Advice on teething?
As a children dentist, I often get questions from parents on how to deal with teething. Here are some remedies:
– give baby a bottle of cool water
– if baby is very cranky or has a fever, Children’s Tylenol will help
– give teething biscuit
– give frozen ice chips with parental supervision
– try a frozen wash cloth
– give a frozen banana with parental supervision
– a cold apple wedge wrapped in an infant sized wash cloth will give baby an incentive to bite down and work the teeth through when they taste the sweetness of the fruit
– over the counter teething gels containing benzocaine (use a last resort)
– NEVER rub brandy or any other alcohol on baby’s gums because it is a very dangerous poison to infants
Sore gums from teething often occur for a few days at a time between six months to age three. Babies often get relief from a clean teething ring, cool spoon, cold wet washcloth or toothbrush. Chilled teething rings or rubbing a clean finger on the sore gum area often helps, too. For more answers about your baby’s dental care call us at (814) 238-4090.
