How Thumb Sucking Affects the Teeth

It is estimated that an average of thirty percent of preschool children suck their thumbs and continue doing so until that age of five. Children suck their thumb for a variety of reasons including habit, boredom, tiredness, and stress and being shy. For the most part, you do not need to worry about thumb sucking until your child starts loosing baby teeth and the permanent ones start coming in. This usually happens around age six. This is when sucking the thumb will start affecting the teeth.

Depending on how often your child sucks their thumb, will determine the severity of dental problems, The more your child uses his or her thumb for comfort, the more dental problems you can expect. If your child is still sucking the thumb after the age of three, you can expect the following dental problems:

Teeth grow out of alignment and are in awkward positions.

Upper teeth will tip upward and the dental arch will narrow.

Thumb sucking causes reshaping of the jawbone, which can lead to the need for a palate expander.

Lower teeth can more inward.

In addition, thumb sucking can also cause problems with chewing, tongue placement, problems with swallowing, speech problems, over bite or under bite, and snoring. So, if your child sucks his or her thumb and it is starting to cause dental problems, what should you do?

The first thing you should do is to try to break your child of the thumb sucking habit. As any parent knows, this can often be easier said than done. You may have already tried products such as Bitter Apple. This product makes the thumb taste bad and can discourage the action. However, for avid thumb suckers, this may not be a deterrent. If you need professional advice, you should speak to your dentist. Your dentist will be able to offer options to help your child break the thumb sucking habit. Here are some common options:

Thumb guard: These are plastic devices that are worn over the thumb making sucking on the thumb nearly impossible. Most of the time, children will wear this device at home or while sleeping, when they are likely to suck on their thumb the most.

Palate device: This device is installed on the roof of the palate and discourages thumb sucking. This is a common and very effective device. Your dentist will put it in place and will take it out when the child has given up the habit. Just as with orthodontic work, it will be important that your child understand how to brush the device properly.

When your child sucks their thumb, it can be very frustrating for you and your child. You can encourage your child to stop the habit by offering plenty of praise and encouragement. Never embarrass or tease your child about thumb sucking, as this does more harm than good. Most children will eventually give up the habit on their own, but if it is causing dental problems or the habit is continuing, you may need to seek advice from your dentist.