Children's toothbrushes in a cup beside a brushing timer

Quick answer

Teething typically causes drooling, gum rubbing, chewing, mild irritability and disturbed sleep for a few days per tooth, usually starting around six months. What helps: chilled (not frozen) teething rings, a clean cold cloth to chew, gum massage with a clean finger, and paracetamol or ibuprofen in correct infant doses for genuinely rough patches. What to skip: teething necklaces (a strangulation and choking hazard), gels containing benzocaine or choline salicylate, and homeopathic teething products. High fever, rash or diarrhoea are NOT teething; see a GP for those.

What teething actually looks like

Drool by the litre, everything into the mouth, flushed cheeks, grumpy days and broken nights, and sometimes a small blue-ish swelling over an erupting tooth (an eruption cyst, alarming-looking and almost always harmless, resolving as the tooth arrives). Each tooth's worst usually lasts a few days. First teeth commonly arrive around six months; a full baby set assembles by around two and a half to three years; the timeline guide maps it.

The genuinely helpful list

  • Chilled teething rings from the fridge, not the freezer (frozen ones bruise gums)
  • A clean, cold, damp face-washer to chew: cheap, safe, washable, weirdly the perennial favourite
  • Gum massage with a clean finger; firm circles
  • For clearly rough patches: paracetamol or ibuprofen at correct infant doses per the packet or your pharmacist
  • A barrier balm on the chin saves the skin from drool rash

The skip list, and why

  • Teething necklaces (amber or otherwise): documented strangulation and choking risk, no demonstrated benefit; regulators have warned about them repeatedly
  • Numbing gels with benzocaine or choline salicylate: safety concerns in infants and the numbing washes away in minutes; most guidance now advises against them
  • Homeopathic teething tablets and gels: no reliable evidence, and some past products contained genuinely concerning ingredients
  • Rusk-style biscuits as a default: they're sugar delivery with a chewing excuse; cold vegetables sticks under supervision do the job better
Not teething: fever above 38, rash, vomiting, diarrhoea, or a genuinely unwell baby. Teething is a convenient explanation that has delayed many a real diagnosis; when in doubt, it's a GP visit, and our co-located medical centre makes that easy.