Teething can be a challenging time for babies and their parents, causing symptoms that range from drooling to irritability to trouble sleeping. Your child may also be trying to chew on objects, rub their face, or be difficult to soothe.

You can help your baby through the teething process with the following tips to help reduce their teething discomfort.

Massage Your Child’s Gums

Applying light pressure to your child’s gums via a gum massage can help temporarily alleviate their teething pain until an episode passes. Be sure to always wash your hands before putting your finger in your baby’s mouth.

You can gently massage your child’s gums to help soothe them while their teeth are coming in. Be sure not to apply too much pressure and if your baby shows signs of additional distress, discontinue this practice.

Keep Stress to a Minimum

Inflammation during the teething process causes your child’s mouth to hurt. Any additional stress on your baby can exacerbate their symptoms, so keeping your baby as comfortable as possible during this time is important.

For some babies, soothing activities such as breastfeeding (if you choose to breastfeed your child) or a warm bath can help distract a baby from their discomfort and calm them down.

Give Them a Cold Object

There are many objects on the market today that can be chilled or frozen for your baby to chew on to help numb their mouth and stop their teething pain. These include:

 Teething toys. These may include teething rings, wooden toys which can help apply pressure, or even teething necklaces that go in the freezer and can be given to baby for them to chew on for cool relief.

 Frozen fruit. Never give your baby whole frozen fruit as they may choke; instead, you can try putting the fruit in mesh bags that are tied off or sealed and allowing your baby to chew and refilling as needed.

 Other frozen objects. You may also choose to try a cold spoon, a frozen washcloth, or other objects to help alleviate your baby’s pain, just be sure your child cannot choke on the object and always supervise your baby!

Teething Gel

Your dentist may recommend a teething gel to provide your baby with quick relief in the event that they are inconsolable with these other tips during the teething process. Your dentist can let you know what gel they recommend and where you can find it as well as how to apply it. Typically, any type of pain medication is used as a last resort for babies who are teething.

Is your child going through the teething process? Emerging teeth can be uncomfortable for babies and anxiety inducing for parents who have to comfort their baby during this time. You can help alleviate your baby’s discomfort and stress with the above tips for teething pain!

The post Tips for Treating Teething Pain in Infants appeared first on Your Dental Health Resource.

Babies can get gum disease and even experience tooth decay. Here’s why your infant might be
experiencing symptoms of gum disease and what you can do about it.

Lack of Proper Oral Hygiene

If you aren’t regularly cleaning your baby’s mouth, your infant is more likely to get gingivitis, the
beginning stage of gum disease.

Although some health conditions such as type 1 diabetes and Down’s Syndrome make babies
more likely to get gum disease, the culprit is often a lack of oral hygiene. You should be cleaning
your baby’s mouth after every feeding whether or not their teeth have come in yet.

If you’re not cleaning your baby’s mouth regularly, you may see red and swollen gums in your
baby’s oral cavity. If your child is teething and you feel a tooth coming in beneath the gumline,
this may be normal discomfort from teething. If your child isn’t getting a tooth in, seek
professional care to see what the problem is.

Symptoms of Gum Disease

Symptoms of gum disease in infants and toddlers are not much different than gum disease in
adults. Signs and symptoms include puffy, swollen gum tissue, red gums, bleeding, and
sensitivity. Your child may be more irritable or cry often as a result of their discomfort.

If you suspect your infant has gum disease, you should schedule an appointment with your
child-friendly dentist as soon as possible to determine what the problem is and to seek
treatment before your child’s mouth is further affected.

How to Prevent Gum Disease in Infants

In order to promote good oral health and prevent gum disease in infants, you must clean their
mouth regularly. Fortunately, cleaning your infant’s mouth after feedings is simple.
If your child doesn’t have teeth yet, a clean, damp washcloth can be used to gently wipe the
gums after feedings.

If your baby has teeth, use a tiny toothbrush with a tiny amount of toothpaste (the size of a
grain of rice) to gently brush their tooth or teeth. It’s not necessary to use toothpaste with
fluoride until your child is in their toddler years.

Once your baby has two teeth that touch together, you can use dental floss to gently floss in-
between the teeth in addition to their regular brushing routine.

Preventing gum disease in infants all comes back to proper oral hygiene. Your dentist can
further advise you on best practices when taking care of your baby’s mouth to stop gum
disease or to treat it once gingivitis has set in. In order to give your baby the healthiest mouth
possible, be diligent about their oral care!

The post Can Infants Suffer from Gum Disease? appeared first on Your Dental Health Resource.

Although teething can be a challenging time for both parents and kids, it’s important to
remember that this is only a temporary experience for your child. Teething tends to be worse
when children are tired or at night, making it harder for both you and your baby to sleep.
How can you help your baby feel better when the pain of teething is present? Here are some
suggestions to best manage your child’s teething.

Cold Compresses

Cold can help numb baby’s mouth and lessen their pain. To do this, you have a few options:

 A frozen washcloth. Put a clean, wet washcloth in the freezer in a plastic bag. Once
chilled or frozen, take it out and let your child chew on it. This will help relieve their
soreness.

 Rubber teething rings. These rings can be frozen or chewed on at room temperature,
whichever your baby prefers.

 Wooden teething toys. For those wanting to avoid plastic, these teethers can still be
frozen or just help apply pressure to your child’s gums, which will help control pain.
It’s essential to always supervise your child when they have any of these objects at their
disposal. To help distract baby, keep alternating frozen washcloths to help your child manage
the discomfort of teething.

Gum Massage

A gum massage helps put pressure on the gumline, which can lessen pain. You can use a tool
for this—called a teething stick—or just use your clean fingers.

Gently rub any sore areas on your baby’s gums. You can rub back and forth on the gumline as
well as above and below the gumline. This will also help you to feel if there’s a tooth coming
out. Instead of using your fingers, you can also use the washcloth we discussed earlier or a
small piece of wet gauze, as long as your movements are gentle.

You can also massage your baby’s gums from the outside of the mouth, whichever option your
child is more comfortable with.

Chilled Foods

If your child is eating solid foods, you can use cold or chilled foods to help them overcome their
discomfort while teething. These foods include yogurt, applesauce, carrots, celery, and
watermelon.

In addition, you can also take advantage of mesh holders that are designed to hold chilled or
frozen fruit so that your child can chew on these and still get the juice of the fruit out while
providing relief for their teething pain.

It’s always crucial to supervise your child while they are eating these foods, especially if they’re
beginners with solid foods. Never let them bite off chunks that are too big for them to chew.
Is your baby going through the teething process? If so, take advantage of some of these helpful
suggestions to lessen your baby’s discomfort. Your child may find relief from using cold
compresses or chilled foods in addition to gum massage to help both you and your child feel
better!

The post How to Best Manage Your Child’s Teething appeared first on Your Dental Health Resource.