Whether it’s five in the morning or four in the afternoon, your child’s teething cries will rattle your brain and frazzle every nerve in your body. This is one of the many instances in life in which a few minutes of preparation can save you countless hours of frustration. And sometimes everything you’ve prepared will fall flat, so you’ll have to adapt and improvise – Sounds tough, eh? Well it doesn’t have to be, and I’m here to help with these types of instances. In this article I will share with you an in-depth description of teething and many of its well-known side effects, traditional therapies to ease discomfort, and a few products to look for when you’re out shopping.

Teething is defined as the process by which an infant’s first deciduous teeth (“baby teeth”) erupt through the gums – normally beginning around six to eight months (however it can start as early as two months). Once this process has started, you can expect a new tooth to emerge around once a month. This usually begins with the two middle teeth on the bottom, followed by the lower teeth that surround them, and then the upper two middle teeth. This process ends with the molars – which appear when the child is around thirty months. Later on in life, about the age of six or seven years, the child’s permanent teeth begin to come in – pushing out the “baby teeth” they replace. Fortunately, the appearance of these permanent teeth is not accompanied by the same irritation and discomfort as with the “baby teeth” (the only exception being the wisdom teeth, of course).

The primary indications of teething are: excessive drooling, sore/inflamed gums, low-grade temperature, irritability, loss of appetite, difficulty sleeping, and the perpetual gnawing of hard objects. It is sometimes accompanied by increased sinus congestion, often leading to ear infections and colds. All of this pain, inflammation, and discomfort result from the pressure on the gum tissue as the crown of the new tooth breaks through the membrane. Normally when this happens, your child will chew or suck on fingers (or find an object to do this to). Their cheeks will become red and chapped as a result of the excessive drooling, which will also soak through many shirts (both theirs and yours). So a teething baby will be irritable, restless, and basically miserable; which will make it extremely hard for you not to share their mood. The most important thing you need to do for your child is to STAY CALM no matter what. This may mean putting your child down for a few minutes and taking a breath, handing them off to your partner (temporarily), meditation, or whatever you need to do to center yourself for the time being.

OK, so now you’re centered and calm, but your child is still screaming their lungs out – time to take action. Ideally you’ve already got some remedies ready to go, but if not you’d better get cracking. For instance, you could soothe the baby’s swollen gums by applying a compress of gauze pads soaked in cold chamomile tea (Matricaria chamomila) – which can be prepared beforehand and kept in a sterile, airtight bag in the freezer to be pulled out as needed. If your baby is especially over-stressed, a dropperful of warm chamomile tea can be given several times a day. Clove oil (Caryophyllus aromaticus) also acts as a natural anesthetic, but must be used in moderation as excessive amounts can cause blistering. However, when used correctly, it has a pleasant taste and quickly eases sore gums. To make it the proper strength, blend one drop of clove essential oil with one to two tablespoons of a carrier oil (olive and safflower oil both work well for this). Then apply with your fingertip or a cotton swab, and massage into the gums (I should mention here that anytime you are going to give your children something you should always test it on yourself first). One thing to remember when blending this oil is that it will become more potent with age – especially for the first two weeks; so if it doesn’t work at first, just put it aside, use something else for a week, and then try it again (do not add more clove essential oil). A paste made from Licorice root powder (Glycyrrhiza glabra) can also be very soothing to your child’s inflamed gums. Just mix a very small amount (one-eighth to one-quarter teaspoon) with enough water to make a paste and gently rub the mixture onto your baby’s gums. Personally, I have found that Catnip glycerite (Nepeta cataria) to be extremely effective (especially when there are routine bouts of sleeplessness), which can be found in some larger natural foods and supplements stores (although I usually end up having to make my own). The normal dosage I recommend is one drop of glycerite per pound of body weight (fifteen pound baby = fifteen drops) for children up to three years – as needed up to three times a day (at least two hours apart) until the symptoms subside. For children over three, I usually recommend two dropperfuls as needed (two hours apart) until the symptoms subside – not to exceed ten dropperfuls in twenty-four hours.

Homeopathic preparations can also offer much valued relief in these troubled times. Calcarea carbonica is good for a baby with a round, shiny face who has delayed teething with difficult tooth emergence. For this child, one dose of Calcarea carbonica 30X or 9C / twice a day (up to a total of six doses) will work wonders. Chamomilla is also commonly used for teething – especially when the gums bleed easily and are red, swollen, and sensitive to touch; this infant is irritable, feels worse at night, worse with warmth, and feels comforted when carried around. For this baby – Chamomilla 12X or 6C – one dose every hour (as needed) up to a total of six doses a day. And when teething is accompanied by excessive drooling (which it almost always is), the cell salt Nat. Mur. may be used to bring relief. Also, for individuals that know acupressure, massaging the points Intestine 4 and Liver 3 can be very beneficial to ease the discomfort of teething.

There are also some commercially available preparations I’ve found to be helpful. For instance, Hyland’s Homeopathic Teething tablets – great because they kick in right away and provide relief for about twenty to thirty minutes (sometimes longer); essential if you’re trying to get something else prepared in the meantime. Another favorite is Celestial Seasoning’s Sleepytime Tea (which can be found just about anywhere) – which I normally prepare at a rate of four teabags per eight-ounce cup (which will be divided up into four doses). Make as a standard infusion (remember to cover the tea while steeping to lock in the potent aromatic oils that would otherwise dissipate) by steeping for 20-30 minutes then thoroughly cooling it down before administering. I usually recommend one ounce of tea per ten pounds of body weight (twenty pound child = two ounces of tea) once a day – up to three times a day, if severe – for children up to 5. This can be given by dropper or added into a bottle (if taken) and luckily has a delightful taste most children enjoy.

In addition to what has already been mentioned, there are also some general therapies that can ease the pain and tension in your infant’s sore and irritated gums. These include massaging your child’s gums with your (clean) finger, giving your child something to bite on (make sure you pick unbreakable items and toys without small parts – be wary of choking hazards) such as a teething ring or toy, and keeping your child’s “chewables” in the refrigerator or freezer (when tolerated) – due to the fact that cold soothes and numbs sore gums. Stores also sell hard teething biscuits, which children love but that require supervision – after your child gnaws on these for a while they soften and can break apart.

Please remember parents that every child is different and some therapies may work better or worse for some than for others, so keep an open mind and adapt to your child. The most important thing to remember is that teething is a natural process, not a disease – so what you want to do is ease your child’s pain and discomfort, not find a “cure”. I truly hope this information has been helpful to you and your family and may this lead you to the peace and tranquility we all so desperately need. Peace, Health, and Happiness.

 

Resources / Bibliography

 

• Candee, Andrea, Master Herbalist with Andrusia, David. Gentle Healing for Baby and Child, POCKET BOOKS (a division of Simon & Schuster, Inc.), New York, NY, 2000.
• Ody, Penelope (Member of the National Institute of Medical Herbalists – UK). The Complete Medicinal Herbal, DK Publishing, Inc., New York, NY, 1993.
• Zand, Janet, N.D., L.Ac.; Roundtree, Robert, M.D.; Walton, Rachel, MSN, CRNP.
  Smart Medicine for a Healthier Child, Avery (a member of Penguin Group Inc.), New York, NY, 2003.