5 quick tips to help soothe baby teething pain
Your baby’s first teeth are a wonderful milestone on their road to adulthood, and their experience now could set up their oral health for years.
But, teething is not always a particularly pleasant experience and your baby is sure to let you know if they’re in discomfort.
So, how can you soothe teething pain in an infant? Let’s find out.
Need advice for teething babies more generally? Go back to our teething babies resource guide.
1. Apply pressure to the gums/give them something to chew
Pressure can be a great alleviator of discomfort in a teething child. One thing you can try is gently rubbing their gums with a clean finger or cloth. As you do so, apply slight pressure, like a very light massage, to see if it soothes them. If your baby obviously doesn’t like this, don’t continue.
Pressure can also come from certain types of toys. Hard-silicone teething rings, for example, can be cooled in the fridge (not freezer) and given to an infant to suck on and chew so they can apply their own pressure.
You may see teething biscuits/rusks advertised, or home remedies may suggest applying honey or syrup to teething toys to make them more appealing. Both of these are not recommended, as the sugar can harm your baby’s teeth and cause dental cavities.
Sugar-free biscuits or rusks are a better alternative if this is the path you wish to take.
2. Soothe the discomfort with something cold
Just like a cold compress can help reduce inflammation in adults, cold can also help a baby when they are teething.
If a gentle massage isn’t enough, try placing the back of a cold teaspoon on your baby’s gums. The spoon should be cold, but not painfully so or else you might hurt your baby.
Alternative solutions include:
Wrapping an ice cube or two in a clean cloth and placing it on their cheek (not their gums). This will be too cold for their gums but may work well on the outside of the face.
Wrapping other cold objects in a clean cloth, like chilled fruit, so they have something cold to chew. These objects will need to be wrapped tight to prevent the risk of bits falling out and choking your baby.
Moisten a flannel and place it in the fridge. Your baby can then suck on this moisture for comfort. Again, you’ll want to watch for choking.
3. Teething gel
As you walk around the pharmacy, you may see something called ‘teething gel’ on the shelves. Some products claim to be able to soothe teething pain and discomfort with a gel that can be applied to the sore area.
Gels such as these often contain a mild painkiller, and can also be used to treat mouth ulcers.
Each product has its own very explicit instructions and if you choose to use a teething gel it's vital that you read these carefully first – and follow each step. The chemicals in common teething gels could be harmful to babies if they are given too much, making it highly important that you watch their dosage.
But do teething gels work?
There is some debate as to whether teething gel actually helps or not.
In a lot of cases, babies remove the gel quickly with their saliva and therefore it doesn’t remain on the gums long enough to be of use.
As mentioned, some ingredients, such as choline salicylate, can also be poisonous to young babies if too much is consumed. Symptoms of choline salicylate poisoning include vomiting, fever, rapid breathing and sleepiness that is out of the ordinary.
Learn more: Bonjela teething gel (Health Navigator NZ)
4. Medication
If your baby is over the age of three months and their pain is clearly greater than you can soothe through other means, you may be able to give them paracetamol for children.
However, medicating a baby with painkillers should only be done if it is absolutely necessary.
Your baby will require a very specific dosage to be both effective and safe, and this dosage will be based on their weight. You can learn a bit more about dosages at the Health Navigator NZ link below, or to be absolutely certain you’re getting it right - talk to your pharmacist or doctor.
Learn more: Paracetamol for children (Health Navigator NZ)
5. Avoid amber teething necklaces
In certain parts of the internet, and in a lot of baby stores, you’ll see the mention of amber teething necklaces.
What do they report to do?
One of the common claims of these necklaces is that if a baby wears it against their skin while teething, a certain chemical (succinic acid) will leech from the amber into their body, providing an anti-inflammatory effect in a totally natural and medicine-free way.
But this isn’t currently backed by science
Researchers from Australia looked into the claim that Baltic amber can offer anti-inflammatory properties and found it not to be the case in two ways:
They did not find evidence to suggest that succinic acid would leech from the beads into a baby’s skin.
They also did not find evidence to suggest that the chemical itself has anti-inflammatory properties.
On top of that, bead necklaces pose a strangulation or choking risk for young infants, and the US Food & Drug Administration (FDA) even put out a warning in 2018 for parents to avoid such products. They had been receiving reports of death and serious injury due to teething necklaces.
So what do I do if I want natural alternatives for pain relief?
Start with ice and pressure as we’ve detailed above, and if those don’t work, consider consulting your child’s pediatrician or dentist for more personalised advice.
Worried about your baby’s teeth? Talk to us today
If you live in or around Whangārei, we’re here to help you and your baby.
At Kowhai Dental, we’ve got a lot of experience helping young children and, in case you’re worried about affording the dentist, plenty of payment plans and options to find a solution that’s easiest for you.
Learn more:
— Our payment plans
— Our children’s dental care options
— Affording the dentist in Northland: Tips and advice
To book an appointment, call us on 09 430 0707 or book online today.