When do babies start teething: the age range, the first signs, and the one symptom that is not teething

Teething is one of the few things in the first year that a parent can watch arrive. It is also one of the few where the internet will tell you a fever is normal, and where the organization that treats children says the opposite. This page keeps every number next to the name of whoever published it, so you can see which is which at eleven at night with a baby on your shoulder.

When the first tooth usually arrives

The AAP writes that babies typically start teething by about 4 to 7 months old, and that timing varies considerably based on heredity. AAP HealthyChildren On its first tooth page the AAP puts the usual first tooth at around 6 months, with the lower front teeth almost always first, and adds the detail that saves a lot of guessing: increased saliva and hands in the mouth start around 3 to 4 months and do not by themselves mean teething. AAP HealthyChildren

So a 3 month old chewing a fist is doing what 3 month olds do. A tooth at 4 months and a tooth at 10 months are both inside what pediatricians describe as ordinary. The range is wide because heredity moves it, not because anybody is behind.

The order teeth come in

The AAP publishes the sequence: the two front teeth, the central incisors, either upper or lower, usually appear first, followed by the opposite front teeth. The first molars come in next, followed by the canines, also called the eyeteeth. AAP HealthyChildren

That order is the closest thing to a teething chart that a pediatric organization actually publishes. Charts with a month printed next to every tooth exist all over the internet; the sequence is what has a source behind it.

What teething actually feels like

The AAP writes that teething occasionally may cause mild irritability, a slight rise in temperature but not over 101 degrees Fahrenheit or 38.3 degrees Celsius, excessive drooling, and a desire to chew on something hard, and that more often the gums around the new teeth will swell and be tender. AAP HealthyChildren

The NHS list is longer and worth having beside it: a sore and red gum where the tooth is coming through, a temperature that is slightly raised but less than 38C, one flushed cheek, a rash on the face, rubbing an ear, dribbling more than usual, gnawing and chewing a lot, being more fretful than usual, and not sleeping well. NHS Two health services, two lists, one boundary in both: the temperature stays slightly raised, and does not become a fever.

The symptom that is not teething

This is the section that changes what you do tonight. The AAP writes that a baby's body temperature may rise slightly when teething, but that according to a 2016 study in Pediatrics a true fever, over 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit or 38 degrees Celsius, is not associated with teething and is a sign of illness or infection. AAP HealthyChildren On the teething page itself the AAP puts it plainly: if your child seems particularly miserable or has a fever higher than 101 degrees Fahrenheit, 38.3 degrees Celsius, it is probably not from teething. AAP HealthyChildren

And the instruction that stands on its own, with or without a tooth: the AAP writes that if your baby is 3 months of age or younger and has a rectal temperature of 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit, 38 degrees Celsius, or higher, call your pediatrician immediately. AAP HealthyChildren The AAP also publishes a list of reasons to call at any age, including a seizure, a temperature above 104 degrees Fahrenheit repeatedly, and a child who still acts sick once the fever comes down. AAP HealthyChildren

Blaming a fever on teeth is the one mistake this page exists to prevent. A tooth does not stop a baby getting an infection on the same day.

What helps, according to the organizations that publish it

The AAP names two things and one caution. Try gently rubbing or massaging the gums with one of your fingers. Teething rings can help too, but they should be made of firm rubber, and the AAP adds that the teethers you freeze tend to get too hard and can cause more harm than good. AAP HealthyChildren

Chilled, not frozen. That is the whole difference between the thing that helps and the thing that bruises a gum.

The three things the FDA asks parents not to use

The FDA writes that using benzocaine products can lead to a serious, and sometimes fatal, condition called methemoglobinemia, in which the oxygen-carrying capacity of red blood cells is greatly reduced, and that benzocaine products should not be used for teething pain in children because they can be dangerous. The agency added its strongest warnings, directing parents and caregivers not to use these products for teething and not to use them in infants and children younger than 2 years. FDA drug safety Those are the gels sold under names most parents recognize from a pharmacy shelf.

