James E Sullivan DDS Dentist Fort Washington Maryland

Many new parents call our office hoping to find out about baby teething remedies to get through what can be a very difficult time. We understand how frustrating it can be for parents to watch their child suffer. Unfortunately, teething is a necessary part of life and there will be pain associated with it.

Plain and simple, this is not a comfortable experience for a baby, they will not like it, and they are likely to be incredibly fussy while teething. However, there is hope.

There are steps that parents can take to help ease a baby’s discomfort. Here are a few of them.

1. Give them ibuprofen

As long as parents give a baby the doctor recommended dose, it is safe to give a child ibuprofen. We only recommend this if the teething discomfort is severe but it certainly can be helpful. Ibuprofen is better than Tylenol because it helps to reduce inflammation and swelling in addition to reducing pain. Just be careful to use the medication only as directed by a medical professional and when absolutely necessary.

2. Use cold often

Just like ice can help to relieve muscle pain and tension in adults, ice can relieve pain in virtually everyone. This is because when ice or something very cold comes in contact with the body, it will numb the nerve endings and prevent the sensation of pain. Parents should know this and use cold frequently to help reduce teething pain.

If a baby teething ring is not handy, simply take a clean washrag, get it wet and place it in a bag in the freezer. It will freeze and become something that the baby can bite down on to help relieve their discomfort. As they do, the gums will become numb and they should begin to feel better.

3. Try a numbing gel

Orajel can be incredibly effective for reducing pain in the gums. However, it is possible to give the baby too much Orajel so be careful to only use it as directed and only a couple of times per day. Using cold first is wise.

Be careful with baby teething remedies

As a dentist, we have gotten a lot of questions from parents who read about various teething remedies online and would like to try them with their children. Many of these include using food products like honey or turmeric to help reduce the pain. We want to advise parents to be incredibly cautious about these home remedies and not to try them without speaking to their pediatrician.

Things like honey, for example, could cause a horrible allergic reaction. Likewise, turmeric could be incredibly strong and the baby could react badly to it. These remedies may be safe to try on adults but babies are incredibly sensitive and most pediatricians have a set schedule for when they want parents to introduce foods, let alone these home remedies directly on their gums. Because of that, please be careful and do not try something without speaking to a doctor first.

Remember, this will not last forever

It is important to have baby teething remedies on hand but also to know that this will pass. A baby is typically only going to be in extreme pain for a few days to a week. Afterward, they should begin to feel better. While that can seem like forever to a parent, and understandably so, in the scheme of things, it is important to remember that the teething process is going to come and go so just to hang in there.

How can you really use this information?

We help parents on a regular basis by ensuring that children are in good oral health. We can even help with baby’s that are teething. Sometimes it is nice to speak with a professional to ensure that everything is happening as it should.

We can sometimes conduct a quick examination and even help children along. Request an appointment in our Fort Washington dental office here: http://jamesesullivandds.com. To learn more about this and other reasons that visiting a dentist early is good for your child, call us at (301) 248-8080 for more information from James E Sullivan DDS.