could this be teething?

[Ryan&HollysMom]

hi y'all, just have a quick question.
my ds woke up the other night at 11:30 screaming. i checked for burps, dirty diaper, other obvious possible sources for distress like something pinching him, etc.  he had his fingers in his mouth, though how far that clue gets me i'm not sure as they are in there 24/7. he's 20 weeks old and sleeps through the night and is very very happy otherwise. could this be an early teething situation? i heard that the pain can come on and off for up to 2 months before the first tooth comes in.
any other possibilities? maybe a bad dream?
i ended up giving him some tylenol cause he looked like he was in pain. i held him for a while and then put him back to bed. he didn't complain at all at that point and went back to sleep. the whole thing took 15-20 minutes.
thanks for any insights you can give me.

[Colin Macs Mom]

Hmmmm. That could have been any number of things - teething, gas pain, bad dream/night terror... who knows. Has he shown any other signs of teething, like lots of icky bowel movements, diaper rash, etc?

[Ryan&HollysMom]

no diaper rash, maybe a few more bowel movements (more icky than usual? - i think not)...
i didn't know they can have bad dreams at that age.
it hasn't happened again since the one time 5 nights ago. so maybe it was just a bad dream.
if it is teething, what can be done to decrease pain other than tylenol? would i give him teething toys to chew on at night when i'm usually trying to convey that it's time for shut eye?

[andibig]

i would have said if it was teething it would have been more than one night!!! unless you are one of the lucky mummys whose LOs teeth just opo through .
If it is teething he would probably be drooling lots as well . but you can give them teething powders which are a natural remedy.or a teething gel.
But generally i don't give DD meds for teething unless shes had a really bad day with them.

[Colin Macs Mom]

I have found Motrin to last longer than Tylenol and therefore better for nights. You can also use orajel, but I understand that it shouldn't be used too often and it shouldn't be used during the day or before a feed (numbing can cause choking, that sort of thing). I've also heard that vanilla can be rubbed on the gums with a similar effect to the orajel but safer. Never tried that one myself though. But definitely no toys at night unless you want to be up playing!