Non-homeopathic, safe, effective teething relief?
October 12, 2014 8:46 PM   Subscribe

We're looking for some proven, effective relief for our 4-month-old's gums as her teeth come in. It seems like it's impossible to find something that is both medically legitimate and doesn't contain benzocaine. We're open to herbal remedies if they're supported by more than anecdote, but we are not interested in homeopathy for our child. Any recommendations?

Thanks in advance for helping us all get some sleep!
posted by The Winsome Parker Lewis to Health & Fitness (28 answers total) 6 users marked this as a favorite
 
Teething rings and Tylenol.
posted by PhoBWanKenobi at 8:47 PM on October 12, 2014 [2 favorites]


Clove oil is an analgesic and an old remedy for dental pain. It is very powerful, so you should most definitely do plenty of research and maybe talk to a doctor on whether it is suitable for a baby.
posted by insert.witticism.here at 8:52 PM on October 12, 2014 [1 favorite]


Just a quick followup, I did find a recipe for a clove oil teething cream using coconut oil and cocoa butter that looks easy to make and use:

http://www.modernalternativemama.com/blog/2012/02/27/monday-health-wellness-homemade-teething-cream/
posted by insert.witticism.here at 9:00 PM on October 12, 2014


Wet a corner of a washcloth and freeze it. Or put ice or frozen breastmilk in one of those mesh feeders.
posted by chiababe at 9:04 PM on October 12, 2014 [3 favorites]


Please don't use tylenol, it depletes the body of glutathione. If you must go with an OTC pain reliever go with ibuprofen.

Fwiw, Short Story got ALL of his teeth before 12mos (yep, 2ndyr molars too). An amber necklace was enough during the day, but a few months in we couldn't deal with the sleep deprivation any more and ibuprofen became part of the nightly routine. Much to my initial shame, but ultimately it was what worked for us as a family.
posted by vignettist at 9:06 PM on October 12, 2014 [1 favorite]


Oh, and once your LO has a few teeth, one of our great tricks during the day was offering frozen blueberries; nice and cold on the gums, enough texture that makes chewing satisfying. Celery is also nice. All with supervision of course in order to avoid a choking situation.
posted by vignettist at 9:09 PM on October 12, 2014


You might want to check with your doctor regarding ibuprofen. They'll likely say it's fine, but it's not approved for use by the FDA in children under 6-months of age.
posted by ghostpony at 9:11 PM on October 12, 2014


We had good luck with berries in a mesh bag or just miscellaneous teething rings kept in the fridge or freezer.
posted by sacrifix at 9:13 PM on October 12, 2014 [1 favorite]


Your choices are tylenol and ibuprofin (in the US OTC dosing is technically only for 6 month olds and older, but your pediatrician may give you the dosing for your 4 month old); benzocaine; and ice-cold soothers such as teething rings.

Our older one was a miserable teether and in general we gave soothers during the day (frozen blueberries in a mesh feeder were very popular), tylenol at bedtime, and then ibuprofin at our first night feeding. Ibuprofin lasts longer (around 6 hours) but takes considerably longer than tylenol to kick in so BE READY FOR THAT SHITTY PART. Ibuprofin takes 20-30 minutes to work, but lasts 6 hours. Tylenol works in 5-15 minutes, but only lasts 3-4 hours.

We did have the baby orajel (benzocaine) but I ended up using it for my canker sores. Baby orajel tastes WAY BETTER than adult orajel and it is literally exactly the same thing.
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 9:21 PM on October 12, 2014 [1 favorite]


We made DIY teething rings from Mason jar seals. They're foodsafe, tiny hands can hold them, and out of the freezer they're cold enough for relief, but not so thick that they stay frozen long enough to hurt skin.
posted by dws at 9:44 PM on October 12, 2014 [1 favorite]


I'm going to tell you The Truth.

Thankfully, our son's teething pain was not severe.

We def used Clove Oil, and also homeopathic drops.

I definitely used children's Tylenol or similar (don't remember now) when I even suspected it would be a tough episode. This was not often, and lasted a few months.
----

I'm the kind of parent that uses Hydrogen Peroxide and Vinegar for most cleaning. We staggered our son's vaccines, and only started the regimen after he turned two.

