A teething necklace is a piece of jewelry designed to be worn by or around a baby or toddler, marketed as a way to relieve the pain and discomfort of teething. The most popular type is made from Baltic amber beads, though versions made from silicone, wood, and other materials also exist. Despite their widespread popularity, teething necklaces carry serious safety risks and have no proven benefit. Both the FDA and the American Academy of Pediatrics recommend against using them.
How Teething Necklaces Are Supposed to Work
Amber teething necklaces consist of small, round Baltic amber beads strung together on a cord. The idea behind them is that body heat from the baby’s skin causes the amber to release a substance called succinic acid, which then absorbs through the skin and acts as a natural pain reliever and anti-inflammatory agent. Baltic amber does contain succinic acid (about 1.4% by weight, or roughly 1.5 milligrams per bead), which is why sellers specifically market “genuine Baltic amber” as the key feature.
The problem is that this mechanism doesn’t hold up to testing. Succinic acid only releases from amber at temperatures near 200 degrees Celsius (392°F), far beyond anything a baby’s skin produces. When researchers submerged whole amber beads in solutions designed to mimic skin conditions, no measurable succinic acid was released. The beads stayed chemically inert at body temperature.
Even setting aside the release issue, succinic acid itself doesn’t appear to do what sellers claim. In laboratory testing published in BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine, researchers applied succinic acid directly to human immune cells and measured its effect on several markers of inflammation. It showed no consistent reduction in any of them. At high concentrations, it was actually toxic to the cells. The researchers concluded plainly: there is no evidence that succinic acid could be released from intact beads into human skin, and no evidence it would reduce inflammation even if it were absorbed.
Silicone and Wood Teething Necklaces
Not all teething necklaces rely on the amber and succinic acid claim. Silicone teething necklaces are typically worn by a parent or caregiver, with the baby chewing on the beads during holding or nursing. Wood teething necklaces and bracelets work on a similar principle, giving the baby something firm to gnaw on.
These designs shift the concept from passive skin absorption to active chewing, but they introduce their own hazards. The FDA received a report of a 7-month-old who choked on beads from a wooden teething bracelet while the parents were in the room. Any product made of small components worn near a baby’s face or hands creates a choking risk if a bead breaks free.
The Safety Risks Are Real
The FDA has received reports of one death and multiple serious injuries linked to teething jewelry, including both choking and strangulation. In one case, an 18-month-old was fatally strangled by an amber teething necklace during a nap. Suffocation is the leading cause of death for children under one year old and among the top five causes for children between ages 1 and 4.
Many teething necklaces are marketed with safety features like breakaway clasps (designed to pop open under pressure) and individual knotting between each bead (so that if the string breaks, only one bead comes loose). These sound reassuring, but research into the mechanics of these necklaces found that the clasps do not release easily, which actually increases strangulation risk rather than eliminating it. A clasp that holds firm under a toddler’s body weight is not a safety feature.
The American Academy of Pediatrics does not recommend that infants wear any jewelry. The FDA has issued a direct warning that teething necklaces and similar jewelry should not be used to relieve teething pain or for sensory stimulation in children with special needs. The agency states it does not know if such products are safe or effective.
What Works for Teething Pain Instead
Teething is genuinely uncomfortable for babies, and wanting to help is completely understandable. The approaches that pediatricians actually recommend are simple and low-risk.
- Gum massage: Rubbing your baby’s swollen gums with a clean finger applies counter-pressure that can ease discomfort.
- Solid rubber teething rings: A firm rubber teether gives your baby something safe to chew on. Choose one that isn’t liquid-filled, since those can leak or break. A teething ring can be chilled in the refrigerator for extra soothing, but don’t freeze it. A frozen ring becomes hard enough to bruise tender gums.
- Cold washcloth: A clean, damp washcloth cooled in the fridge gives babies texture and cold relief to chew on.
The FDA also advises against teething creams and over-the-counter products containing benzocaine for young children, as these carry their own risks. For most babies, the physical approaches listed above are enough to get through the worst of it. Teething is temporary, typically peaking when the front teeth come in between 6 and 12 months, and the discomfort passes once each tooth breaks through the gum surface.