Pediatric Dentist

Stopping Thumb Sucking

I sucked my thumb until I was eleven and because of that my front teeth are pushed forward a bit. Now I’ve got my own child. He’s three and still sucking his thumb. I don’t want him to grow up embarrassed like I am about my smile. My parents could not afford braces, and now that I’m an adult the idea of a mouth full of metal isn’t a great professional look. Is there a way to stop him sucking his thumb? My parents were constantly yelling at me about mine, but I kept going anyway. I’m hoping to find something that will work for him. Are his teeth already ruined?

Andrea

Dear Andrea,

young mother, holding and giggling with two children

The good news is that at three years old, there is no harm done to your son’s teeth. You won’t have to worry about misalignment from thumb sucking until his permanent teeth start coming in. In most cases, children stop sucking their thumb on their own.

Make sure he’s seeing a children’s dentist regularly so issues such as misalignment can be dealt with early.

However, as you experienced, that is not always the case. when permanent teeth are starting to come in and a child is still sucking their thumb, here is what I recommend.

First, don’t make a big deal about it. You want to use positive reinforcement instead of beratting or humiliating the child. See if you can figure out what the trigger is for them. It may be a comfort while they’re going to sleep or a response to anxiety and stress.

You can help them replace the negative habit with a positive one. If they’re having trouble falling asleep, an extra bedtime story or even telling each other stories before sleep might help, with the additional benefits of bonding time and encouraging imagination.

If you see them sucking their thumb when stressed, tell them about other things that can help them more.

While doing that make sure you talk about the switch as positive instead of shaming them.

As for your teeth, you are not stuck with the choice between crooked teeth  and a mouth full of metal. Instead, I recommend you look into Invisalign. This uses clear aligners instead of the metal wires and brackets of traditional braces. No one will know that you are straightening your teeth, even at a conversational distance.

This blog is brought to you by Lafayette, LA Dentists Drs. Foreman and Thimmesch.