Pain sucks. And looking back, since our son is three now and NEVER has meds... Giving our son pain relief meds maybe once per week and at restricted (even less than recommended) doses, was probably a good choice.

I only tried rubbing Vodka or Brandy on our son's gums once, but all the Old School Grandma's swear by it.
---

By the time your child is Three, they'll not remember this time.

Our son is 3.5, broke his collarbone at. 2.5, and has no memory of that trauma a year later.

What I'm saying is: Whatever you choose to do is OK. Be humane.
posted by jbenben at 10:40 PM on October 12, 2014 [1 favorite]


Tylenol. No ibuprofen under six months unless your pediatrician okays it. Orajel is not safe for babies.
posted by amro at 11:09 PM on October 12, 2014


By the way, I'm up right now with a teething 5 month old who also has a cold. You are not alone in your misery at their misery!
posted by amro at 11:11 PM on October 12, 2014


My kids loved crushed ice in a mesh feeder, a cold wet wash cloth and very cold carrots that I would wash and peel and cut length ways into quarters. The cold, somewhat hard triangle shape really let them work the part of the gum that hurt. When the carrot got warm or floppy I would replace it.
posted by saradarlin at 12:51 AM on October 13, 2014 [1 favorite]


I would stay clear of blueberries for a four month old baby, they affect digestion strongly.
Raw blueberries can cause very, very, soft runny stools, even diarrea. Funny enough, tea of dried blueberries is useful for the opposite purpose and stops runny stools.

But anything to chew on is perfect, and if it is cold even better. Definitely the cold carrots, washcloths etc, any sort of teething rings - we tried lots of them and some he loved and some he rejected.

For pain relief we used Dentinox, sold OTC where we live.
http://www.dentinox.co.uk/products/teething-gel.ashx
Dentinox Teething Gel contains the active ingredients lidocaine and cetylpyridinium.
Lidocaine is one of a group of medicines called local anesthetics, which numb pain.
Cetylpyridinium is an antiseptic that is used to treat minor wounds and minor infections
of the mouth.


It worked ok, but to be honest only for a short while each time. I tried it on myself back then, and it numbs alright but wears off soon.

If it is any comfort, this will pass. I know while it happens this sounds somewhat trite. But my son is 6 now, and those sleepless nights are indeed a faint blur.
posted by 15L06 at 3:12 AM on October 13, 2014


Yes clove oil! My mom gave it to me for a toothache as a grade schooler, and it works wonders.
posted by catatethebird at 3:49 AM on October 13, 2014


Our son was a miserable teether and a terrible sleeper under the best circumstances. A nurse friend of mine recommended alternating between baby Tylenol and baby ibuprofen (though he was 6 months by the time we started with ibuprofen, ask your doctor), and we were pretty liberal with nightly applications of both, following the dosage recommendations, of course. Kid is now 4 and healthy as a horse.
posted by banjo_and_the_pork at 5:07 AM on October 13, 2014


A reminder on the tylenol/ibuprofen, that banjo mentions.. "BABY" branded ones.. just make sure you're not using adult/teen types when dealing out dosage.

And yes, teething rings from the freezer. We made it through 3 children - for the first one, you want to make it better, but they just have to suffer through. A little BABY tylenol, and a teething ring, and a rocking chair, and a song.
posted by rich at 5:29 AM on October 13, 2014 [1 favorite]


Tylenol, clove oil, teethers. If you discover anything else that works and is safe patent it and make a million dollars.
posted by arrmatie at 5:39 AM on October 13, 2014


My granddaughter wears one of those Amber teething necklaces. Her parents swear by it.
posted by OkTwigs at 6:38 AM on October 13, 2014


All four of my wisdom teeth grew in, two at a time a year apart. I say this because I have actual adult experience with what teething feels like.

Crushed ice in a washcloth or something like that. Since I was an adult I could use any manner of painkiller and oragel but the thing that worked best was something cold that also massages. The massaging helped more than anything else.
posted by magnetsphere at 7:29 AM on October 13, 2014


Once our baby was old enough and having horrible teething pains, we used Ibuprofen, exclusively, and almost entirely at bedtime. I don't really know why people alternate between Tylenol and Ibuprofen. I suppose if you're wanting to keep them dosed all day? I felt that Ibuprofen was a little safer and it worked waaaay better than Tylenol for my kid.

