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Fact: Teething Does Not Cause a True Fever Over 100.4°F

There are a lot of old wives' tales out there about teething. Today, we're going to debunk some of them.

One, I hear a lot is that a baby has a fever because they're teething. Well, a true fever is 100.4 or higher. Most of the time, a teething baby can feel a little warm, but they don't get temperatures over 100.

Any time there is inflammation in the body, including teething, the body temperature can increase. If the temperature is a true fever, look for a different cause.

Babies get sick a lot because they have lost the immune system support they got from Mom through the placenta, and now they have to build up their own immune systems. Many viruses can trigger fevers as part of the baby's immune system being activated, and that's actually a good sign that the baby's immune system is doing its job.

Often, it's just a coincidence that a baby who is teething gets a fever, and the fever is caused by a virus or something else, not the actual teething process.

Fact: Teething Does Not Directly Cause Diarrhea

Another myth is that babies who are teething get diarrhea. Excess saliva being swallowed can irritate a baby's stomach and cause looser stools, but true diarrhea, again, is most likely viral.

Looser stools and changes in the pH of stools from eating new foods, especially fruits, can cause diaper rashes, but teething doesn't.

Fact: Ear Pulling Is Often Normal and Not Always an Ear Infection

Pulling on ears is a common concern for parents, too. Babies pull on their ears because of referred pain from teething, or because it's soothing, or because they figured out they have ears, and yes, sometimes because of an ear infection. In general, it's not a symptom we get too concerned about unless there's a fever or they've had a recent cold.

Fact: Teething Can Cause Fussiness, but Extreme Irritability May Signal Something Else

Finally, there is the concern that babies are super fussy because of teething. This one can be true. Sometimes they are fussy or they can't sleep very well, especially if they are getting several teeth in at once. But if they are overly fussy, that may not be from teething.

If they really can't be soothed and their sleep is quite disrupted, it's time for a trip to the pediatrician. There are a variety of reasons why a baby can be fussy, and sometimes it's hard to figure out because they can't exactly use words to tell us what's wrong.

So teething can cause some symptoms, but mostly irritation, some mild pain, and lots and lots of drool. Other symptoms may actually be part of something completely different.