Teething in babies begins on average at 5 or 6 months, but in some babies, teeth begin to cut even earlier. At the same time, many toddlers are concerned about pain and itching for several weeks before the moment when the crown of the tooth begins to look out of the gum.
Some children endure malaise persistently, while others cannot stand pain, often cry and are capricious, refuse food and sleep poorly. They are advised to use drugs that will eliminate unpleasant symptoms and speed up the appearance of a new tooth. Most of these products are cooling ointments or gels, which also have anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving effects.
Most common drugs
Most often, during the period of teething, the following medications are used:
- Baby doctor. This drug is a natural alcohol-free remedy based on chamomile, calendula, echinacea, plantain and marshmallow. Its use soothes mucous membranes and helps with gum disease.
- Calgel... It is a lidocaine medication that reduces inflammation and pain. Its disadvantage is the increased risk of drug allergy.
- Dentinox. This medicine contains two anesthetics and chamomile tincture, so this remedy quickly relieves soreness and swelling of the gums when a new tooth erupts.
- Holisal. It is an anti-inflammatory agent based on herbal ingredients. Due to the content of anise, which can stimulate salivation, the drug is not prescribed at an early age.
- Pansoral. This medicine is based on herbal extracts, so it can soften and soothe the gums.
Which is better to choose
Medicines that help babies with teething teeth are presented in a large assortment in the pharmacy, so choosing the right remedy for a particular child is not a problem. First of all, the age range of drug use should be taken into account, since some drugs, for example, Baby Doctor gel, can be used from 3 months of age, Pansoral and Dentinox preparations - from 4 months, Kalgel - from 5 months of age, and Cholisal - only from the year.
All medicines used for teething in children are local remedies. In many of them, the main component is an anesthetic, such as lidocaine or benzocaine. This substance reduces the sensitivity of the gums by freezing them. Also, in the composition of preparations for teething, herbal and anti-inflammatory ingredients may be present, the action of which is aimed at reducing swelling and soreness.
Ointments and gels that are prescribed for teething are applied directly to the baby's gums. Such drugs begin to act within a few minutes after application, but the duration of the cooling and analgesic effect is short (maximum 2-3 hours). Before reapplying the product, it is important to clarify the permissible frequency of use per day. In most cases, these drugs are used before bedtime or before meals to help the child calm down and sleep or eat.
If a child is allergic, then not every drug can be used to relieve painful sensations. In the next video, Dr. Komarovsky will tell you how to help a child with allergies relieve pain.
Tips
- You can use clean fingers or cotton swabs to apply the medicine to the gums. A small amount of gel or ointment is spread over the surface of the inflamed gums, and then gently rubbed into the mucous membrane.
- So that the medicine does not taste unpleasant, flavors and sweeteners are often added to it, therefore, if the child is prone to allergies, the selection of the remedy should be very careful.
- Do not lubricate the baby's gums just before feeding, as the anesthetic effect can prevent the baby from sucking or chewing. If you want to clean your mouth before meals, do it half an hour before meals.
Whether it is considered normal to have a temperature rise during teething in children, see the program of Dr. Komarovsky.
And one more useful video on the topic of the first teeth in a child.
