I've heard this rumor ever since my daughter was born in 04' She was a good teether. Never made a fuss. Now, my son who is just about 11 mo. old is already growing in his molars! He's constantly bitting and is a fussy teether. Poor thing. I have heard that Orajel and other gels are not good for babies because it makes their gums tougher thus making the teething process even more painful when the teeth break through. Does anyone know if this is TRUE? I can't seem to find the answer and this is the only thing that seems to help somewhat when he wakes up in pain in the middle of the night. Plus, how much is too much Orajel-daily, nightly only? Help!
Thanks for all the advice. I went out and bought yet another set of teething rings/toys hoping that he would like these. He never really liked the ones I already had (even the one that I paid $10 for alone!). But he seems to enjoy these even if it's just a few minutes here and there. They are just some simple ones from Walmart-Bright Starts brand. Never knew that cold teething rings actually helped the teeth break through (at least that's what I get from some of the responses) I always thought they were just for comfort. I'll use the Orajel sparingly and in the middle of the night if necessary. Thanks so much for all the helpful responses. I am so thankful for Mamasource. Have a Merry Christmas!!
I haven't heard anything about it toughening up the gums, but I've read in a hundred different places that it causes a choking hazard because it numbs the back of the throat. I've also read on various blogs that it doesn't really work anyway because all their drooling washes it away pretty fast.
Have you tried teething tablets? They worked well for us when I didn't want to keep giving them Tylenol. They sell them at Walmart.
Jenny
My pediatrician says Orajel is pretty much useless b/c it only works for about 5 minutes at a time. I wouldn't even bother unless you wanted to keep reapplying constantly. Hang in there...I know exactly how frustrating it is!
M.
I've used Baby Orajel with all three of my kids with great results. It provides enough relief to allow them to get through the pain. I'd try it on your baby and see how he responds. It relieved us of many sleepless nights, so I'm thankful for it. Never had a problem, and never heard of the toughening issue. None of my babies had any interest in putting cold teething rings or wash clothes in their mouths, so I had to find another solution. My pediatrician's office recommended Baby Orajel. Maybe you could check with your ped's office to get their opinion, just for some reassurance. Or a pediatric dentist?
I'm not sure about the rumor but I think that we had orajel with a pain reliever in it. I never used it b/c my daughter just didn't seem to have teething issues but I'm pretty sure that I had it at one point. I just felt that it was such temporary relief, a few minutes, that what was the point. Freezing a wet washcloth helps and knawing on frozen mini bagels also worked great.
Our pediatrician said not to use orajel because it can interfere with the baby's gag reflux and cause choking. Our pediatric dentist said not to use orajel because some babies can become allergic to the anesthetic, making future dental work difficult. Instead, we stir a glass of ice water with a metal spoon, then the baby puts the cold spoon (make sure it doesn't have sharp or pointy edges) in his mouth and rubs his own gums with it. Sometimes he uses the round end and sometimes he prefers the handle end. We supervise him while he uses it so he doen't poke his eyes or stick it too far down his throat. We also rinse our extra baby wash cloths in water and wring them out. Then we put them in ziploc bags in the freezer. When needed, we take one out and soften it by running it under water and wringing it out. Then, we give the cold cloth to the baby to bite on. We've needed these tricks a lot because our son got his first teeth at 4 months. He now has 6 teeth at 9 months and is working on cutting another one.
Good luck!
funny, I just asked my pediatrician the same question. He said that it wasn't bad, though some babies don't like the sensation of numbed gums. There is a very small risk of allergy but on the other hand he doesn't think it works particularly well. the numbing is very short lived. So while he doesn't think it is bad, he doesn't think it will work much. I also consulted the American Academy of Pediatric's book "Baby and Child Health" which is a fabulous resource and I recommend it to everyone as it has info on all the ususal child issues from sleep to rashes to teething, food, immunizations, measles etc. etc. It said it was an option.
I never used it on any of my 3 kids. We used teething powder with my youngest. but now they call them teething tablets. they are in the same isle as the baby orajel. My best friend used it for her children who are younger than mine and she said it worked great. It's all natural. It contains bella donna. You may want to try it.
