Teething gel in infants

Although there are children, teething of milk teeth which is painless, for most kids, this process causes discomfort, worsens mood, interferes with sleep and eating. To help the little ones, special medicines have been developed, which are presented in the form of a gel. To choose a suitable drug, parents should find out what gels are for cutting teeth, how they affect the body of the crumbs and how to use them.

Although the teeth are cut in different children in different ways, they distinguish the most characteristic signs of their appearance, which are in many babies:

• Increased production and salivation.
• Redness of the gums and swelling in the place where a new tooth is expected.
• Deterioration in sleep and appetite, irritable mood and moods.
• The desire to shove in your mouth and gnaw different objects to relieve itching in the gums.

You can learn more about teething symptoms in infants by looking at the next video.

To make the child easier to suffer the appearance of milk teeth, parents should:

• Pay more attention to the baby, often take him in your arms, walk a lot and continue to breastfeed (when breastfeeding).
• Offer special toys, inside of which is water or gel. They are called teethers, and before letting the nibble gnaw, such toys need to be cooled for a while in the fridge.
• Massaging itchy gums with a fingertip, or a gauze pad moistened with a fingertip moistened with a finger.

You can learn how to help your child cope with unpleasant sensations by looking at the following part.

Any gel recommended when teething milk teeth, has a non-durable local effect.

Depending on the effect on the child’s body, gels with teething occur:

• Painkillers The main component of such drugs is anesthetic, which is often represented by lidocaine. Such gels have a marked cooling local effect, and the effect is observed quite quickly. In addition to lidocaine or another anesthetic, other ingredients are added to the cooling gels to help reduce inflammation or provide an antiseptic effect. These gels include KamistadDentinox Calgel and Dentol-baby.
• Anti-inflammatory. Such gels eliminate local inflammation and reduce the swelling of tissues, resulting in less pain. Representative of the gel during eruption with such an effect is the drug Holisal.
• Homeopathic. Such gels include botanicals with anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects. These include drugs Baby Doctor and Pansoral.

Most often for children with cut teeth use:

• Calgel. It is a combination product that contains lidocaine hydrochloride, facilitates eruption, quickly reduces soreness of the gums and helps eliminate inflammation.The drug is allowed for use from 5 months of age, but has a rather large list of contraindications and a high risk of allergy to its components.

• Kamistad. This is a gel in which lidocaine at a concentration of 2% is supplemented with a herbal component represented by chamomile tincture. It has anesthetic, wound healing, antiseptic and anti-inflammatory effects. Because of these effects, this gel is often used by adults, for example, when wisdom teeth are cut. Due to its high lidocaine content, it is not recommended for infants and often causes allergies. Also, it should not be used in situations where the gum is damaged or inflamed.

• Holisal. This is a drug that reduces the local inflammatory process and eliminates swelling of the gums. The high content of anise in its composition can cause enhanced saliva secretion, so the medicine is not recommended for teething in infants. It is allowed for use only in children older than a year. In addition, such a gel is more expensive than other drugs used in teething.

• Dentinox. This is a combined agent, the main active ingredients of which are represented by lidocaine and polidocanol. Such anesthetics are supplemented with chamomile tincture; therefore, the use of such a medicine quickly eliminates pain and reduces the appearance of inflammation. The gel is indicated for teething in children older than 4 months, and is also often used in adults. In this case, the medicine often causes allergies, is prohibited for people who are sensitive to fructose, and should not be used in case of gum damage.

• Baby doctor It is a gel containing natural ingredients that have properties to reduce inflammation and soothe the mucous membrane. The medicine includes extracts of plants such as chamomile, Althea root, calendula, plantain and echinacea. Moreover, there is no alcohol in its composition. The drug is approved for use in children older than 3 months and the number of applications on the gums is not limited, however, there is a risk of developing an allergy to its components.

• Dentol-baby. The anesthetic effect of this gel ensures the presence of benzocaine in its composition. The drug is characterized by low toxicity, the absence of irritant effects on the mucous membrane, as well as low cost. Moreover, this gel is contraindicated in case of inflammation or damage to the gums and can provoke allergies.

• Pansoral. Due to the content in this gel of plant extracts from Althea, chamomile and saffron, the drug soothes the mucous and softens it. The medicine can be applied to the gums of children older than 4 months, however, the anesthetic effect of this gel is relatively small.

When choosing a gel that will help the baby with painfully cutting teeth, you should definitely consult a pediatrician. Since most of the gels recommended for children when teething, include herbal ingredients, they can provoke allergies. That is why the selection of a gel should take into account the tendency of the child to allergic reactions and the presence of contraindications.

Having studied the annotation attached to the preparation, it is important not to forget about such nuances of using gels:

• The drug is used in cases of pronounced discomfort in a baby from cutting teeth, often before bedtime or before eating.
• The frequency of use is every 3-4 hours, but most drugs can not be applied to baby’s gums more often 3-5 times.
• The amount of gel applied to the child’s gums should be small.
• For application, use a thoroughly washed finger or cotton swab.
• Gel is applied with circular massage movements without pressure on the child's gums.

If you disregard the information in the instructions for the gel and advice on its use, you may experience complications such as allergies and inflammation of the gums, up to suppuration. In this case, allergic reactions can cause and gels with anesthetics, and preparations from herbal raw materials. To exclude their appearance:

• Choose a suitable medicine with a doctor who has been observing your child since birth.
• Use gels only in situations where other ways to soothe a baby with cutting teeth do not help.
• Strictly follow the guidelines for frequency of use.
• If any side effect occurs, immediately discontinue use.

Watch the transfer of Dr. Komarovsky, the topic of which is “First teeth”.