Thumb sucking in children and its effect on dental health.

Thumb-sucking in children

The harms of thumb sucking on children’s dental health

Continuous thumb sucking can lead to dental problems such as:

Problems with malocclusion

Changes in facial and jaw development

Effects on speech development

How to help a child get rid of thumb sucking

Tricks we can use:

Conclusion

Sources

Thumb-sucking in children

After birth, the child is associated with many natural habits and reactions, such as thumb-sucking. This habit may be associated with the child’s feeling of security and comfort, but it may negatively affect the health and safety of the child’s teeth in the future.

That is why the mother should help the child get rid of this habit as early as possible before reaching the age of 3 years. When the child gets used to sucking his thumb continuously for long periods, his oral structure is modified due to the pressure of the finger on the teeth and jaw bones.

Prolonged thumb sucking, as well as the use of a pacifier, is a common cause of dental problems in children and can harm your child’s smile over time. Often, infants and young children resort to thumb-sucking or pacifiers as a way to calm themselves or calm anxiety. While thumb sucking and pacifier use may have some benefits, they can be harmful to the child’s dental health if this habit is excessive and continues for a long time.

The harms of thumb sucking on children’s dental health

Continuous thumb sucking can lead to dental problems such as:

  1. Tooth deformities
  2. Skeletal deformities
  3. Open bite in the teeth, over time, the problem worsens  
  4. Gaps or spaces between the teeth
  5. Excessive overlapping of the upper and lower incisors
  6. Speech problems
  7. Swallowing disorders
  8. Cracks or redness in the fingers
  9. Increased risk of infection

Thumb sucking and pacifier use have some positive benefits for infants and toddlers. It gives your child a coping mechanism when they feel anxious or stressed and often starts when they are teething. Allowing thumb-sucking or self-soothing with a pacifier can also mean fewer sleepless nights for already stressed parents.

Unfortunately, along with the benefits come the drawbacks of pacifier use and chronic thumb sucking. If thumb sucking is just a short-term habit, it usually won’t have a significant impact on your child’s smile. However, if your child is four or five or even older and still uses a pacifier or thumb sucking, it can negatively impact their teeth, jaw, and other aspects of development.

Problems with malocclusion

Excessive thumb sucking and pacifier use can cause problems with malocclusion, or misalignment of the upper and lower teeth. The most common malocclusion is known as an open bite. An open bite means that the upper and lower front teeth don’t touch each other, even when the mouth is closed.

Overbite is also common in children who suck their thumbs or use pacifiers beyond the appropriate age. Overbite means that the front teeth overlap the lower teeth to an excessive extent, causing problems with the way the front teeth function.

Essentially, prolonged thumb sucking can create gaps and misalignment of the teeth and jaw. This can make it difficult for your child to chew and bite food, and in some cases, it can even affect speech, as we will see later.

Changes in facial and jaw development

As a child continues to grow and develop, the jaw and face undergo significant changes from infancy to adolescence. Prolonged use of a pacifier or constant thumb sucking can affect the development of the bones and muscles of the jaw and face. The repeated pressure from excessive sucking causes the teeth to move in an abnormal direction, which affects the overall structure of the child’s face.

Having a thumb or pacifier constantly between your teeth does not allow the jaw to develop properly. When there is severe misalignment, the facial muscles have to change the way they work in order for a child to bite, chew or speak effectively.

Effects on speech development

Chronic thumb-sucking and pacifier use can affect your child’s speech. This is often due to an open bite or overbite that develops as a result of this long-standing habit. The tongue also tends to be pushed forward across the teeth in children who regularly suck their thumb. Severe malocclusion and poor tongue control can lead to a lisp or difficulties with the sounds S, Z, L, and R, in particular

How to help a child get rid of thumb sucking

The child should be encouraged to give up thumb sucking before his permanent teeth appear, at about 6 or 7 years of age.

– You should never prevent him from sucking his thumb, ridicule him or punish him for it, because this harms his self-confidence, and his anxiety will reaffirm his desire to suck his thumb.

– Choose a calm moment. We should never do this during times of change for the child, or when he is experiencing stress such as starting school or his parents’ separation.

– You should talk to your child and gradually make him realize the need to stop thumb-sucking. The child must be ready and willing to face the challenge of stopping thumb-sucking.

Tricks we can use:

1. Rewards: Every time the child continues without sucking his thumb, you can give him a small reward such as a sticker or a point. When he reaches five, you can give him a bigger reward. Gradually increase the time he stops sucking his thumb to get the reward. This way your child will feel proud every time he achieves it.

2. Distraction: Bored Children often suck their fingers, so find an activity that can entertain and distract them so that this time is not spent sucking their fingers. Make sure that they do not watch TV for long hours, as this is the time they usually spend putting their fingers in their mouths.

3. Substitution: If your child’s thumb-sucking habit is related to bedtime, find an alternative: such as petting dolls that can help build a new sleep routine.

4. Wearing gloves or bandaging the finger is usually a good way to prevent thumb sucking, but the child must agree and use a lot of willpower not to remove these bandages.

5. Use bitter substances: Some recommend vinegar or lemon, and in pharmacies, some substances are difficult to remove from the finger, even if you wash them, but this must be with the child’s consent.

Conclusion

Parents should deal with their children with a lot of calm and wisdom to help them give up habits such as thumb sucking, especially since these habits arise naturally but must end on time and not continue for long periods. It is also useful to seek advice and guidance from doctors and specialists to help them pass through such crises safely.

See also: What is dental calculus cleaning?

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Sources

  1. https://www.dentalhealth.org/blog/how-thumb-sucking-can-be-detrimental-for-childrens-oral-health
  2. https://www.dentalhealth.org/blog/how-thumb-sucking-can-be-detrimental-for-childrens-oral-health
  3. https://hurstpediatricdentistry.com/blog/thumb-sucking-effects-on-your-teeth/#:~:text=A%20long%2Dterm%20sucking%20habit,if%20they%20continue%20for%20years. 
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