I can’t speak for every doctor but I know that all of the “good doctors” I know hate teething tablets. I consider myself a good doctor and I know I don’t like teething tablets so I’m going to assume that’s a good enough reason for everyone else to dislike them as well.

To be honest there is probably something else wrong with your baby if they are that miserable. There is also, slight as it may be, a possibility of you hurting your kid with those “natural” teething tablets.

So, why do I HATE teething tablets. Many people don’t realize the natural ingredient their child is receiving is a naturally occurring, very potent and potentially lethal substance. Go look at the bottle, I’ll wait… At the top of the back sticker you’ll see Active Ingredients. We’re going to guess belladonna is at or near the top spot. It sounds innocent, but belladonna is actually from the plant called Deadly Nightshade. Extracts from the Deadly Nightshade plant were actually used to dip arrows in as a poison when hunting. Extracts from the plant are currently used to make the medicines atropine (used to decrease secretions, decrease pulse or blood pressure, treat an AV block of the heart or as an antidote to mushroom or insecticide poisoning), as well as scopolamine (a medicine used to treat nausea and motion sickness but in high doses can cause hallucinations). There have been some severe side effects and possibly even deaths due to this “natural” treatment for teething and it has never gone through FDA trials to prove its effectiveness or safety in babies. When you think of an evil queen or evil god-mother this is the stuff they are always using to take out princes and princesses.

Everybody cuts teeth. Though people have died trying to sooth teething pain nobody has died from actual teething. Not all aches and pains require treatment. It is perfectly OK to be grumpy because you are cutting a tooth.

If your baby is having severe pain, severe fever, severe diarrhea or anything severe….it’s not teething, go see a doctor. Teething is the process of the teeth elevating through the surface of the gums. This action will cause some irritation to the gum, but that is about it. Real fever (above 100.4) probably not, diarrhea (loose stools more than six per day) something else, drooling (spit just pouring out the mouth) maybe, but do you know that four month olds drool like banshees even when not getting teeth. My point is that if you have something bad enough that you need to treat them with a medicine, you probably aren’t dealing with teething.