MIAMI, FLORIDA – Babies and young children often explore their world with their mouths, and even in utero many infants learn to self-soothe by sucking on a finger, thumb or fist. While this can be a sanity-saver for parents and source of comfort for children, extended sucking habits can be detrimental to oral health, especially with intense or hard sucking.
“Any oral habit that continues for years, whether it is a finger, thumb, pacifier or other object, can promote open-mouth breathing, potentially cause an open bite, posterior cross bite or even change the shape of the top jaw,” says Dr. Pedro Alquizar, a Miami orthodontist.
Some children naturally grow out of sucking on their finger or thumb, but if that doesn’t happen we recommend parents curb their children’s habit no later than age six to avoid problems that will most likely require dental braces to correct.
“Permanent teeth start to erupt around the age of seven, so it is very important that all thumb and finger sucking be a habit of the past before then,” says Dr. Phillip Kaner, a south Miami orthodontics provider who has been in practice for more than 40 years.
These are some techniques that Dr. Kaner and Dr. Alquizar say can make the transition smoother:
• Focus on progress and success instead of slip ups and failures. Find a positive reinforcement that motivates your child like star charts, small rewards and verbal encouragement.
• Some children use thumb or finger sucking for soothing and reassurance in difficult situations. Helping them establish new habits to cope with difficult emotions like separation, stress and new situations can help break the habit.
• Try to distract whenever possible. When children are busy playing with toys or doing other hands-on activities means the finger or thumb are less available.
• Avoid using painful or harsh methods and scare tactics. They can create the stressful or negative emotions that often prompt children to self-soothe. The quitting process should be as painless as possible.
• Explain why the sucking needs to stop and what can happen if it continues. Discuss why you are discouraging the habit and answer any questions they have. Ask them if they have suggestions for what would help them quit.
• Use physical reminders like a Band-Aid on the favored finger as an awareness tool.
• Enlist as much help as possible from other family members, the child’s dentist, an orthodontist, even the tooth fairy or favorite stuffed animal can be supportive during the process.
“Remember that finger and thumb habits often take longer to quit than pacifiers, and if you start to get frustrated keep in mind that breaking bad habits can be just as difficult for adults,” says Dr. Alquizar, a Miami Invisalign provider.
If parents notice changes in the roof of their child’s mouth, the palate or in the way the teeth are lining up, he urges them to contact the child’s dentist or schedule an appointment with an orthodontist right away. A dental professional will be able to address parents’ concerns about how pacifier, thumb or finger sucking is affecting the child’s dental development.
© 2012 Master Google and Dr. Pedro Alquizar and Dr. Phillip Kaner. Authorization to post is granted, with the stipulation that Dr. Pedro Alquizar and Dr. Phillip Kaner and Master Google are credited as sole source. Linking to other sites from this press release is strictly prohibited, with the exception of herein imbedded links.
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Tags: braces, Invisalign provider, Miami orthodontist