As far as I can find online, this is not true. If you are worried about it, or even if you aren't but want to try something different, get some Hyland's or Little Teether's teething tablets. They are homeopathic and dissolve instantly on their tongue. You can also get teething drops from Naturals. They are great! My friend's son was a bad teether and didn't eat well for months and then I gave her some tablets to try and he'll eat anything now.
Good Luck:)
Basically oragel is clove oil, which temporarily numbs the skin (no it doesn't toughen it). Since we salivate all the time of course it wears off and disappears after a while. The clove oil doesn't hurt your child (not unless they were allergic to it).
Try to imagine what it feels like having a hard thing pushing through your skin...OW. Not a friendly process. Oragel, teething powder, cold spoon (I have rubbed one gentley on my baby's gums), teething ring...anything that can help them break the gum and get that tooth out is helpful.
Not sure if this will help you, but have you ever heard of a website called snopes.com? It has a data base you can search for all types of rumors. Maybe it will be there?
I had heard about the orajel making the gums tougher. I'm not sure if it is true or not. I did see an article when my youngest first started cutting teeth (he's 15 mo. now) that talked about how orajel can be harmful to kids. The article said that since children don't have very good control over their mouths and such yet, it is possible for the backs of their throats to become numb and they can basically drown on their own saliva. Try babycenter.com. or yahoo health. I stopped using the gel immediately and used tylenol. Also, everyone told me to lightly freeze wash rags for him to chew. What a shock when I found out he hated it but if I get a cloth wet with warm water, he'll chew on it all day long. Good luck. I hope this has helped. Shannon
I haven't heard that about Orajel. But I did hear that it can numb the back of their throat so that isn't good. I would give him something hard to chew on. That should probably help a lot. Evee loves to chew on stuff.
Put a dab on your tongue and see what it does. I did not like it therefore I did not give it to my little one. Ibruprofen worked better for us.
I do not know if the orajel thing is true or not, but once the nurse at my peds office said to rub tylenol or motrin on the gums, this has some numbing effect and they get alittle when they swallow so its not like you are giving them dose after dose. I did this for my son. I think it helped alittle.
I have not heard that and I don't think it's the case. I would confer with a pediatric dentist and keep us updated. Try teething tablets... they are natural and seem to help. I haven't used the gel too much for fear of numbing my kids throats. Maybe also give him a little tylenol before bedtime. We have done that too.
I use it with my daughter (15 months) and I haven't noticed if her gums are tougher or not. I usually only use it at night when she's teething because it seems they only bother her at bedtime and keeps her from sleeping. A little thumb tack top sized drop and a little infant Tylonol just after bathtime and before bed and she's good to go. Try to use as little as possible, it usually a good idea to medicate infants as little as possible. I know it's hard having him fussy and in pain but that pain gets him to chew on things and that helps his teeth come in.
Good luck!
we were told Orajel is not good for our babies since it can also numb the back of thier throat if they swallow too much and aspirate thier own saliva. I normally let my kids tough it out during the day ad if they are really miserable give a 1/2 to full does of tylenol at night before bed.
I think the Orajel myth has grown with time. I've done lots and lots of research in books and on the internet about this. The research that I've discovered shows that Orajel is safe to use, as long as you follow the directions. Don't let your child eat the entire tube and don't use it constantly. Just think how Orajel works when you use it. It only lasts for a few minutes, then the numb sensation goes away. It's the same for babies. It's basically a quick relief for them. If you're sure it's teething pain, use the Orajel to help relieve immediate pain, then follow up with a dose of infant pain reliever. If used properly, the Orajel will not numb the vocal cords or toughen the gums. I wouldn't use the Orajel more than four or five times per 24 hours. We only use it before naptimes and bedtime.
The only thing I've ever heard about the gels for teething is that when you use them it numbs the entire area. SOunds good right? But what I've been told is that since the children are not used to this feeling they might tend to grind what teeth they do have over these gums. And if they do have teeth it would cut up that portion of the gums and when the gel wears off it actually hurts them more. With my daughter I use teething tablets. They are really good when you use them right. I am in school for massage therapy and we learn things about the homeopathic medications and things. When I asked about using the teething tablets I was told to give them 2-4 (I give my daughter 3) tablets every 15 minutes until you see a change (i.e. if they are crying that they settle down). I've never had any problems with them and they are 100% safe and all natural. You don't really have to worry about over dosing either since it is all natural. They disolve really easily also. Hope you find something that works!
