Baby Orajel Review

Little babies spend most of their lives being entertained and feeling happy. But babies are not without their share of growing pains and chief among them is teething pain. When this type of pain strikes, I often reach for Baby Orajel, a product that helps eliminate teething pain.

Medicine Commentary:

Baby Orajel is a product designed to eliminate problems associated with infant teething. It is sold in a very small tube containing only 9.4 grams (.33 oz.). The product itself is gel- like in consistency and needs t o be squeezed out, similar to a tube of toothpaste.

This product is intended to be used directly in the mouth. The manufacturer recommends applying a small dab on the fingertip or on a cotton swab and then applying it directly to sore gums. The manufacturer recommends applying no more than four times daily. If babies are less than four months old, then a doctor should be consulted first.

Baby Orajel does eliminate the problems caused by teething pain for a short time, but not much more. This is one of the key problems with this product. With ordinary pain relieving medication (like Children's Tylenol), the relief lasts for a longer period of time but takes longer to have an impact. Baby Orajel, on the other hand, lessens the pain more quickly, but doesn't last for a very long time, requiring repeated applications to remain effective. The taste isn't the most pleasant either and the consistency of the gel, along with the taste, causes many babies to drool incessantly.

Probably the greatest frustration with Baby Orajel is the application process. The manufacturer recommends using either your fingertip or a cotton swab, but neither one is much better than the other. The reason for the difficulties is the babies themselves. If your youngster is greatly annoyed by the pain caused by teething, then there is a good chance he/she will be too fussy and too restless to accept the application of Baby Orajel. The baby will fuss, squirm, hold his/her mouth shut, etc., making application very difficult. I am usually able to get the product applied and the crying eventually stops. But the manufacturer really needs to come up with a way to improve this process. Creating a special applicator would be a step in the right direction.

Baby Orajel warns against using the product too many times in a twenty- four hour period and the company also warns against applying the product to the gums of babies less than four months old. In addition to these warnings, I have heard other words of advice to take caution when using this product. Most important among them is the advice from many pediatricians not to use Baby Orajel before bed time. It can numb the back of the throat and can cause kids to choke on their own saliva because they will not notice that saliva is flowing back into the throat as a result of the numbing effects. For this reason, I apply Baby Orajel only when my baby girl is wide awake. She usually experiences the greatest pain right when she wakes up in the morning and this presents the best opportunity to apply this medicine.

Bottom Line Viewpoint:

Overall, I consider Baby Orajel a good product but not as good as it should be. The product is fine for quick relief and it does eliminate much of the crying in the short run. But it would be much better if it relieved the pain for a longer period of time and if it came with a special device to aid in the application process. It ranks as an average product overall; one that accomplishes what it promises but not at the level that many expect in the world of modern medicine.