So many children struggle with thumbsucking, and they will often fall asleep sucking their thumbs or their fingers. This is a habit that your child may lean to for comfort so that they can fall asleep right away. Many children will stop sucking their thumb between two to four years of age, which is normally when the baby teeth will fall out and the permanent teeth will grow in. This is the opportunity to help your child give up the habit of thumbsucking before their permanent teeth grow in, or else they could face crooked and disaligned teeth as a result.
Here is one quick resource before we get started: Dentist Phoenix AZ
OK, now let’s take a look a few practical guidelines.
Much of the damage that could happen to your child’s teeth and mouth will depend upon how intensely they normally suck their thumb. If a child were to aggressively suck their thumb, they may be more at risk for damage to their teeth than a child who just keeps their thumb in their mouth. Any type of thumbsucking habit should be broken, although it may not be easy at first. One of the best ways to begin is by rewarding your child for when they are good at the times that they are not sucking their thumb. This is much more effective than punishing them for sucking their thumb by rewarding them for good behavior. It is also important to comfort your child if they normally revert to thumbsucking because they are anxious. Try to get the bottom of the issue as to why your child wants to suck his or her thumb.
Incidentally, here’s another resource for you:
Phoenix Cosmetic Dentistry
You can also ask your child to help you break their habit. Some of the popular methods that many parents use are putting socks on the child’s hands at night so that they won’t suck their thumb, or they may even loosely tape their fingers together so that they can’t suck them at night. This is something that they can decide with you so that you can both work to break the habit so that they don’t feel that they are being punished. You may want to also ask your dentist for encouragement and help to educate your child on the problems associated with thumbsucking. Over time, it should be easy to encourage your child to give up the thumb sucking habit, which will help to prevent crooked teeth and the need for braces in the future.
It is important to try to kick the thumbsucking habit at the time when your child’s permanent teeth are growing in. If your child continues to suck his or her thumb, they may have problems with crooked or damaged teeth, which will not be able to be treated with braces until they are much older. Many parents are not aware that such a simple habit causes long-term issues in the alignment and appearance of the teeth, which is why thumbsucking is something that should be stopped as quickly as possible with the cooperation of your child.
