Which measure would you suggest an infants parents use to relieve teething discomfort?

What is teething?

Teething is when your baby’s teeth start moving underneath their gums and coming through. Some people also refer to it as ‘cutting teeth’.

What age do babies start teething?

All babies develop at different rates so there’s no saying when your baby might get their first tooth. Some babies are born with their first teeth whereas others still have no sign of a first tooth when they’re 12 months old. There are some clear signs and symptoms to look out for though that often indicate that precious first tooth might be on its way.

Teething pains

Teething often causes babies discomfort, making them restless and irritable. As the roots of their teeth grow, they push the edges of the teeth through the gums. Babies usually suffer most with their first teeth as the sensation is new, and with their molars because of their size.

Signs your baby is teething:

Look out for two or three of these symptoms1:

  • They have become more fussy and clingy and are crying more at night.
  • They are dribbling a lot.
  • They have an urge to bite to try to ease the pain, so they’ve started chewing on their fingers and anything else they can get hold of!
  • Their cheeks are flushed.
  • Their gums are swollen and red.
  • They’re demanding the breast or bottle more.
  • Some babies may have a poor appetite for solid foods because their gums hurt.
  • They aren’t sleeping well.

How to help your teething baby

There’s lots you can do to soothe your baby and help relieve the pain. Try some of these suggestions:

  • Give them a teething ring to chew on (the ones you can cool in the fridge are good).
  • Your doctor may recommend infant pain relievers like paracetamol or ibuprofen.
  • Apply a barrier cream to their chin, neck and chest to stop them getting sore from dribbling.
  • Distract them with lots of hugs or something to play with.
  • If your baby is 6 months or older you can give them a piece of carrot or apple to chew on. 

When should I start brushing my baby’s teeth?

You can start brushing your baby’s teeth as soon as they start to come through, using a soft-bristled baby toothbrush and toothpaste specially formulated for their age. Remember to be gentle as their gums may still be feeling sore – and don’t be surprised if they’re less than keen to start off with! Just keep trying until it becomes part of their regular daily routine.

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Which measure would you suggest an infants parents use to relieve teething discomfort?

Consider treating teething pain with a teething ring made of firm rubber (not frozen) or by rubbing the gums with a clean finger.

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Teething is normal but may be a painful experience for infants and toddlers. Too often, well-meaning parents and caregivers who want to ease a child’s pain turn to medications and products that could be harmful.

Soothing children’s gums with prescription or over-the-counter (OTC) drugs, homeopathic drugs, or teething jewelry marketed for relieving teething pain may seem like good options. But those products can be dangerous and can lead to serious injury or even death. This also applies to older children with special needs who may use teething jewelry for sensory stimulation.

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends alternative ways for treating teething pain, including rubbing infants’ gums with a clean finger or providing a teething ring made of firm rubber to chew on. For children with sensory stimulation needs, parents and caregivers should talk to their child’s health care provider about safer options.

On average, children begin teething around 4 to 7 months, and have a total of 20 “baby teeth” by age 3. According to the AAP, occasional symptoms of teething include mild irritability, a low-level fever, drooling, and an urge to chew something hard.

The Risks of Teething Bracelets, Necklaces and Other Jewelry

Teething jewelry includes necklaces, bracelets, and other jewelry worn by either an adult or child, used by parents and caregivers, and is marketed to relieve an infant’s teething pain. It may also be marketed for use by people with special needs, such as autism or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, to provide sensory stimulation or redirect chewing on clothes or body parts.

The beads of the jewelry may be made with various materials such as amber, wood, marble, or silicone. Jewelry marketed for teething is not the same as teething rings or teethers, which are made of hard plastic or rubber and not wearable by an adult or child.

There are serious risks associated with using jewelry marketed for relieving teething pain such as choking, strangulation, injury to the mouth, and infection. Other concerns include potential injury to the mouth or infection if a piece of the jewelry irritates or pierces the child’s gums.

Teething Creams and Gels Also Have Risks

Parents and caregivers might also look to relieve a teething baby by rubbing numbing medications on the child’s gums. But the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warns against using any sort of topical medication to treat teething pain in children, including prescription or OTC creams and gels, or homeopathic teething tablets. They offer little to no benefit and are associated with serious risk.

Benzocaine — a local anesthetic — is the active ingredient in several OTC oral health care products such as Anbesol, Baby Orajel, Cepacol, Chloraseptic, Hurricaine, Orabase, Orajel, and Topex. These products should not be used for teething because they can be dangerous and are not useful because they wash out of a baby’s mouth within minutes.

The use of benzocaine gels, sprays, ointments, solutions, and lozenges for mouth and gum pain can lead to a serious — and sometimes fatal — condition called methemoglobinemia, in which the oxygen-carrying capacity of red blood cells is greatly reduced.

Prescription and OTC benzocaine oral health care drug products are also widely used in adults. Doctors and dentists often use sprays containing benzocaine to numb the mucous membranes of the mouth and throat or to suppress the gag reflex during medical and surgical procedures, such as transesophageal echocardiograms, endoscopy, intubation, and feeding tube replacements. But benzocaine sprays are not FDA-approved for these uses.

Talk to your health care professional about using benzocaine and other local anesthetics, especially if you have heart disease; are elderly; are a smoker; or have breathing problems such as asthma, bronchitis, or emphysema. Those conditions put you at greater risk for complications relating to methemoglobinemia.

What You Can Do to Ease Teething Pain

If your child’s gums are swollen and tender, gently rub or massage the gums with your finger, or give your child a teething ring made of firm rubber to chew. Make sure the teething ring is not frozen. If the object is too hard, it can hurt your child’s gums. Parents should supervise their children so they don’t accidentally choke on the teething ring.

Parents and caregivers of children with special needs who may require sensory stimulation should talk to their child’s health care provider about safer options and treatment. Jewelry marketed for relieving teething pain and to provide sensory stimulation can lead to serious injuries, including strangulation and choking.

The FDA continues to closely monitor the use of teething jewelry and other teething pain relief products and is evaluating whether other actions are necessary to address the risks associated with these products, as part of its commitment to protecting public health – especially when it comes to the health and safety of children.

Consumers and health care professionals should notify the FDA of any adverse side effects when using drugs and devices the agency regulates, by reporting them online to MedWatch, the FDA’s safety information and adverse event reporting program, or by telephone at 1-800-FDA-1088.



Which measure would you suggest an infant's parents use to relieve teething discomfort?

To ease teething discomfort, rub your baby's gums with a clean finger. Or offer a teething toy or a clean, wet washcloth. When your baby's teeth come in, wipe them with a wet washcloth or a soft infant toothbrush. Use a tiny bit of toothpaste (about the size of a grain of rice) to clean your baby's teeth twice a day.

Which measure would you suggest an infants parents use to relieve teething discomfort quizlet?

Which measure would you suggest an infant's parents use to relieve teething discomfort? Give her a cold teething ring to chew. -Cold can be very soothing for the tender gumlines during teething.

When should I give my infant Tylenol for teething?

Pain medicine. The safest choice is acetaminophen (Tylenol) for babies 2 months and older. Ibuprofen is not recommended for children until they are at least 6 months of age.

Can you give baby Tylenol for teething?

Keep your baby comfortable Try a pain medicine containing acetaminophen – such as Infants' TYLENOL® – to ease pain from teething and fever if your baby is uncomfortable. If you have any questions, talk to your pediatrician.