THUMB SUCKING IS NORMAL for infants, but many parents wonder about its effect on their child’s future dental health. As a parent, you may have questions such as, “When should I be worried about thumb sucking?” or, “What will happen if my child continues to suck their thumb?”
Because thumb sucking is so widespread–it’s estimated that about 75 to 95 percent of infants suck their thumb or fingers at some point–we want to help parents understand why it happens and how you can help your child break the habit if necessary.
Thumb Sucking Is Normal–Up To A Certain Point
If your infant develops a thumb-sucking habit, remember, it is completely normal. Some children even begin sucking their thumb in the womb! It’s a natural reflex for babies and provides them with a sense of security and comfort. In fact, Dr. McOmie’s daughter sucked her thumb. They thought they could prevent this by providing all shapes and plenty of pacifiers. It didn’t work and there is a picture of their daughter sucking her thumb in the waiting room. 🙂
In most cases, as baby grows and begins to explore the world around them, thumb sucking will gradually decrease and disappear on its own, usually between the ages of two and four. Past age four, however, thumb-sucking should be discouraged.
The reason for this is that prolonged sucking can negatively impact your child’s developing teeth. Depending on the frequency and intensity of sucking, teeth and the upper and lower jaws can be pushed out of alignment and the formation of the roof of the mouth can be changed. It can even affect speech development.
What To Do If The Habit Persists
If your child’s thumb-sucking habit persists, recognize when it occurs. Is it an absentminded habit or do they suck when they are anxious, stressed, or nervous? The method you use to help break your child’s sucking habit may depend on the reason behind it. For some children, a discussion and goal setting is enough. For more difficult cases, you may need to enlist the help of Dr. Mark McOmie. They can provide ideas, that have worked for other parents. There are dental devices that can be placed in the child’s mouth to help kick this habit.
Here are some general tips to help your child break the habit:
- Explain. If your child is old enough, help them understand the consequences of thumb sucking and why they need to stop.
- Make your child an active participant. Help your child come up with their own goals and prevention strategies. They will be more likely to keep their own goals.
- Take note. Observe times they are more prone to sucking, if any, and try to create diversions.
- Use positive reinforcement. Offer encouragement and support instead of punishments.
- Make a progress chart. Help your child see their progress and reward them with a prize at the end of each week and/or month. Have your child be the one to place stickers on the chart and choose the prize.
Involve Dr. McOmie
Whatever the methods you choose to help your child break their thumb-sucking habit, we are here for you! We can provide advice, support, and if necessary, further treatment options to help your child stop sucking their thumb or finger.
Dr. McOmie can make an appliance to help your child stop sucking their thumb. We usually reserve these for kids over 7 when this habit can cause serious dental and social problems. They work.
Talk to us about thumb sucking today–we’d love to address your concerns, answer questions, and help come up with the best solution for your child.
The bottom line is this. Every kid is different and what works for one may not work for another. Try different things don’t get discouraged at some point something will work.
