Teething is a natural and expected part of child development, which refers to the primary teeth, usually occurring between the ages of 6 months and three years.
It involves the intra-osseous movement of an unerupted tooth in the alveolar jaw bone until it emerges into its final functional position in the oral cavity.
Your child’s first tooth is an exciting developmental milestone, but the eruption process itself can hurt them.
You have to keep in mind that in an attempt to provide relief to your baby’s teething pain, you mustn’t compromise their health as well.
Is baby teething gel is safe for my baby? you may think this question in your mind sometimes, but don’t worry, we will discuss all the issues related to baby teething gel, best teething gel for babies, teething gel for infants, and many more in this article.
What Are Teething Gels?
Baby teething gels are generally made with topical anesthetics, like lidocaine, benzocaine, and they are used to provide pain relief and numbing effect to the applied area.
The baby teething gel helps to temporarily banish all kinds of surface pain.
According to the American Academy of Paediatrics, baby teething gel is beneficial because of the speed they wash out of babies’ mouths.
They are meant to be rubbed on the gums of the teething babies to provide relief to the pain.
Is It Safe To Use Teething Gel On Babies?
According to the U.S Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Baby teething gels are not safe and are never recommended for use on infants or babies under 2.
FDA also released a series of different statements about different kinds of baby teething gels, and they also warned consumers about the specific dangers caused on babies.
Gums are very different from the skin the gums and the rest of the mouth are covered in a mucous membrane that quickly absorbs active drug ingredients.
But the baby teething gel is marketed as a simple topical product.
Accidental swallowing can be an issue with some baby teething gel. Some drugs find their way into the bloodstream most quickly instead of slowly penetrating through the thick barrier of the skin.
The significant risk is from direct penetration.
What Are The Dangers Of Teething Gel?
All kinds of teething gel pose some risk. The most common oral gels are benzocaine-based; benzocaine-based oral gels also generate the most safety concerns.
Benzocaine-based baby teething gel can induce a condition called methemoglobinemia within an hour or a minute after the application.
In this condition, the amount of oxygen that the blood can carry reduces and cause loss of consciousness, dizziness, difficulties of breathing, seizures.
If the situation gets worst, even death may happen. The risk of getting this condition from oral anesthetics is relatively low for adults.
The risk gets low as if the drug is used at a reasonable amount as directed on the packaging.
But as being a parent is very risky, and it’s not a risk you can take because babies and infants are at a higher risk of developing the condition and dying from it.
Which Is The Best Teething Gel For Babies?
1. Natural Teething Gels
You may associate “natural” with “safe,” but that can be dangerous, especially when it comes to your baby.
2. Homeopathic Remedies
You have to avoid the homeopathic remedies in this condition because these are most likely to be mislabeled, and they may include some high amounts of toxic substances in their baby teething gel products.
According to an analysis of 2017 done by the FDA, homeopathic teething tablets from multiple brands contained dangerous amounts of belladonna (a poisonous plant that can have toxic effects). so don’t think about baby teething numbing gel homeopathy.
3. Unregulated Products
Many other teething gels are a simple blend of plant extracts and glycerin these days; these baby teething gels and oils that you use in your baby’s mouth can go on the market without any approval or any safety testing from any regulatory body. It is impossible to confirm that the quantities of different ingredients are safe or not
How To Relieve Teething Pain Safely
There are few effective methods for relieving your child’s teething pain that won’t put your child’s health at risk.
1. Massage
The first method that you have to try for your baby’s pain is massaging the gums.
A bit of rubbing goes along a long way towards providing relief to their aches. Before massaging, you have to make sure that your finger or knuckle gently rubs at their gums.
2. Chilled Teething Rings
This can be an excellent option, especially when you are not able to massage your baby. A teething ring is okay at room temperature, but a cold call can do a much better work of soothing their pain.
Keep teething rings in your fridge, do not keep them inside your freezer. Give it to your baby whenever they feel fussy from the pain.
3. Baby Safe Painkillers
If your baby feels so upset and sore or if any of the simple methods do not work, speak to their pediatrician for some baby-safe pain killers.
Acetaminophen might be a good choice if your child is younger than six months. If your baby is above that age, can typically take ibuprofen safely.
If you think that this might not be safe to give your child a pain killer, these medications are a much safer option than giving your baby teething gel.
Baby safe painkillers have clear guidelines on how to use them safely. It is much easier to give your child a safe dose of a baby pain killer instead of giving your baby an unapproved baby teething gel in their mouth.
Some teething gels are still available in the stores concerned good, but the dangers of using teething gels are real and severe, so minor benefits don’t outweigh the risks of your child’s health.
Last Words
If you reach this section then I think you read this article until the end and now you are able to understand the use of teething get and when your baby needs this product.
Keep in mind that at a particular age your baby becomes ready for teeth but this process may be a little painful and that’s why you need teething gel.
So, if you think this article provides complete information about teething gel then do not forget to share this article and if possible leave your comment below.
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