Teething: A Pain for All Concerned

TEETHING: A PAIN FOR ALL CONCERNED

SOME CHILDREN ARE ACTUALLY BORN WITH A TOOTH OR TWO. I’VE SEEN IT TWICE IN 40 YEARS OF PRACTICE. THE REST OF TEETH COME IN OVER A WIDE VARIETY OF TIMES AND UNPREDICTABLE ORDER THEY REALLY DEPEND ON THE CHILD. SOME SAIL THROUGH IT BUT MANY ARE CRABBY TO THE POINT OF MIDNIGHT PHONE CALLS AND EXTRA DOCTOR VISITS….”COULD IT BE AN EAR INFECTION?” USUALLY THE PARENTS ARE AS DISTRESSED OR MORE DISTRESSED THAN THE CHILD.

THERE ARE GUM NUMBING MEDS TO PURCHASE OVER THE COUNTER WHICH USUALLY DON’T GET DEEP ENOUGH TO GET TO THE PROBLEM. AND JUST HOW MANY TIMES DO YOU WANT TO GIVE ORAL PAIN RELIEVERS SINCE SO MANY MONTHS ARE SPENT TEETHING DURING THE EARLY YEARS?


THE ‘TREATMENTS’ I WAS TAUGHT IN MED SCHOOL DURING THE 70’S WERE QUESTIONABLE TO DOWNRIGHT DANGEROUS. ONE OLD PROFESSOR SWORE BY THE “WHISKEY NIPPLE” WHERE A TABLESPOON OF SUGAR WAS TIED INTO A RAG WHICH WAS THEN SOAKED IN WHISKEY FOR THE CHILD TO SUCK ON. A YEAR OR SO LATER IT WAS FOUND THAT ALCOHOL COULD DANGEROUSLY LOWER THE CHILDREN’S BLOOD SUGAR CAUSING SEIZURES OR DEATH. SOME OF MY FRIENDS QUIPPED WE COULD STILL PRESCRIBE IT FOR THE PARENTS. OTHER MDS SAID THEY GAVE SEDATIVES. SEDATIVES11111 MY HEAD SCREAMED, ‘I DON’T THINK SO.’

THEN ONE DAY A CHILD PRESENTED WITH A BLOOD BLISTER AT THE SITE OF AN INCOMING TOOTH AND I DECIDED TO EXTEND MY SEARCH TO PEDIATRIC DENTISTS. AND I CALLED SOME I RESPECTED. THEIR ANSWER WAS AN “AH HAH” MOMENT -----

BITING

THE BEST ANALGESIC FOR DEEP GUM PAIN WAS BITING. WHEN BITING, THE PAIN FIBERS WERE TEMPORARILY NUMBED. BABIES KNEW THIS AND WERE TRYING TO BITE—

BUT I NOTICED THAT FEW TEETHING RINGS ON THE MARKET ALLOWED FOR A GOOD CLAMP DOWN ON THE SORE GUMS. THEY WERE JUST TOO FAT.

OVER THE YEARS I FOUND A THINNISH RING WITH VARIOUS BUMPY PROJECTIONS TO BE IDEAL. METAL AND WOOD DIN’T GIVE ENOUGH. AND FABRIC WAS TOO SOFT AND BRED GERMS. NOW THERE ARE CONCERNS ABOUT TOXINS IN PLASTICS. SO WHERE WAS THIS MYTHICAL PERFECT TEETHING RING? NOW THERES THE RUB.
A FRIEND WENT TO THE LOCAL BIG BOX STORES LOOKING AT EVERY TEETHER DISPLAYED AND THERE WASN’T ONE MADE IN THE USA THAT SHE CONSIDERED SAFE. NEITHER WAS THERE ONE I COULD LOOK AT MY NEW GRANDDAUGHTER, BELLA, PUTTING INTO HER MOUTH THAT DIDN’T MAKE ME CRINGE WITH WORRY OVER LONG TERM EFFECTS. (THINK BREAST CANCER AND SOME PLASTICS.)

NECESSITY BEING THE MOTHER OF INVENTION I TURNED TO BELLA’S FATHER FOR HELP.
CHECK OUT DANO2 CIRCUS RINGS AND ECOBITES TO SEE WHAT ALL THIS LED TO……..A SAFE AND COMFORTABLE SOLUTION FOR ALL CONCERNED

AND MAYBE FEWER NIGHT CALLS.