--- title: FDA Warns Benzocaine Is Unsafe for Teething Children description: The FDA also told manufacturers to stop selling the products for children canonical: https://time.com/5289535/fda-benzocaine-teething-unsafe/ author: Abigail Abrams article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2018-05-24T00:01:30.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-03-31T11:37:51.662Z article:section: Health og:title: FDA Warns That Benzocaine Teething Products Are Not Safe For Children og:description: The agency also told manufacturers to stop selling the products for children og:url: https://time.com/5289535/fda-benzocaine-teething-unsafe/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc489b1aac3e35f85/6988bfac97cdffab2b6afeee/170324-baby-crying-ahca-birth-expense.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2100 og:image:height: 1181 og:image:alt: 170324-baby-crying-ahca-birth-expense og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: FDA Warns That Benzocaine Teething Products Are Not Safe For Children twitter:description: The agency also told manufacturers to stop selling the products for children twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc489b1aac3e35f85/6988bfac97cdffab2b6afeee/170324-baby-crying-ahca-birth-expense.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # FDA Warns That Benzocaine Teething Products Are Not Safe for Children > Sponsored content. 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Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=1d0baf19-1ff1-419d-8232-f743df8cf76a&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1) by [Abigail Abrams](https://time.com/author/abigail-abrams/) ## Abigail Abrams May 24, 2018 12:01 AM UTC  Getty Images by [Abigail Abrams](https://time.com/author/abigail-abrams/) ## Abigail Abrams May 24, 2018 12:01 AM UTC The Food and Drug Administration warned parents on Wednesday about the dangers of using teething products that contain the popular numbing agent benzocaine. The [FDA said](https://www.fda.gov/Drugs/DrugSafety/ucm608265.htm) that benzocaine can have a rare, but serious side effect on children, and especially those under 2 years old. The local anesthetic can cause a condition called methemoglobinemia, which reduces the amount of oxygen in a person’s blood and can be life-threatening, according to the FDA. The agency also [sent a letter](https://www.fda.gov/downloads/Drugs/DrugSafety/PostmarketDrugSafetyInformationforPatientsandProviders/UCM608534.pdf) asking manufacturers to stop selling products aimed at babies and toddlers, prompting at least one major company to discontinue its teething products. While benzocaine is used in many over-the-counter products from brands such as Orajel, Anbesol, Orabase, Hurricaine and Topex, the FDA says it provides “little to no benefits for treating oral pain.” The FDA has been warning consumers about these products for years, and now it is taking more serious action. “We urge parents, caregivers and retailers who sell them to heed our warnings and not use over-the-counter products containing benzocaine for teething pain,” FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb said in a statement. It posted a [video on YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kddC8kEm4-I) titled “Do Teething Babies Need Medicine on Their Gums? No” and told parents to instead gently rub a child’s gums with a finder or use a firm rubber teething ring. > [](https://twitter.com/seattlechildren/status/999419866657390592) In response to the FDA’s warning, Church and Dwight Co. Inc., which makes Orajel, said it was pulling four Orajel teething products, [CBS reported](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/fda-warning-benzocaine-gel-orajel-teething-products/). The company said the decision did not affect its other offerings. 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