As far as habits go, stopping your kids from thumb sucking or using a dummy is right up there! Babies are born with a reflex to suck anything placed in their mouth to help establish good feeding habits. This reflex usually goes away over time. Some kids, unfortunately, don’t break this habit naturally and need a bit of help…
Thumb sucking is normal
The natural reflex for a baby to suck anything put inside their mouth develops as early as in the womb. So it isn’t very surprising that when they’re out in this world, this habit is well and truly ingrained.
Thumb sucking or finger sucking or pacifier use is perfectly normal and healthy for infants.
It’s comforting and soothing, and many babies and toddlers use it as a coping mechanism when anxious or upset and it also helps them fall asleep. Most children stop dummy use or stop thumb sucking somewhere between the ages of two and four years old.
Don’t beat yourself up over it
Being a parent is a hard job. The day your child is born is the day you never stop worrying about their wellbeing ever again. There’s so much involved in keeping your child healthy, happy, loved, wanted, stimulated, educated, safe, etc. The list goes on.
You’re not alone though – there’s so many people searching for information on this very topic right now! How do we know? We answer questions like this every day in our practice:
- Is thumbsucking worse than a dummy?
- Are there long term effects on teeth from thumb sucking?
- Can the damage from thumb sucking be fixed?
- How can we stop our child from using a dummy or thumb sucking?
Read on to find out more about this and hopefully, it will ease your mind (if you’re at all worried about it) and give you a better idea of where to go from here.
What happens if my child keeps sucking their thumb?
The longer thumb sucking and dummy use continues, the higher the chance of problems with their teeth and that might mean the need for expensive corrective orthodontics! If thumb or finger sucking continues past the age of five, we get worried that changes to the jaw shape and growth, as well as the alignment of the adult teeth, may be permanently altered.
The intensity of the sucking plays a significant role in what dental problems may result. If the child passively sucks on their thumb, the damage may be limited and the habit may be easier to discourage.
Vigorous sucking on the other hand can lead to changes in the palate, affecting the permanent bite and is also usually more difficult to end without stronger action.
The younger the age at which a child stops this thumb sucking, the more likely it is that their teeth and jaws will correct the growth problems naturally. Ideally, a dummy should be discarded and thumb sucking habits should be stopped before a child turns three years of age.
Which is worse?
Dummies can affect the teeth the same way as thumb or finger sucking, but it is often an easier habit to break. Ignoring the impending doom of temper tantrums, you can throw away a dummy or “misplace” it somewhere. Unfortunately, you can’t just throw away an appendage.
Common problems with thumb sucking
Long-term thumb, finger or dummy sucking can lead to:
- Overbite. This is where the upper front teeth are protrusive (buck teeth) and can change the shape of the face and smile.
- Open bite. This is where the top and bottom front teeth don’t meet when the back teeth bite together.
- Cross bite. This is where the formation of the upper jaw is too narrow for the lower jaw, so the upper and lower teeth do not fit together properly.
- Speech problem. When the teeth are misaligned, this can interfere with correct formation of certain speech sounds and can result in a lisp.
There also appears to be an association between dummy use and acute middle ear infections (otitis media). Continuous sucking on a dummy can cause the auditory tubes to become abnormally open, allowing secretions and germs from the throat to seep into the middle ear.
How to stop thumb sucking?
Remember, most children wean themselves off this behaviour on their own between 2 and 4 years of age. It is important to be careful and sensitive when breaking the habit of thumb/finger sucking as children often use this as an emotional crutch. In a situation where emotions are already heightened, punishment and nagging might just make things worse.
It may take some time before the habit is completely broken. But, like so many good things in life, you’ve got to put on a brave face and keep trying, gently but firmly. The first few days are usually the hardest but with continued positive reinforcement, your hardwork will pay off!
Here are our favourite tips on how you can help discourage thumb/finger sucking depending on their age:
- Lots of encouragement – give them a hug or praise to show that they’re doing something good by trying to stop! This helps reinforce their decision to stop the habit.
- Mark their progress – track how they’re going on a special calendar for each day they don’t suck their thumb/finger. It serves as a visual and tangible reminder that they’re doing a good job.
