Hallelujah, I’ve been saying I don’t like teething gels since 2010. This is a PSA for all parents out there trying to help soothe their teething baby. Today, the FDA came out and said avoid using over-the-counter teething products containing benzocaine. That means no teething gels like Anbesol, Baby Orajel, Cepacol, Chloraseptic, Hurricaine, Orabase, Orajel, Topex or other generic brands. The agency said “products containing the pain reliever benzocaine for the temporary relief of sore gums due to teething in infants or children should no longer be marketed and is asking companies to stop selling these products for such use. If companies do not comply, the FDA will initiate a regulatory action to remove these products from the market.”
This is great news for parents (and pediatricians who have been advising against it for years). In general, I think most pediatricians think of teething as a developmental milestone, not a condition that demands medicine. That being said, we always wanna make our babies, who may look uncomfortable, more comfortable. But the last thing we want to do is reach for something that might cause harm. Read full post »
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