Does your child suck their thumb or use a dummy?

Did you know this can affect the development and position of their teeth and jaws?

Most babies will suck their thumb or fingers when they are very young. For different reasons parents will sometimes need to use a dummy to soothe their babies. While this is often necessary, the longer your child continues these habits the more detrimental an affect it can have to the jaw development as well as teeth positioning.

Traditionally parents were told that as long as their children stopped the habit before the adult teeth came through then everything would be fine. In reality, by the time the adult teeth begin coming in a lot of changes to the jaw and facial structure have already occurred.

Recently we have a family come in whose 4 year old girl who continues to suck her thumb. It was immediately noticed that her top jaw was narrowed and that her top front teeth stuck out more that her other teeth. We worked with the parents to develop a plan to wean the girl away from sucking her thumb to prevent further issues from developing.

At Vivid Dental, we can help you with strategies and positive reinforcement techniques to help your child to gradually give up these habits. If teeth have become crowded or the jaws are narrow or out of position, speak to us about how we can help to your child to smile and function more confidently.