Hello!
I noticed today when I my 17mth old woke up that around his right eye was red. I didn't think anything of it, other than maybe he was rubbing it. It went away within a hour, but then about three hours later, I noticed the right cheek and around his right jaw was swollen. He is acting fine, eating fine, just swollen. It is puffy....wondering if it is his one year molars? We went to the dentist on Friday and his top two are already showing, and the bottom two were puffed up and red. Should I be concerned? I don't remember my first son having any puffiness with his molars, but they are completly differnt kids! Also, wasnt even sure if it was his molars...he is shoving his whole hand in his mouth, so I am sure they are bothing him. Has this ever happened to anyone? On an allergy note, hasnt eaten anything new, but I am watching for swollen lips, tongue and mouth to be safe.
Thanks!
Having not seen how swollen it is. If it were me I would probably be at the ER right now but I also have insurance that will allow me to do just that, so I see others saying wait till tomorrow to take him the doc so if it is still swollen then i would do just that and call the dentist also in the morning just to let them know what is going on too.
Good luck
We're not doctors. Get him to his doctor today. The swelling could be a swollen gland, which is an indicator of infections (not just oral ones -- many infections swell the glands that are just under the jawline near the ear, and the cheek can appear swollen too). Do not make assumptions that this is molars! And do not go by advice given here. Take him to the doctor today to rule out any of a host of possible issues. Do not go by the fact he "seems" fine or is eating, and do not rely on the fact he does not have any temperature (if that's the case). A child can have an infection, even strep, and not run a fever or act "sick." If you're worried that "I don't want to look silly if it's nothing and we go to the doctor" like many moms who post here -- Well, it's better to see a doctor and be told it's nothing than to make assumptions it's his molars and wait too long to get treatment he might need.
Awe, poor little guy! Call the ped just to be safe. You never know...
Take him to the Doctor tomorrow.
Hopefully it is not an abscess or something.
Even if it is molars, that should not cause a swollen jaw/cheek.
Maybe he was bitten by a bug? I would go to pediatrician tomorrow to be safe.
I agree that he may need a rapid strep test at pediatrician
I think it could be molars. If he isn't crying or feverish it's probably not a gum infection, which could occur if the teeth move up and down a lot causing little breaks in the skin.
The other thought I had was a possible blocked salivary duct. It is most likely NOT this, but I had it once and it's super weird. The key sign however is if the swelling happens when or right after he eats. If it gets worse then, it's possible that's what it is.
But, for now, I'd chalk it up to molars and give him a little ibuprofen or Tylenol.
