Teething Troubles

Teething - it's a natural process, yet often so very stressful for parent and child alike.

Some babies have little or no discomfort when their teeth erupt; others have severe pain, swollen gums and fussiness.  Teething can be accompanied by range of symptoms including colds, coughs, ear infections, digestive upset and sleeplessness.  As the child struggles with teething, parents struggle with exhaustion from caring for a miserable baby around the clock.

It's not always easy to find out if baby's trouble is because of teething.  You may see swollen red gums just before the teeth erupt. The baby's drooling may increase.  On the other hand, some babies experience pain from teeth pressing deep inside the gums, with no apparent gum swelling or redness.  You may put a finger in her mouth and press on her gums to see if the baby reacts.

Baby's first teeth usually erupt sometime between four and six months of age, beginning with the two lower teeth in the center of the mouth.  The upper center pair will follow at about seven months.  The teeth on the upper or lower side will appear from nine to twelve months. By the end of the first year, baby will have six to eight teeth.  The canine teeth show up between fifteen and eighteen months, followed by the back molars sometime between two and three years of age.

To give a baby relief from teething, try giving her a juice Popsicle. The cold Popsicle usually numbs painful gums, allows the baby to chew on something, and the sweet taste gives pleasure and may calm a fussy baby.

If the Popsicle approach does not work for your baby, you may want to try a homeopathic remedy.  Homeopathic remedies have often rescued both babies and parents from their teething misery, helping the little teeth to erupt with no discomfort.

Many health food stores now carry a combination homeopathic remedy for teething that may help your child.  For home-care, a combination teething formula is the best place to start.  Keep in mind that the remedy will only be effective if the homeopathic remedy that fits your child's symptom picture is included the formulation, and if your baby's discomfort is relatively mild.  If the combination remedy doesn't help, try one of the following homeopathic remedies:

The most frequently used remedy for teething babies is Chamomilla. It helps about 50% of all teething babies.  The baby who is helped by Chamomilla is very fussy and demanding, cries angrily with the pain and is difficult to comfort.  These babies may be soothed a bit when they are carried around.  I remember myself pacing frantically around my house for hours with my baby son in arms. This was the only thing that kept him quiet.  Chamomilla babies usually demand one thing, perhaps a favorite toy or a cup of water, and then angrily throw it away only to demand something else. They may have a red spot on one or both cheeks. They cannot sleep from the pain and may scream all night long. The poor parents of the Chamomilla baby are completely exhausted and exasperated.

The baby who needs Belladonna may have red, swollen cheeks and/or gums. They are hot to the touch and may even have fever, but they are usually not thirsty. They are angry, agitated and may startle suddenly in their sleep.

Magnesia Phosphorica may be helpful for the baby whose teething pain is better from pressure (rubbing or holding a cheek) and from heat.  Baby may refuse a frozen popsicle, but find comfort lying on a towel-wrapped hot water bottle.

These homeopathic remedies are available in health food stores. Purchase the remedy in a 30C potency.  To dose, put a few pellets of the remedy in a cup of water, stir with a teaspoon and give baby one teaspoon.  Stir and repeat with another teaspoon in two hours.  When pains are especially acute, you can give a teaspoon every 30 minutes for up to 4 doses, stirring before each dose.  If teething symptoms are unchanged after about 6 hours, switch to another remedy.  As always with homeopathic remedies, stop the repetitions as soon as you notice improvement, or if baby falls asleep - a sign she's feeling relieved!

If your baby has a tendency to painful teething, constitutional homeopathic care by a professional homeopath can help ease painful dentition and prevent it in the future.

Case Study, Bronchitis and Painful Teething

I recently saw a one year old girl named Tamar in my office. Her grandmother brought her to be seen for frequent bronchitis that would usually start around the time she was teething. The teething itself was also very painful. After careful case-taking and review of her symptom picture, she received a dose of the homeopathic remedy Calcarea Phosphorica. Tamar's bronchitis stopped and her teething is now painless. She now has all her teeth and is a happy and active two year old toddler.