Children often find comfort in thumb sucking. It’s adorable to witness and ultra sound photos have been taken of babies thumb sucking in the womb. Can something that brings so much relief and is so cute, actually be a problem?
Yes, if it goes on too long. The level of intensity and duration of your child’s sucking, can create damage to their facial growth ie the way their face gets shaped.
Dental Impact Thumb sucking usually results in flaring of upper front teeth and restricts proper growth of the lower jaw. These growth changes create an “Open Bite”. This is when the top teeth do not cover the bottom teeth when the mouth is closed. When swallowing, as the teeth cannot close together, a tongue thrust habit is created. This constant pushing of the tongue on the front teeth makes the open bite even worse. Occasionally this tongue thrust habit creates speech problem like lisping or problems like malformed palate leading to breathing problems/apnea. These are just a few of the dental impact starting from a simple thumb sucking habit.
There are dental appliances that can be used to break the habit. A consultation with the dentist when the child is 2 or 3 years old would allow your dentist to monitor the existing dentition and to assess any possible problems.
To help you encourage your child to give up the thumb Toothbrush Confidential has gathered some excellent tactics and advice. The success of these techniques requires a desire and cooperation from your child.
Real World Results Pushing your child to quit something they find pleasurable usually ensures a child clings to the activity. You can wait until your child is in school and is faced with the judgment of other children. Peer teasing may create the fastest behavioral change but the dental damage might already be done.
Carrot Over Stick Make the behavioral change a game. Reward-based system games got you to the gym so why wouldn’t it work with kids? Stickers on a calendar works well. For each day your child doesn’t suck their thumb they receive a special sticker to commemorate their achievement. At the end of a preset timeline, daily then weekly then monthly, an appropriate prize is delivered.
Make a Job of It This is a lovely sneaky way to turn something that offers relief into a chore. Explain to your child that by only sucking their thumb they aren’t being fair to their other fingers. All fingers require the same amount of sucking. It’s only fair. Your child may grown so tired of all this “work” they might just let the entire thing go. If you don’t suck a thumb, then none of your fingers need to be sucked.
Privatize Thumb sucking Teaching your child that thumb sucking is something not to be done in public may force your child to find other ways to soothe themselves. It might also turn thumb sucking into a negative habit.
Reminder Fluid This tactic has been seen as cruel, but some have found success with it. Dip your child’s thumb into something that tastes awful but is harmless, like vinegar. When the child returns to thumb sucking, it will not be a soothing experience and they’ll find another way to sooth themselves. Please do not use this method as punishment. A simpler version is to keep a glove or mitten on the child’s hand so thumb sucking isn’t an option.
Someday My Prince Will Come Wait. Simply wait for your child to grow out of this habit. This may create some dental issues, or without any pressure your child might give it up on their own earlier than you think. Either way peer pressure will usually force a child to quit by the age of six.
However you decide to deal with thumb sucking, we would love to hear about your experiences. Tell us in the comments below!