On jewelry the FDA is equally direct: it has received reports of death and serious injuries to infants and children, including strangulation and choking, caused by teething jewelry such as amber teething necklaces. FDA consumer update

And on the homeopathic aisle: the FDA writes that homeopathic tablets and other products used for soothing teething pain can be dangerous to children and can lead to serious injury, and even death. FDA consumer update The FDA points parents back to the same two measures the AAP names, a finger on the gums and a firm rubber teether.

The day the first tooth arrives, something else starts

The AAP writes that as soon as your baby's first tooth erupts it is time to start using fluoride toothpaste, with a tiny smear the size of a grain of rice until age 3. AAP HealthyChildren The same page sets the first dental visit: see your child's dentist by their first birthday or within six months of their first tooth. AAP HealthyChildren

It is a small thing to add to a day that is already full, and it is the one part of teething with a deadline.

A note from the editor

Nothing on this page is our own threshold. Three organizations are quoted here, the AAP, the NHS and the FDA, and where their numbers differ slightly the difference is shown rather than averaged: the AAP writes not over 101 degrees Fahrenheit on its teething page and cites 100.4 as the line for a true fever on its first tooth page, and the NHS draws its line at 38C. If you are holding a baby who feels hot and you are trying to decide which number applies, use the lower one and call. A teething page is not the place to be brave about a fever.

FAQ

What are the first signs of teething?

The AAP writes that teething occasionally causes mild irritability, a slight rise in temperature but not over 101 degrees Fahrenheit, excessive drooling, and a desire to chew on something hard, and that more often the gums around the new teeth swell and are tender. The NHS publishes a longer list: a sore red gum where the tooth is coming through, a temperature slightly raised but under 38C, one flushed cheek, a rash on the face, rubbing an ear, dribbling more than usual, gnawing and chewing a lot, being more fretful than usual, and not sleeping well.

Can my 3 month old be teething?

It is possible and it is not the most likely explanation. The AAP puts the usual start at about 4 to 7 months, and writes separately that increased saliva and hands in the mouth start around 3 to 4 months and do not by themselves mean teething. Timing varies with heredity, so an early tooth is not a problem; it is just earlier than the middle of the range.

Why is my 3-month-old chewing on their hands and drooling?

Because that is what 3 month olds do. The AAP writes that increased saliva and hands in the mouth start around 3 to 4 months and do not by themselves mean a tooth is coming. Drool and chewing are the two signs most often read as teething, and they are the two that arrive on their own schedule.

What are the worst months for teething?

No organization publishes a worst month, and we are not going to invent one. What the AAP does publish is the order: the two front teeth first, then the opposite front teeth, then the first molars, then the canines. Parents often report the molars as harder, and that is experience rather than a published finding, so it is written here as experience.

Does teething cause fever?

Not a real one. The AAP writes that a baby's body temperature may rise slightly when teething, but that according to a 2016 study in Pediatrics a true fever, over 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit or 38 degrees Celsius, is not associated with teething and is a sign of illness or infection. The NHS draws the same line at 38C. If your baby is 3 months or younger and has a rectal temperature of 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit or higher, the AAP says call your pediatrician immediately.

What can I safely give a teething baby?

The AAP names two things: gently rubbing or massaging the gums with one of your fingers, and a teething ring made of firm rubber, adding that teethers you freeze tend to get too hard and can cause more harm than good. The FDA recommends the same two and asks parents not to use benzocaine products for teething pain in children, not to use homeopathic teething tablets, and not to use teething jewelry such as amber necklaces.

Sources

1. AAP HealthyChildren: Teething, 4 to 7 Months
2. AAP HealthyChildren: Baby's First Tooth, Facts Parents Should Know
3. AAP HealthyChildren: Fever and Your Baby
4. AAP HealthyChildren: Fever, When to Call the Pediatrician
5. AAP HealthyChildren: Brushing Up on Oral Health, Never Too Early to Start
6. FDA: Risk of a serious and potentially fatal blood disorder prompts FDA action on oral over-the-counter benzocaine products used for teething
7. FDA consumer update: Safely Soothing Teething Pain in Infants and Children
8. NHS: Baby teething symptoms

Every source above was checked live on 2026-09-09 and confirmed to support the statement it is attached to. Sources we could not open on that date were left out entirely rather than cited from memory.

Education from checked sources, not medical advice. Emergency: 911.