How It Feels
Taking your temperature by mouth is only mildly uncomfortable,
since you must keep your mouth closed and breathe through your nose while the
thermometer is in place.
Taking a rectal temperature can be
slightly uncomfortable but should not be painful.
Taking your
temperature with an ear thermometer causes little or no discomfort. It is not
inserted very far into the ear, and it provides a reading in only a few
seconds. For this reason, the ear thermometer is widely used in doctor offices and hospitals. But it may be less accurate than rectal
thermometers.
Taking your temperature with a plastic strip
thermometer feels like having an adhesive bandage on your forehead. Although it
causes very little discomfort, it is not as reliable as other methods, so
another kind of thermometer should be used if the plastic strip shows an
abnormal temperature.