Thumb Sucking: Pictures of Effects Thumb Sucking has on Teeth

Thumb sucking is a common and natural behavior for infants. The pressure and sucking motion can make children feel more secure, calm them, and help them fall asleep. Children normally turn to thumb sucking when bored, tired, or upset. If your child is five years old or younger, it is not necessary to force them to quit. Most children will eventually give up this habit in their own time. One in five children will be sucking their thumb or finger past their fifth birthday.

If your child’s thumb sucking persists past the age of five, it can have a lasting effect on your child’s teeth. Thumb sucking can cause problems with the proper growth of the mouth, alignment of the teeth, or changes in the roof of the mouth. The intensity of the sucking is a factor that will determine whether or not dental problems may result. For example, some children simply rest their thumbs passively in their mouths as opposed to sucking. This type of behavior is less likely to result in dental problems in contrasts to vigorous sucking. Thumb sucking may also cause your child to develop speech problems. Your child’s dentist may recommend inserting a fixed or removable device such as a “palatal bar” or “crib” in your child’s mouth to prevent sucking. However, there are other methods parents can try at home to rid their child’s habit.

Breaking a longstanding habit is challenging and can take six weeks or more. Before attempting to stop your child from thumb sucking, it is important to observe their behavior to fully understand why and when your child sucks their thumb. Be aware of activities that might promote thumb sucking such as TV or car rides. If you can identify the times when your child is most likely to suck their thumb, provide alternative activities to divert their attention. Reprimanding your child for thumb sucking will not help and could prolong the problem.

Parents can use a simple behavioral approach that engages their child in the process.

• First, create a progress chart with the help of your child. It's a good idea to let your child help make it fun by helping to pick a color or the kinds of stickers used to track their progress.
• Have a discussion with your child to determine how many slip-ups should allowed each week.
• Provide a reward at the end of each week of no thumb or finger sucking. Make a larger reward for getting to the end of a month of no thumb or finger sucking.

If the above behavioral approach doesn't work, another method parents can try is placing a bitter-tasting liquid on the nail, but not directly on the finger. This should only be done at night to discourage thumb sucking while sleeping. Parents can also use mittens, gloves, or a finger-splint to be worn at night to discourage thumb and finger sucking.

Please remember with enough persistence and positive reinforcement, most children are able drop the thumb-sucking habit. It may take a while, but if you keep at it, you'll see the results you want over time.