Table of Contents[Hide][Show]
Affordable, fast, safe teething remedy to try as an alternative to toxic “drug-free” baby teething gels available over-the-counter.
When my kids were babies, teething gels contained the chemical benzocaine as the active ingredient.
The FDA has issued repeated warnings about benzocaine over the years, finally taking action in 2018 to remove it from the market in products like Anbesol and Baby Orajel. (1)
Under certain conditions, benzocaine can trigger a rare and sometimes fatal blood condition called methemoglobinemia which causes dangerously low oxygen levels in the blood with resulting symptoms of ashen, gray, or blue-colored skin, lips and fingernail beds, shortness of breath, headache, light-headedness and rapid heart rate possible.
The scary symptoms triggered by benzocaine in baby teething gels can occur within minutes or even hours. Methemoglobinemia can occur the first time the product is used or much later after several uses even when the child appeared fine previously.
Non-Medicated Teething Gels Are Toxic
Unfortunately, the benzocaine-free teething gels that are newer on the market are not much better!
They are still highly toxic with numerous undesirable and dangerous ingredients.
Check out the label below for the popular brand Orajel’s Daytime and Nighttime baby teething gels.
I mean, SERIOUSLY?
Starting with a sketchy first ingredient…chlorinated and likely fluoridated tap water…barely a single thing in this list is safe, especially for a baby who has no developed blood-brain barrier protection yet.
From the carcinogenic saccharin sweetener to propylene glycol (edible antifreeze which causes loose bowels already a problem for a teething baby), GMO citric acid, and artificial flavor….this stuff is a nightmare!
Other Teething Remedies
While a chilled teething ring as recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics may seem safer, I personally didn’t want my children chomping on plastic.
Chewing on a synthetic substance might introduce another chemical danger to their vulnerable little bodies.
Swapping one chemical cocktail (teething gels) for another (plastic) doesn’t seem like a good idea at least to me.
I never tried an amber necklace, as they seemed to be a possible choking or strangulation hazard. The FDA issued a formal warning about them in 2018. (2)
Massaging the gums does help but is not always practical.
For example, if you are trying to get baby to sleep and she won’t lie still due to teething discomfort, this approach is probably not going to work!
Homeopathy for Teething
In cases where you need help with teething pain right away, I suggest trying these homeopathic baby oral relief tablets.
The tiny white pills that dissolve under the tongue are sweetened with lactose, a natural sugar abundant in breastmilk.
No white sugar or artificial anything is added.
Since they dissolve with no chewing, even babies with no teeth can easily take them.
As a bonus, homeopathic teething pills are quite inexpensive like many homeopathic remedies I’ve used.
I can’t tell you how many times I had a crying, fussy child in discomfort from teething pain who calmed down and went to sleep within minutes of having a couple of these tiny homeopathic pills placed under the tongue!
My husband and I used to call this homeopathic teething remedy “magic pills” because of how amazingly fast and effective they were with all three of our children.
For any homeopathy doubters out there, the effect is not a placebo effect either. A baby who is still nonverbal wouldn’t even know what this meant anyway.
My suggestion is to skip the dangerous, over-the-counter gels and other teething remedies containing toxic chemicals to soothe your irritable child.
Give homeopathy a try! Hopefully, you will be as delighted as we were with the nontoxic, effective results!
It’s certainly worth a shot given how affordable they are and no doctor visit is required to obtain them!
(1) FDA Takes Action on Benzocaine teething products
(2) FDA warns about safety risks of teething necklaces, bracelets to relieve teething pain or to provide sensory stimulation
More Information
How I Healed My Child’s Cavity
Toddler’s Severe Tooth Decay Halted in 5 Days
Whiten Your Teeth Without Dangerous Chemicals
Resolving Periodontal Problems with Bone Broth
Coconut Oil Stops Strep Bacteria from Damaging Tooth Enamel
What is the True Cause of Crooked Teeth?
