Sucking is a child’s natural response to feeling comforted, secure, and exploring the world around them. Often, parents provide items such as pacifiers and teething toys to satisfy that soothing response needed by infants and toddlers. Sometimes your child has started sucking their thumb or fingers even before they are born.
Even though it is a completely natural behavior, parents often worry about whether thumb sucking can damage teeth.
How Can Thumb Sucking Affect My Child’s Teeth?
Children typically stop sucking between the ages of 2 and 4 years old, or by the time permanent teeth start erupting. According to the American Dental Association, the intensity of a child’s sucking is a factor that determines whether or not dental problems may result.
If children’s thumbs rest passively in their mouths, they are less likely to have difficulty than those of children that strongly suck their thumbs. Aggressive thumb sucking can cause dental problems with a child’s baby (primary) teeth.
Thumb sucking can cause adjustments in a child’s palate and jaw, and can impact when teeth may erupt from the gums. Bite problems, such as an open bite, can occur; this could make it difficult for your child to eat.
Still, dentists advise that most of these issues resolve or won’t develop if your child grows out of thumb sucking early.
How Can I Help My Child Stop Thumb Sucking?
While most children stop thumb sucking before any dental issues will arise, if you are concerned, you can start trying to curb your child’s behavior by simply ignoring the action.
If your child has not stopped before an age when thumb sucking can damage teeth, utilizing positive reinforcements work better than negative reinforcements, such as putting hot sauce on your child’s thumb.
Examples of positive reinforcements include:
- Praise and Reward: Explain to your child why it is important for them to stop sucking their thumbs. Use positive affirmations and think of ways to reward them.
- Comfort and Redirect: Pay attention to what triggers your child to suck their thumb. Providing something else for comfort at nap time, extra hugs, or redirection when they become scared or nervous can all help prevent the behavior.
- Communication: If your child is older or able to understand, have them contribute ideas on what would prevent them from sucking their thumb.
The Dental Space Can Keep an Eye on Your Child’s Oral Health
The Dental Space family dentistry clinic can offer encouragement to your child and explain what could happen if they continue to suck their thumbs. Our clinic can accommodate your entire family, including children as early as 6 months old.
Many dental insurance plans are accepted, and we offer several different payment options to our patients.
Our office is located at 1101 Thorpe Ln, Suite 101, just off IH 35 in the Springtown Center Shopping Mall, to patients in San Marcos, TX, and surrounding areas. Call us today at 512-667-9770 to schedule an appointment or fill out our online form.
