I assumed mums used things like this for teething back in ye olden days... weren't old rattles silver and ivory?
Um.... no.
If you're talking about ye old olden days, sort of pre-1600s then remedies included smearing various things on the gums such as oil of lilies, offal, various plants, milk, or butter. Leeches could also be used to suck out the painful blood. In the 16th century a practice began called lancing where the gums were cut to allow the teeth clear passage to the surface. "Teething" was, not surprisingly, an official cause of death listed for many children under the age of 3 when these various remedies went wrong. Then along came the Victorians. Silver and ivory rattles were not dished out as teething aids because silver and ivory were bloody expensive, instead they relied on good old morphine, mercury, and alcohol to drug away the pain. Happy baby, happy mum, innit?
Babies were sometimes given amulets made of coral, bones, animal teeth, wood, or hair that were supposed to magically ward off pain (much like Amber necklaces) but they were for warding not chewing and obviously did not work.