Teething and Pacifier – Oral Care For Children (Part 1)

Did you notice your child’s baby teeth are erupting? Hoping to find out how you can soothe your baby’s teething discomfort? Wondering if you can use a pacifier to soothe your baby? No worries, we got you parents covered. Continue reading to clear your doubts!

Eruption of Baby Teeth

When should my baby’s first tooth erupt?

Hello, daddies and mummies! Are you anxiously peeking into your baby’s mouth to see if his/her first tooth is coming out? Well, baby teeth normally start to erupt when a child turns 6 months old. [1] However, don’t panic if you don’t see or feel any tooth coming through your baby’s gums at this age. This is because there is no EXACT timing for a baby’s first tooth to erupt. Some children’s first baby tooth come in earlier than 6 months of age, while other children only get their first tooth at 1 year old or older. [2] You can refer to the baby teeth eruption and shedding chart below to gauge when your baby’s next tooth is coming in.

Finger Sucking in Infants

Do you notice that your baby constantly sucks on his/her fingers? Fret not as it’s normal! Babies usually suck on their fingers to soothe themselves. [3] Most children stop the habit on their own.

However, if they don’t stop by the time they are three years old, you should gently encourage them to stop. [4] This is because persistent sucking habits can have negative effects on dental development. [3]

Pacifiers

Pacifiers can be used by parents to soothe their babies. However, DO NOT give your child pacifiers dipped in or containing sweet syrup like honey. Also, do sterilise the pacifier by boiling the pacifier in water as pacifiers can house lots of germs. [3] You don’t have to force the pacifier on your baby if he/she refuses it. [5]

Research shows that children who started using pacifiers before 4 months old and beyond 14 months old are less likely to have a persistent thumb or finger sucking habit. [6,7] Moreover, it is easier to stop a pacifier habit than a finger-sucking habit. [4,8] You can throw away a pacifier, but you can’t do the same for your child’s finger, am I right? That being said, it is not mandatory to offer your child a pacifier.

Stopping Pacifier Use & Finger-sucking Habit

It is advisable to limit or cease pacifier use when your child’s canines come in (around 18 months old). Canines are the sharp pointy teeth in the front. This is because children who use pacifiers beyond three years old have a significantly high chance of developing multiple teeth malalignment problems, such as anterior (front) open bite and posterior (back) crossbite. The same goes for children with a finger sucking habit. [9] Anterior open bite is where the front upper and lower teeth don’t overlap and contact properly. [10] Posterior crossbite is where the upper teeth sit inside on your lower teeth (which is the wrong way). [11]

Do note that these negative changes cannot self-correct if your child stops the habits past the ideal age. Thus, it is crucial for children to stop pacifier usage and finger sucking habits by three years old (or earlier if possible!). [9] If you are unsuccessful in stopping your child from ceasing their pacifier or digit sucking habit, do not worry! You can seek advice from a dentist or paediatric dentist who will then offer cessation advice tailored for your child.

Signs & Symptoms of Teething

Your baby is getting cranky, drooling more than usual, not sleeping and eating that well. You also think your baby is possibly running a mild fever. When you check on your baby’s gums, you notice the gums are red and puffy. Well, these can be signs that your baby’s teeth are erupting (teething) [12] – the first dental milestone for each child!

Tips to Soothe Your Baby’s Teething Discomfort

What can you do then?

• You can rub your baby’s gums with a wet gauze.
• Chill teethers or clean wet cloths in the fridge and give them to your baby to chew on. [13,14]
  Note: Parents should take great caution and AVOID giving their babies teething necklaces or bracelets as these devices pose risk of choking and strangulation in babies.
• If these teething hacks don’t work for your baby, you can then give your child babies’ pain-relief medicines. [13]
• NEVER use topical anaesthetics (i.e. numbing gel or sprays) and homeopathic remedies to relieve teething discomfort as these products are potentially harmful to babies. [12,13]

In general, children have mild signs during teething. If your baby also has fever, rashes or diarrhoea, consider bringing your child to visit a paediatrician as these signs may be unrelated to teething. [14]

Alright, now that your child’s teeth are out, let’s talk about keeping these baby teeth clean and healthy. Hop over to this article to learn more!

