Many children suck on their thumb, finger, or pacifier in their first years of life. Some children even begin this habit in the womb. Thumb sucking is a natural reflex and serves as a self-soothing behavior, and most children grow out of the habit between the ages of two and four without intervention.
However, some children continue this habit and require extra motivation or intervention to overcome it. If your child continues their non-nutritive sucking habit beyond the age of 4 years old, they may begin to cause changes to their developing faces. Prolonged sucking habits exert considerable pressure on the growing face and jaws, which influences the development of these structures. The extent of these changes are dependent on the duration, intensity, and frequency of their habit, and include an open bite, crossbite of the back teeth, narrowing of the upper jaw and airway, longer facial height, flaring of the upper teeth, and retruded lower teeth.
The longer a habit is practiced, the harder it becomes to break. Thus, it is recommended to break non-nutritive sucking habits when your child is three years old. If the habit is broken around this age, any detrimental changes to the development of the jaw or face usually self-correct as the child grows. If your child is older and already has some permanent teeth, the habit must be broken as soon as possible, and it is likely that they will require orthodontic treatment to align the teeth. It is crucial to remember that if your child continues this habit while in braces, the orthodontic treatment will not be successful.
There are multiple approaches to consider when encouraging your child to break their sucking habit. For children with pacifier habits, many families find success by simply making the pacifier disappear. You may also consider cutting off the tip of the pacifier, so it no longer creates the soothing feeling of suction in your child’s mouth.
For finger habits, I typically recommend starting with reminder therapy and reward systems. Reminder therapy includes bandaging their finger or using bitter-tasting nail polish (such as Mavala Stop) on their finger. This can be used in conjunction with a reward system, where the child is given a prize after each week has gone without sucking their thumb. For more stubborn habits, there are products that cover the child’s thumb or finger that prevent the child from sucking on it, or an intraoral habit breaker appliance may be indicated.
If your child has a sucking habit, be sure to tell your pediatric dentist at your child’s next visit so you can develop a plan to keep your child's teeth straight and healthy. Pediatric dentists are well versed in techniques to help break these habits, and are able to gauge when a child may need a special appliance made to help break the habit or a referral to an orthodontist. Working with your pediatric dentist, even the most stubborn habits can be broken.
Dr. Roxanna Khajavi is a pediatric dentist, but beyond that, she loves what she does. She believes the first experience any child has in a dental office needs to leave a special mark in their mind and in their hearts. This is the reason she became a dentist. Dr. Khajavi strives to make sure that all her patients have a wonderful experience. She says, “The dentistry part is easy, but making your children laugh and smile while under my care, has never been an obstacle! Our mission is to make sure every child feels like they are surrounded by a team who truly cares about their experience. To us, every patient is more than just a “patient”, each child is family.”
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