As painful as this process can be for babies and parents, many infants teethe for what seems like an eternity. Unfortunately, it is not at all unusual for a baby to teethe steadily for months with no visible signs of teeth. Typically a baby will first get their lower front teeth - so you may want to concentrate on relieving pain in this area. There are several things you can do for your baby during this phase. My Grandmother used to offer my children a clean, damp washcloth she had placed in the freezer. It worked wonders on the soreness of their little gums. The American Dental Association suggests that a clean, cool small spoon, or even your own clean finger, can help too. There are many textured teethers on the market for infants that also help to work the soreness out. If the teething pain seems too bad on your little one, you may want to talk to your doctor about an over-the-counter topical gel to help ease the pain. If you are overly concerned about the length of time your baby is teething you may want to talk to your child's dentist to get more information about the teething process. Rest assured that your baby will eventually get teeth. This process, while long and hard, will result in a mouthful of 20 teeth by the time your child is about three years old.

Browse related Faqs by tag: parenting, parenteducation, family development, infants, military families, babies, teething, childdevelopment, jitp, militaryfamilies, milfam