September 23, 2003
Other
Question from Danville, New Hampshire, USA:
My daughter has been cutting molars this month, and it seems to us that the days around when a tooth breaks through, she is having wide fluctuations in blood sugar while other days she is generally within her goal range. Is there any clinical, or even anecdotal, evidence that teething can affect blood sugar?
Answer:
Yes, the blood sugar may undergo wild swings during teething, but it may be do to a few reasons. First of all, teeth only erupt at night when growth hormone levels are at their highest. The growth hormone may influence the sugar levels. Also, the mere eruption of teeth causes a mild inflammatory reaction which will result in sugar levels fluctuating.
One way to reduce the inflammatory response is to use the correct dosing of Children’s Motrin [ibuprofen] but consult with your physician first. If you wanted to give it, I would recommend at bedtime for the best effect.
FV
