Thumb Sucking Habits & Pacifier
Habits Are To Be Eased Out

Thumb sucking is fine for infants and toddlers.  But there are some rules that you should follow.

Contrary to popular belief, children under age three should not be discouraged from sucking their thumbs or using a pacifier.  In fact, certain types of pacifiers, called “orthodontic exercising nipples” are preferable to the thumb.  So if you notice your infant beginning to use his/her thumb of finger, make an orthodontic pacifier available instead.  These pacifiers actually exercise the muscles in the cheeks and tongue; and if not overused, tend to develop healthy growth of the oral-facial structures.  Further, their shape resembles that of the human breast.  Their usage is easier to control and therefore easier to discontinue.

The key is how long and with how much pressure these sucking habits are being exerted.  Any infant with a sucking habit over the age of 1 should see a pediatric dental specialist.  Although we may not discourage the habit, it is necessary to monitor the effects of sucking pressure on your child’s oral-facial growth so that intervention can be achieved at the most optimum time.

During infancy, sucking serves to make a child more secure and happy.  It is one of his/her inborn reflexes, just as grasping and eye movement.  And without such reflexes, he/she would not seek food.  Simply put, among the very young, thumbs and pacifiers act as security blankets.

Babies continue to find security this way until they are about two years old.  That is when thumb sucking and pacifiers become less important and the child turns to them at bedtime or during times of stress.  Even up to age three, there is no real need for concern unless your child sucks excessively or with  heavy pressure.  Your pediatric dentist can determine this and should be consulted by the time your child is 1 year old. It is in these extreme cases of powerful sucking , when significant oral-facial deformation has occurred, that we may recommend stopping the sucking habit much earlier than the age of 3.

The situation becomes more serious after age 3-4.  By this time, your child usually has given up the pacifier or thumb.   But cases of thumb sucking or pacifier usage if extreme force or prolonged beyond age 3,  may be permanently damaging the position of the incoming adult teeth by changing the  shape of the jaws.  The pressures of sucking may force the teeth out of position and may even stimulate excessive jaw growth and retarded lower development.  A secondary effect is that prolonged sucking can contribute to abnormal tongue posture and thrusting, causing further muscle imbalances which further change the shape of the dental arches and bone as well as creating a speech impediment .  Eventually, braces and myo-functional tongue therapy may be required,

But the answer is not to scold or punish your child if sucking continues.  Rather than stopping the habit, parents actually may increase the child’s anxiety and increase the sucking.  Instead, we recommend a positive approach (Dr. Geshay’s Thumb Suckers Anonymous Club) to encourage your child to break the habit.  If this fails to work, there are many training aids and types of interceptive therapy available to help your child overcome this habit.

It is important to see a pediatric dentist by age 1 if he/she has a sucking habit.