References

1. American Dental Association. Baby Teeth Eruption Charts [Internet]. Mouthhealthy.org. 2022. Available from: https://www.mouthhealthy.org/all-topics-a-z/eruption-charts
2. Better Health Channel. Teeth Development in Children [Internet]. Vic.gov.au. 2012. Available from: https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/conditionsandtreatments/teeth-development-in-children
3. American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry. Policy on Pacifiers. In: The Reference Manual of Pediatric Dentistry [Internet]. Chicago, Ill.: American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry; 2024 [cited 2025]. p. 79–82. Available from: https://www.aapd.org/globalassets/media/policies_guidelines/p_pacifiers.pdf
4. FAST FACTS AMERICAN ACADEMY OF PEDIATRIC DENTISTRY 2014 Twelve Great Story Ideas [Internet]. 2013. Available from: https://www.aapd.org/assets/1/7/FastFacts.pdf
5. American Academy of Pediatrics. SIDS and Other Sleep-Related Infant Deaths: Updated 2016 Recommendations for a Safe Infant Sleeping Environment. Pediatrics [Internet]. 2016 Oct 24;138(5):e20162938. Available from: https://publications.aap.org/pediatrics/article/138/5/e20162938/60309/SIDS-and-Other-Sleep-Related-Infant-Deaths-Updated
6. Caruso S, Nota A, Darvizeh A, Severino M, Gatto R, Tecco S. Poor oral habits and malocclusions after usage of orthodontic pacifiers: an observational study on 3–5 years old children. BMC Pediatrics. 2019 Aug 22;19(1).
7. Fukumoto E, Fukumoto S, Kawasaki K, Furugen R, Kitamura M, Kawashita Y, et al. Cessation age of breast-feeding and pacifier use is associated with persistent finger-sucking. Pediatric dentistry [Internet]. 2013;35(7):506–9. Available from: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24553272/
8. British Orthodontic Society. DUMMY AND THUMB SUCKING HABITS Patient Information Leaflet [Internet]. Available from: https://www.bos.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/British-Orthodontic-Society-DigitsMarch2019.pdf
9. American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry. Management of the developing dentition and occlusion in pediatric dentistry. In: The Reference Manual of Pediatric Dentistry [Internet]. Chicago, Ill: American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry; 2024. p. 475–93. Available from: https://www.aapd.org/globalassets/media/policies_guidelines/bp_developdentition.pdf
10. Lone IM, Zohud O, Midlej K, Paddenberg E, Krohn S, Kirschneck C, et al. Anterior Open Bite Malocclusion: From Clinical Treatment Strategies towards the Dissection of the Genetic Bases of the Disease Using Human and Collaborative Cross Mice Cohorts. Journal of Personalized Medicine [Internet]. 2023 Nov 1;13(11):1617. Available from: https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4426/13/11/1617#B5-jpm-13-01617
11. Baum A. What is a Crossbite? [Internet]. American Association of Orthodontists. 2019. Available from: https://aaoinfo.org/whats-trending/what-is-a-crossbite/
12. American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry. Perinatal and Infant Oral Health Care. American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry [Internet]. 2025 [cited 2025]; Available from: https://www.aapd.org/globalassets/media/policies_guidelines/bp_perinataloralhealthcare.pdf
13. Mayo Clinic. Teething: Tips for soothing sore gums [Internet]. Mayo Clinic. 2018. Available from: https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/infant-and-toddler-health/in-depth/teething/art-20046378
14. European Academy of Paediatric Dentistry [Internet]. Eapd.eu. 2025 [cited 2025 Jun 27]. Available from: https://www.eapd.eu/posts/item/the-first-dental-problems-of-the-infants