How to Treat Teething in Children


Teething can be a difficult time for both parent and child, as the first, or primary, teeth move through the jaw and start to come through the gums. This begins at around six months, with usually the front top or bottom teeth coming through, followed by the others. Most teeth will have come through by the time the child is about three years old. Although teething won’t cause a problem during all of this time, there will be periods when your baby produces more saliva and dribble, will constantly push their fingers or other objects into their mouths or chew them. Your child will probably become more fretful and irritable, will wake more often during the night and the cheeks may look flushed and swollen.

Other ailments such as diarrhoea, vomiting, nappy rash, raised temperature, loss of appetite, ear ache or coughing are often attributed to teething but if your child is suffering from any of these always check with your doctor or a pediatric dentistry specialist.

Secondary, or permanent teeth come through at about six years of age. The permanent back molars grow in addition to the primary ones, while at the front of the mouth, the teeth loosen and drop out and new ones then gradually emerge.

What you can do

Teething is not a serious problem, although it can make everyone more irritable if you’ve had a few sleepless nights in a row. But the reason your child is being grizzly is probably because they’re in discomfort or pain. Keep patient and give them lots of attention. There are plenty of products available, such as teething rings, which can also be put in the fridge to bring cool relief to gums. Or you can give your child raw apple or carrot to chew on. If your child has lost their appetite, give cool, easy-to-eat foods such as ice-cream or jelly.

Treatment

Homoeopathy

A homoeopath may give a variety of remedies, depending on the child and their symptoms. If the child is resdess and nervous, Actaea may be given, or Chamomilla if they are irritable, clingy and want to be held all the time. If the child seems to be in a lot of pain and have a raised tem­perature, Aconite may be recommended. If the child is very fretful, Colocynth. Biochemic tissue salts such as Calc. phos. may be given as it is said to help strengthen teeth and bones and is particularly good if the teeth are late in coming through. Or Combination R, which uses more than one of the tissue salts, may be recommended by the homoeopath.

Herbal medicine

There are some gentle herbs that may be given by a herbalist to help relieve the pain of teething. Peppermint has cooling properties to help soothe the inflamed gums, while the mildly sedative effects of Chamo­mile can help to calm the child down and act as an anti­inflammatory.

Bach Flower Remedies

Depending on how your baby is react­ing to teething, a number of remedies may be recommended by a practitioner. Impatiens may be given for a child who has short-tempered irritability and Cherry Plum for the scream­ing tantrums. Children who are clingy and don’t want to be put down may be helped with Chicory. Walnut is also help­ful at times of change, including those that happen to the body, such as teething.

Naturopathy

A naturopath may give the homoeopathic reme­dies of Chamomilla and Aconite or the herbal remedies of Meadowsweet tincture or Marshmallow Root. Mineral salt supplements, which can help to support the body’s functions, such as calcium, magnesium and iron phosphates, may be recommended. The naturopath may try to soothe your child by massaging Lavender and Chamomile oils into the ab­dominal area or gently smoothing them on to the cheek. Omer therapies that may be beneficial: aromatherapy, reflexol­ogy.

Filed Under: Health & Personal Care

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About the Author: Andrew Reinert is a health care professional who loves to share different tips on health and personal care. He is a regular contributor to MegaHowTo and lives in Canada.

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