FDA Releases Warning About Teething Medication

What to do about teething pain?

Our Dubuque dental office enjoys seeing patients of all ages.  We often get questions from parents about how to care for their children’s teeth and how to comfort teething pain.
Some kids don’t even notice the arrival of the new pearly whites pushing through their gums. However, for other children the eruption of new teeth causes a lot of pain, and parents want to know the best way to comfort their children. It seems we all hear about different remedies to relieve teething pain.
Parents often ask us if it is okay to give their young children Anbesol or Baby Orajel for teething pain. Well, the FDA recently issued a warning about caution using benzocaine-containing products on children under age 2. There have been cases where benzocaine has resulted in a rare but serious condition called methemoglobinemia. This is a condition that limits the blood’s ability to carry important oxygen throughout the body, and it can result in death in the most severe cases.
For teething pain, we recommend using a chilled (not frozen) teething ring or gently rubbing the child’s gums to relieve discomfort.  A cool wash cloth to chew on sometimes provides some relief.  There are some benzocaine-free products on the market as well.
The article from parenting.com can be found here.
Exceptional Dentistry provides complete family, cosmetic, dental bonding, tooth whitening, implant, orthodontic, and sedation dental care at 4200 Asbury Road, Dubuque, IA 52002 and serves the Cedar Rapids, Davenport, Dubuque, IA and Galena, IL and other Tri State areas.  To schedule an appointment with Dr. Ted Murray Dr. Kristen Berning, or Dr. Alexia Oetken please call 563-556-2711 or contact us online.

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