During the day, for the most part, it was teethers from the freezer and tried some Camilia for awhile. It maybe helped a little. Not enough for me to keep with it. And, oh, just waiting for the misery to pass. It's really rough.
posted by amanda at 7:41 AM on October 13, 2014


Not Tylenol. It is terrible for adult bodies, let alone baby bodies.

I have no idea why anybody would suggest homeopathy. It's a sham from top to bottom, the only effect is the placebo effect, and AFAIK placebos don't work on babies because they can't even conceptualize that something is supposed to help them in the first place.

The Greek grandmas where I grew up swore by ouzo on the gums. Apparently my mother used sherry on mine a few times when I was having a particularly bad episode. My niece and nephew both had frozen teething rings or washcloths and had a minimum of difficulties. When it was really bad, they got doctor-approved painkillers--ibuprofen, I'm pretty sure.
posted by feckless fecal fear mongering at 7:41 AM on October 13, 2014 [1 favorite]


I think the reason those "teething tablets" "work" is because they are just sugar, and babies love sugar. It distracts them momentarily.

Piling on with the mesh feeder suggestion - you can shove a huge frozen mango chunk in there. My son loved it, and it says hard and cold for a while. That worked great. A big frozen strawberry is good, too.
posted by peep at 8:22 AM on October 13, 2014 [1 favorite]


If you are breastfeeding, the anaesthetic gels should be used with caution as they can lead to baby having latch problems.
posted by KateViolet at 8:42 AM on October 13, 2014


I'm a doctor, but not your doctor or your baby's doctor, just adding in some general facts about Tylenol, which mostly relate to dosing.

Please don't use tylenol, it depletes the body of glutathione.
This is only important in overdose situations. If you dose Tylenol correctly, there won't be a glutathione problem.

I don't really know why people alternate between Tylenol and Ibuprofen.
Because each of the medications can only be dosed at certain intervals, and sometimes baby is still in pain before you reach the next time you can give the same medicine.

Not Tylenol. It is terrible for adult bodies, let alone baby bodies.
Again, this is only true in overdose. There's a reason why Tylenol is available over the counter - because it's a proven safe and effective pain medication when taken at the recommended dose in people with a working liver who can process it. Unfortunately, Tylenol can be devastating and can cause liver failure or death when taken in overdose, but most medications and 'natural'/herbal substances can seriously harm or kill you too if you overdose on them.

So, just remember to dose your Tylenol correctly, and discuss any medications you plan to use with your pediatrician (yes, I would count herbal remedies like clove oil as a medication and ask first). Anecdotally, in your situation, I used Tylenol and if that didn't work after 45 mins or so, I used ibuprofen as a backup. Mainly because this was generally only a problem for her at night and I didn't want to give her the ice/frozen stuff in her crib.
posted by treehorn+bunny at 9:28 AM on October 13, 2014 [8 favorites]


An amber necklace was enough during the day, but a few months in we couldn't deal with the sleep deprivation any more and ibuprofen became part of the nightly routine.

Amber necklaces are 100% pseudoscience and also a choking risk. Also most of the ones sold online are plastic, so there's that. If you're not into homeopathy, I wouldn't really go down the amber teething necklace route.

We had more luck properly dosing our baby with acetaminophen suppositories (feverall brand) than tylenol, which she mostly spits/vomits out so it was never clear how much she was getting. Be sure to dose by weight; our chunker needs the recommended dose for a 3 year old if we go by age, and the infant dose never seems to impact her teething pain at all.
posted by PhoBWanKenobi at 9:39 AM on October 13, 2014 [6 favorites]


It's a sham from top to bottom, the only effect is the placebo effect, and AFAIK placebos don't work on babies because they can't even conceptualize that something is supposed to help them in the first place.

Oh, and I should say that placebo, like amber teething necklaces and homeopathy, work on parents, too, since they're the ones reporting changes in their baby's behavior. Since teething pain is transitory, this is especially true--it takes time to, say, go out and buy an amber necklace, and the teething pain, which only lasts a night or two, may have passed by then regardless of your baby's jewelry choices.
posted by PhoBWanKenobi at 9:44 AM on October 13, 2014 [1 favorite]


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