Sucking Habits

Excerpt from "Your Child's Teeth: Helpful Tips for Parents and Caregivers", by the American Dental Association:

Sucking is a natural reflex and infants and young children may suck on thumbs, fingers, pacifiers and other objects. It may make them feel safe and happy or provide a sense of security at difficult periods. Since thumb sucking is relaxing, it may induce sleep.

Thumb sucking that persists beyond the eruption of the permanent teeth can cause problems with tooth alignment and the proper growth of the mouth. The frequency, intensity, and duration of a habit will determine whether or not dental problems may result. Children who rest their thumbs passively in their mouth are less likely to have difficulty then those who vigorously suck their thumbs.

Usually, children stop between the ages of two and four. Your dentist can provide information regarding consequences of a habit as well as treatment to prevent possible dental or skeletal problems.

Helping a Child Get through Thumb Sucking

• Instead of scolding children for thumb sucking, praise them when they are not.
• Children often suck their thumbs when they are feeling insecure. Focus on correcting the cause of anxiety, instead of thumb sucking.
• Children who are sucking for comfort will feel less of a need when their parents provide comfort.
• Reward children when they refrain from sucking during difficult periods, such as when being separated from their parents.
• Your dentist can encourage children to stop sucking and explain what could happen if they continue.
• If these approaches don�t work, your dentist may recommend an oral appliance or other device to aid your child in correcting the habit.