What helps: a teething ring chilled in the fridge (never frozen), rubbing the gum with a clean finger, a dry chin against dribble rash, sugar-free teething gel for over-3-months, and child-dosed acetaminophen for real distress.
Skip amber necklaces (choking and strangling risk, no evidence), sugary teething biscuits, and any gel with lidocaine or benzocaine. The most useful fact: teething does not cause fever, diarrhoea, or a properly unwell baby - those are illness, not teeth, and a temperature of 38C or more deserves illness advice. Pymander is a free AI doctor, 24/7 by text, and can help you tell teething from something else.
What to do
Common questions
What helps teething pain?
Teething - usually starting around 6 months - makes babies dribble, chew everything, rub their gums, and get fussy. What the NHS recommends: give them something safe to chew, like a teething ring chilled in the fridge (never the freezer - frozen rings can damage gums), and rub the sore gum with a clean finger - pressure is genuinely soothing. Keep the chin dry to stop dribble rash. For babies over 3 months, sugar-free teething gel from the pharmacy can help (there is weak evidence it works, but it is harmless when used as directed), and if your baby is really distressed, child-dosed acetaminophen (or ibuprofen from 3 months up) settles the discomfort. What to skip: amber teething necklaces and bracelets (choking and strangling risk, no evidence), teething biscuits with sugar, and gels containing lidocaine or benzocaine. The most useful fact of all: teething does NOT cause fever, diarrhoea, or a baby who is properly unwell - those mean illness, not teeth, and deserve their own advice. If your baby has a temperature of 38C or more, treat it as illness, not teething. Pymander is a free AI doctor, 24/7 by text, that can help you tell teething from something else.