10 Signs Your Dentist Is Truly Holistic
Avoiding Root Canals with Diet Alone
I use clove oil when I have a toothache or a canker sore. Cloves provide pain relieve as well as being antiseptic. Would clove oil work on a baby or would it be too strong? I started using it after my kids already had their teeth.
I am interested in using Amber necklaces/bracelets..for teething and other pains! Do you have any knowledge of these and personal experiences using them
I got my daughter an “inspired by Finn” Baltic Amber teething necklace and it has worked awesome!! Better than any homeopathic teething liquid, gel or tablets we’ve tried (including Hylands). I’ve lost it twice, and realized those times that it is a necessity in our house! 🙂 You can sometimes find good deals on Ebay or sometimes they have sales on their website. The lighter in color and more cloudy the better.
PS- We also do Rescue Remedy when her teeth are hurting and it seems to help!
Hi Samantha
Different country and therefore may be a different formula, but the Rescue Remedy I have contains alcohol – worth checking to make sure you don’t have a happy drunk on your hands 😉
There is a rescue remedy for kids, which does not contain alcohol.
we are also huge fans of the amber necklace, and also ordered ours through inspired by finn. i was unable to buy hyland’s and ended up with a different brand. so far we have been underwhelmed with their effects, though i do successfully use other homeopathic remedies and am a fan of homeopathy in general. but when it comes to teething, i’m fairly certain the amber necklaces will always be the solution in our house 🙂
We also have bought amber teething necklaces from Inspired by Finn for two of my children. They work so well, and I really wish we would have had one for my first, who had a horrible time teething. I NEVER give baby Tylenol or Motrin to my kids (my second and third kids have never had it at all), but I gave it to my first all the time for teething, because the poor kid would scream from teething pain until he threw up. I remember a particularly horrible 8 hour car ride with him–he screamed the whole way, and his poor mouth was bleeding from the tooth that was breaking through the gums. I really wish we would have had an amber necklace for him at the time!
I have an amber necklace for my 15 month old and LOVE it. If I forget to put it in in them AM when he’s teething he will pull his ears and fuss, but that stops when I get it on him. I also do the homeopathy when it gets really bad and only one molar has really given us problems so far. I highly recommend the necklaces…got mine on Etsy!
We use Oxyfresh Dental Gel – it has wonderful things like camomile & aloe for soothing as well as healing.
Hylands Teething Tablets were nothing short of miraculous when my oldest was teething. I whole-heartedly recommend them!
Pulsatilla and hypericum work well, also. My daughter had terrible diaper rash from the Hyland’s, although it worked.
Thankfully my 6 kids are way past teething, but we do deal with canker sores occasionally and have used Orajel when they are really bad. Had not heard of those warnings, very scary. Do you have any recommendations for canker sore relief?
I used to get canker sores frequently; as many as one per month. It was terrible. Then I read that they can be caused by SLS in toothpaste. I switched to an SLS-free toothpaste and have had only one or two canker sores in the intervening eight years. Try it! You can get SLS-free toothpaste at the health food store or at an on-line drug store like iHerb.
I use a product called Ora5 which works excellent for canker sores. I’ve only been able to find it online. It acts as a liquid band aide but also heals it quickly. I have noticed that if the sore gets really red and irritated, when i apply the Ora5 with a Q-tip it does sting for a few minutes, but then about a half hour later, I could enjoy a meal pain-free! I also make sure i apply it to the very first signs of one forming, and it completely stops it from growing. There are only 4 ingredients: copper sulphate, iodine, potassium iodide and alcohol 1.5%. It really works well!!
I use the Hyland’s teething tablets for my little guy and they work wonders!! He won’t keep them in his mouth though, so I drop them into a syringe, suck up a little warm water to disolve them, and then squirt it in his mouth 🙂
Yes. 🙂 Here’s the link: http://www.modernalternativemama.com/blog/2012/02/27/monday-health-wellness-homemade-teething-cream/
Hi Kate, do you have a post on this? If so, can you place the link here? Thanks!
I make my own with coconut oil, cocoa butter, and cloves or clove oil. Safe and healthy. 🙂