise. When my baby started teething I had to take her 4 times to Dr with extreme fever, and there has been no infection anywhere, they just say it's a viral infection which will go away on it's own. But the baby is eagerly biting everything in her path. So yes it all went away when the two teeth came out. I am ready and aware now for there are plenty more teeth to come and more pain and discomfort and more visits to the Dr. (Maybe they love the insurance payments.)

I've used humpheys homeopathic pebbles for teething and tylenol baby suspension liquid for pain and fever, also the Little Remedies brand for babies helps as well.

The only thing is that you can't leave a baby sick without a doctor seeing him first.

Answer 3

Both my children have been different so far in the teething department.
My youngest hasn't had a fever or the runny nose , but he has the diarrhea and yanking on his ears and doesn't like to lay down during the wake times I think its cause the preasure that the teething causes.
Doctors always tell you to follow your instinct and then when you do they tell you its nothing..
I went threw that after my second baby and because the doctors were wrong I was in the hospital for three days with my youngest.
I always use teething tablets, pain/fever reducer and gas drops on a daily basis with my youngest. the good news is he sleeps mostly threw the night without any problems yet. but his mouth well is more like niagra falls. lol
just remember doctors are mostly making educated guess's, they don't know as much as they let on..and you are the one that lives with the child and knows all the ins and outs of when something is wrong or isn't.

Answer 4

My son was the same, he had never had a fever until he teethed and then he had one for 3 days solid, everytime he would get a temp, a runny nose and diaroeah a tooth would be through within days!!!

I have had an after hours doctor come to the house because my son had a fever and he couldn't find anything wrong with him, so he actually admitted that it must be teeth. I was shocked to hear him admit it and wish that he could be my son's regular docotr!!!

Answer 5

when my kids were teething and i have 6 of them not one set of symptoms were alike my peditrician recommended tylenol my grandmother had much better things to do:
Old medicinal cures that work
1. let your little one gum on a peeled chilled carrot.
2. if they are in a lot of pain take a white hankerchief with about a teaspoon of brown sugar and dip the wrapped up ball of sugar in wiskey and let them gum it ( no the baby does not get drunk the sugar counteract the alcohol and you are not suppose to soak it just dip it)
3. and for really tender gums run you finger tip over the top of a whiskey bottle and rub their gums with it it works better than tylenol ( and no I am not an alcholic and neither are my kids).4 you can also dampen a washcloth and stick it in the freezer for a while then let them rub it on their gums.
There are many home remedies for teething and they are tried and true. Good Luck. As far as the runny nose it will clear up on its own just keep tissues with lotion handy so that she doesn't get the little red nose and cheeks.kids get diarrhea and fevers too it is kind of a right of passage to toddlerhood if she get diarrhea just keep her bottom clean and powered with corn starch and dab her down with cool towels for her fever unless it gets to high then it is time for tylenol.

Answer 6

my daughter gets diarrhea thats all.. no fever(thank god).. but I was made to understand by my aunts that every child is different, some have diarrhea, some fever, some cold, some nothing etc... its different in every baby, however, if your child has a fever, even if it is the cause of teething, it is always good to bring it down by seeing a doctor... never assume that it is just the teething process as fevers are dangerous... maybe thats what the pediatrician is trying to impress on you.

Answer 7

I believe they deny the relation because they don't won't people to just assume their baby has a fever because they are teething. If you only look at it as a side-effect of teething, you might not realize that your baby really is sick with something else. I think that is really the only reason why.

Answer 8

My daughter is teething right now, she is eight months old... she spits up, but I'm not sure if the spitting up is part of the teething thing or, being eight months old... Is your baby just spitting up?, or vommiting like the flu??? If you are very concerned call your dr. Don't hesitate calling the doc, it may be serious ... Hope everything turns out ok!

Answer 9

it's pretty much universal. all four of my kids experienced what your child did with the runny nose bit, sometimes a bit of a fever, etc.

i think the deal is this: when the body is stressed by pain, the resistance the fight off infection is lowered. therefore, any little bug that comes along can attack with ease. it works in my case, so i just correlated it to my childrens' cases with their teething (quite painful) as well.

anyone else?

Answer 10

What I remember my mom used to rub whiskey on my gums and all it would do for me is get me good and drunk. then I would get real nasty and swear at my mom and bust the rungs on my crib.