How Dummies and Thumb Sucking Affect Your Teeth
Thumb sucking and the use of dummies is a common soothing habit for young children, especially those between the ages of 3 months and 6 years. Children develop a natural urge for thumb sucking after bottle- or breastfeeding, and using a dummy or sucking thumbs and fingers provides further comfort and security. However, if this behaviour continues when adult teeth begin to appear, issues with the positioning of teeth could occur, leading to orthodontic problems.
In this article, we’ll explore how dummies and thumb sucking can affect teeth, how to reduce or even eliminate the habit altogether, and how orthodontists can correct teeth misalignments in children to prevent further issues.
Are Dummies Bad for Babies?
Young children often develop a dummy or thumb sucking habit as a natural reflex for self-comfort, helping them to feel calmer in moments of stress, fatigue, or even boredom. The action mimics the secure feeling of feeding, providing a sense of reassurance and emotional regulation, especially in new environments or periods of change.
Many children naturally outgrow thumb or dummy sucking between the ages of 2 and 4 years old, as they develop other coping mechanisms. However, prolonged sucking beyond this age occurs in 1 in 8 children between 7 to 11 years old, which can affect oral health and even - in some cases - speech development.
How Do Dummies Affect Teeth?
Once adult teeth start to show, sucking habits can become an issue for long-term oral development.
The consistent upward pressure on the roof of the mouth (palate) can lead to narrowing or reshaping of the upper jaw, resulting in what is known as a high-arched palate. This narrowing may also reduce the space available for permanent teeth, increasing the likelihood of overcrowding
The changes in jaw alignment can affect the bite, potentially leading to malocclusion issues like an open bite (where the upper and lower teeth don’t meet properly, leaving an “open hole” when the child bites top and bottom teeth together) or crossbite (where the upper teeth sit inside the lower teeth on one or both sides). These structural changes may affect appearance and cause difficulty in chewing, speaking, and maintaining oral hygiene.
How to Reduce or Eliminate the Habits
Reducing or even stopping this habit altogether isn’t the easiest of tasks, and it may take a bit of trial and error to get there! Remember to stay patient and be consistent; here are some practical tips to try:
- Set a Goal and Start Gradually: Begin by limiting the use of a dummy to specific times, such as only during naps or bedtime. By gradually reducing the frequency, the habit will eventually no longer be part of their routine.
- Offer Comfort in Other Ways: Introduce different ways of comforting your child, such as providing them with a soft blanket, stuffed toy, or a soothing bedtime routine, or try spending extra time with your child through storytelling or songs to relax them.
- Use Positive Reinforcement Techniques: Children learn well using positive reinforcement, so celebrate small successes when your child avoids sucking habits. Experiment with reward charts or small incentives to encourage progress, such as stickers.
- Provide Regular Encouragement: Encouraging your child to avoid the sucking habits will help them understand that it’s a good thing to stop. Be consistent but gentle, offering praise to ease them into the idea that they should stop the habit.
- Avoid Nagging: Following on from the previous tip, make sure you’re not nagging or shaming your child, as they may be upset by the feeling of being punished for a habit they get comfort from.
- Use Physical Guards: Use a physical object to stop the habit; one that makes it inconvenient or unpleasant to suck fingers or thumbs. For example, you could use a plaster, bandage, cotton glove, thumb guard, or even bitter-tasting paint-on nail varnish.
- Appeal to Their Imagination: A popular option for some is setting a date for the child to leave their dummies out for the “dummy fairy”. This way, the child knows what is coming; they can prepare their dummies in a gift bag for the fairy, and know that they will be left with something in return (in much the same way as the tooth fairy).
What Orthodontic Treatments are Available After Thumb Sucking?
If your child’s teeth have been affected by persistent dummy or thumb sucking, an Orthodontist can help correct this. The typical “optimal” age for orthodontic treatment is between 11 and 13 years old, but this can vary for each child, and treatment can be provided later in life, too. However, we recommend that issues are addressed when they are first noticed!
Orthodontists offer several different treatment techniques to correct issues with teeth and jaw misalignment, all of which can be used in older children, teenagers, and adults. The most common solutions are braces (usually metallic or ceramic) or aligners (such as Invisalign or Angel). Some Specialist Orthodontists offer Incognito Lingual braces, which are hidden behind the teeth, but these are only available in private clinics.
Start Correcting Issues Caused By Sucking Habits Today
If you’ve noticed any issues in the alignment of your child’s teeth or jaw, don’t leave the issue to persist or worsen; orthodontic treatment is most effective when started early, helping teeth shift back into place as your child’s jaw grows over time.
Our private orthodontic clinic is experienced in offering a range of different treatments to children and young adults, so contact us today to schedule a FREE initial consultation.
