Best Child Specialist in South Mumbai
Teething Needs No Medicine
Whether teething happens early in infancy or later in the first year of life, the eruption of teeth is a rite of passage for every baby.
Teething gets blamed for a lot of what parents perceive to be infant discomfort and fussiness and irritability.Symptoms of illness such as fever, excessive crying, decrease in appetite, disruption of sleep, rashes, and diarrhea are commonly blamed on teething. Interestingly, there is very little scientific evidence that teething causes any of these symptoms. Indeed, teething is overrated as a source of misery in babies.
Parents can get fooled when their infants are having symptoms that are indicative of a serious illness rather than being caused by teething.
Babies who are teething may experience fussiness and drooling for 3-5 days prior to appearance of a tooth. Sometimes the excessive drooling causes a rash on the face and chin. Babies may also put their fingers and toys in their mouths to relieve the feeling of pressure on the gums and the gums may appear swollen. Some babies may have a slightly decreased appetite but they should not stop eating altogether or become dehydrated. Babies DO NOT have fever, vomiting and diarrhea, common cold symptoms or weeks of discomfort due to teething. If you think your baby is having any of these symptoms you should seek medical care or call your pediatrician and DO NOT think that these are symptoms of teething.
Other than using some simple measures to provide relief — parents can massage their baby’s gums, offer a cold, hard rubber teething ring to chew on, or as a last resort, give a dose of paracetamol — treating teething symptoms with over-the-counter products is not necessary and can, in fact, be dangerous. For example,teething tablets have been linked with several infant deaths. It reminds us that just because something is “natural” doesn’t mean it is safe:
These tablets contain belladonna, which comes from a plant typically referred to as Deadly Nightshade. Belladonna affects the nervous system and can cause dry mouth and skin, dilated pupils, hallucinations, rapid heart rate and death[…] These tablets are homeopathic, which means they are very highly diluted to the point of just being nothing. However, because homeopathic preparations are considered supplements by the FDA and not medication, they are not studied for safety and efficacy and are not regulated for consistency of concentration, dosing or quality.
For similar reasons — they aren’t necessary and they can be harmful — teething gels containing benzocaine should also be avoided. Common cultaral practices likeTeething necklaces and bracelets are also hazardous and should not be placed around the neck or wrist of an infant or young child:
Children should not use teething jewelry, which can lead to choking or strangulation
Teething necklaces and bracelets are made of amber, wood, marble or silicone. They are marketed to relieve teething pain and sometimes are used to provide sensory stimulation to people with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.
There are reports of children choking on beads that break off and an 18-month-old being strangled to death by an amber necklace during a nap.
