Chewing on something hard: golf ball? (8)

I believe the answer is:
teething
'chewing' is the definition.
Although both the answer and definition are present participle verbs, I don't understand how they can define each other.
I cannot understand how the rest of the clue works.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for teething that I've seen before include "It'd painful for baby" , "- Troubles occur in the early stages of a project" , "Growing structures for biting" , "Painful time for baby" , "problem in infancy" .)
