Using Clove Oil to Relieve Teething Pain in Babies – Is It Safe?

Teething is a painful phase for a baby. Teething process can be hard for babies as they drool, become cranky and everything becomes a chew toy for them. As a parent, it can be really painful for you to see your baby in pain. But there is something that can help relieve his pain – it is clove oil. Clove oil is often used to relieve teething pain in babies. Read to know how it helps and what are its side effects.

Benefits of Using Clove Oil for Teething in Infants

Read the following benefits of using clove oil for infants before you use it for your little one:

1. Helps Numb the Pain

Clove oil has numbing properties and thus when it is diluted and applied on the baby’s gums, it can help ease the pain and discomfort.

2. Aids in Relieving Sore Gums

When a baby is teething, his gums become sore. Applying clove oil can help; the germicidal properties of clove oil help in treating sore gums effectively.

3. Helps Ease Teeth Soreness

A new tooth may take a few days to come out properly, and it may cause soreness. Clove oil is effective in dealing with tooth soreness in babies.

4. Helps Relieve Headaches

Yes, babies have headaches too, especially during the teething phase. To provide him relief from a headache, add a few drops of clove oil on a washcloth and place it on your baby’s head.

5. Helps Ease the Symptoms of a Sore Throat

Along with headaches, babies may have sore throats during their teething phase. You may apply diluted clove oil on the gums and around your baby’s mouth to soothe his sore throat.

6. Helps Fight Bad Breath

Babies also have bad breath sometimes. This may usually happen from milk deposits on the tongue or certain foods that baby may have consumed. However, this problem can be treated with clove oil. Dip a washcloth in some water mixed with a few drops of clove oil and clean your baby’s tongue and mouth with it.

7. Helps Fight Dental Cavities

Young babies or kids are not able to brush properly and thus may sometimes become prone to dental cavities. Using clove oil in your baby’s daily mouth cleaning regime may help in warding off the dental issues.

8. Calms the Baby

As you know that teething phase is a tough time for your little baby, so use clove oil as it will calm your baby.

9. Helps in Cleansing

For babies and younger children who begin brushing, the toothpaste may sometimes not provide good cleansing properties. Using olive oil may take care of your baby’s oral hygiene.

How to Use Clove Oil to Soothe Teething Pain in Babies

Many kinds of toothpaste available in the market today contains olive oil in them. You can buy any good toothpaste that is safe for babies. Alternatively, you can get clove oil from the market too. However, make sure you get a mild one or the one that is safe for babies. However, before applying it directly on to your baby’s gums, dilute the clove oil by adding some almond oil or other mild essential oil in it because clove oil is very strong and if used without diluting, it may harm the baby.

Are There Any Side Effects of Using Clove Oil for Teething?

If used with proper care and discretion, clove oil for a teething baby is one of the best home remedies for relieving teething pain and discomfort. This is because clove oil has anaesthetic properties and thus helps ease teething woes. However, clove oil should be used with utmost care when using for babies. This is because if it is used in more than required amounts, it can upset your baby’s tummy and may also cause blisters or bleeding in the gums.

What If You Have Already Used Clove Oil for Your Baby Who is Under 2 Years for his Teething Pain?

Clove oil is good for health and general well-being. But this oil is one of the essential oils that should not be used for babies under two years of age because of its strong properties. However, if you have already used this oil on your baby’s gums who is younger than two years of age, now is the time to stop and wait until he is over two years of age because using clove oil can cause irritation, blistering, redness and other such problem in babies who are less than two years of age.

Alternate Remedies for Teething Pain

Instead of clove oil, you can give frozen banana slices, a blunt frozen spoon, or a frozen (inverted) water in your baby’s feeding bottle and let him chew them. You may also keep a soft washcloth inside the freezer and let your baby chew it or you can massage your baby’s gums with it. All these tricks will provide him relief from teething pain.

Clove oil is very beneficial in curing teething pain. Make sure you seek your doctor’s approval if you wish to use clove oil or any other essential oil for your baby.

Also Read: Reasons for Late Teething in Babies