Thumb sucking is a normal behavior which is observed in babies and children of tender ages. It offers security; and often functions as an aid in calming situations or when children are weary. Thumb sucking is not a problem per se in infancy, but it can pose potential problems for the child’s dental health if such a habit is taken into the later phase of childhood.
Some of the questions that parents may wish to find answers to can best be answered by a kid’s dentist in Cave Creek who practices in this area of specialty.
Why do children suck their thumbs?
Many children may have different reasons to engage in thumb-sucking. To some people, it is a mechanism for comfort. It can start as early as in the womb since researchers have established that some fetuses suck their thumbs. They may belong to this category, whether it is to alleviate anxiety, boredom, or fatigue as children grow.
By recognizing what may be leading their child to thumb suck, parents can learn how best to handle it and meet the child’s emotional needs effectively.
In what ways can Thumb Sucking be harmful to Dental health?
During the development of every child, thumb sucking can have an impact on dental health in the future years. If the thumb sucking is practiced for a very long time, different problems with the formation of teeth occur, and the child may get the wrong shape of the mouth.
If this habit persists beyond the age of five or six the child begins to develop bite issues such as overbite or open bite because by that age their permanent teeth start growing. Some of these problems may require orthodontic treatment at a later point, and that suggests why early intervention is useful.
How Can Parents Encourage Children to Quit Thumb Sucking?
In particular, parents can help to prevent the described habit or try to stop it in children at the earliest stages. There is a way in which this can be achieved – through positive reinforcement. Telling children to stop doing something wrong and then congratulating them is good as it makes children gain confidence.
Furthermore, parents can try an effort to find out why the child sucked his or her thumb and eliminate the cause if possible. The presence of other security objects such as a toy or a blanket also can also help the child to feel safe without sucking their thumbs.
What Do You Expect of the Dentist?
It’s important for parents seeking information on correct thumb sucking, to consult pediatric dentists. In normal check-ups, a dentist has a chance to evaluate the dental hygiene of a child and offer counseling. They can talk about how thumb sucking may affect teeth and possible measures that children’s parents can take. Sometimes, if thumb sucking is a threat to the child’s dental health, the dentist may suggest using a mouth appliance to discourage the act.
Conclusion
Sucking of the thumb is one of the typical and rather natural behaviors observed in children as an indicator of reassurance. Although quite normal for an infant parents must ensure that they check at some stage as the child is growing.
Having insight into how thumb sucking affects the teeth and eradicating the vice, parents can guarantee the child a correct growth of teeth. Speaking with a pediatric dentist may be useful and beneficial to get some advice and tips for the correct approach to babies’ behavior that is totally normal and is commonly observed.
Children can therefore be weaned off thumb sucking and not have their jaws or teeth hugely affected in the process.