- Reward their progress – give a special outing or a toy if they for a certain period without sucking. Gradually stretch out the period from one day to a week, and then to a month. We’re not a big fan of bribes, but sometimes they just work!
- Gentle reminders – whenever you see them sucking on their thumb, gently remind them to stop. Ask positively and try to limit nagging as kids can become defensive.
- Your dentist – Your dentist can offer support for your child to stop using a dummy or thumb sucking with encouragement and education!
What about thumb guards and nail polish?
Physical restraints or nail polish can also work but depend on the age and persistence of the child.
There are commercially available nail polishes with bitter tastes like this one (https://mavala.com.au/all-products/mavala-stop) that you can find in pharmacies. For young children (3 and under) they don’t appear to be the most effective thing as they may not even notice the taste! For older kids it can serve as a good reminder that this is a habit we don’t need anymore.
Band aids can also serve as a good reminder to stop, but for persistent kids, they’ll take them straight off. There are some “thumb guards” or “finger guards” out there and to be perfectly honest, we haven’t tried them. But they seem to be a great idea! They appear to be quite difficult to remove for most children and quite safe. You can do more research on these types of devices here: https://thumbguard.com.au/
(We don’t endorse any of these products as a cure for thumb sucking, but believe they are worth mentioning in your quest)
What if it’s not working?
Sometimes, nothing works. And if you’re serious about preventing potential damage to the jaws and teeth, your kids may need the help of an orthodontic appliance. That is, a device that is attached to the teeth and it blocks the comfortable positioning of the thumb/finger in the mouth. This is usually considered when they’re around 6 to 8 years old.
After the habit is broken, the appliance remains in place for about three months, just in case the child habit creeps back in.
In most cases, once the habit stops, the teeth and supporting bone structures will start to move toward their natural position and shape. Your orthodontist will monitor these changes and adjusts the appliance regularly.
Getting rid of a dummy?
Stopping your little one from using a dummy is usually easier than stopping thumb sucking but don’t count your chickens before they hatch! It can still be a terribly difficult process, filled with tantrums and tears…
We’ve found most kids are open to stopping the dummy by the age of 2 or 3. Encouragement goes a long way during the day time, for example, “Wow, you’re such a big girl now, you don’t even need your dummy!” Starting with limiting the times at which they can use a dummy is a terrific first step. But things can get complicated at bed time.
Some parents will fear sleepless nights because their kids don’t have their dummy – but if kids lose their dummy during their sleep and get distressed, it’s even worse! We recommend cutting the tip so the dummy is “broken” and won’t give the same satisfaction anymore. Or another idea is discussing with your child that the Tooth Fairy or Santa Claus needs it because they’re a big kid now.
Braces can help with the effects of thumb sucking
If changes to the jaw and teeth have already occured, don’t panic! The misalignment can usually be corrected with braces or orthodontics.
The first phase happens when they’re pre-teen, at around 10 years old. This is so your orthodontist can work with the growing jaw before the palate fuses if expansion of the narrow jaw is required. Early intervention can reduce more extensive orthodontic treatment that may be needed as well as ensure that there is enough room in the mouth for permanent teeth to come through properly as they grow in.
The second phase of treatment which happens when they’re a teen may require traditional braces to correct any bite and jaw alignment problems, as well as straightening crooked teeth.
It’s OK
If your baby is a thumb sucker or relies on a dummy to self-soothe, there is no real pressure to stop this habit prematurely as they often give it up on their own by the age of 4. Of course, if the habit does continue past that age, you just have to be aware that there may be long term consequences to the alignment of their jaw and teeth, requiring orthodontics to fix it.
By bringing your child to the dentist for regular checkups, your dentist will be able to monitor any changes to the teeth and jaws, give you advice on how to tackle this problem and intervene at the right time to minimise the need for extensive orthodontics.
Our favourite resources on these topics are found here:
https://orthodonticsaustralia.org.au/thumb-sucking-concerns/
https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/ConditionsAndTreatments/thumb-sucking
Dr. Grant McGrath BDSc
Co-Founder, Principal Dentist
Method Dental
Jasmine Ooi BPharm
Co-Founder
Method Dental