I sucked my thumb when I was a child and ended up needing braces. I decided my baby wasn’t going to suck their thumb and bought a pacifier. As is often the case with the best laid plans, well, the pacifier gets spat out every night and he wakes up the next morning with a thumb in his mouth. Is there any way to keep him from this?
Angela
Dear Angela,
I can tell that you love your son very much. Being a parent is never easy. The first thing I want you to do is take a deep breath. Everything is going to be okay. As for the thumb sucking. I wouldn’t stress about it yet. Until your son’s permanent teeth are in, there won’t be any permanent damage to his teeth.
Try to play it cool and not make a big deal over the thumb sucking. If you don’t make it a huge issue, it is likely that he won’t either. If you do make a huge deal, then he might dig his heels in. Truthfully, most children stop sucking their thumb on their own before they start school. Those that continue, usually succumb to peer pressure.
However, let’s say for arguments that your son is impervious to peer pressure and gleefully continues sucking his thumb. There are things you can do, such as thumb guards that fit over his thumb and deter sleep sucking. There are also liquids that you can “paint” on his thumb which taste a bit bitter and should discourage him from sucking his thumb more. In all likelihood, it will not come to that.
The best thing you can do for your son’s teeth is to give him positive experiences at the dentist. Make sure his first appointment is while he is young, around two years old. Too many parents think if there isn’t a problem then they shouldn’t bother. The big issue with that is that then their first experience with the dentist is a painful, scary one. The last thing you want is a dental emergency.
This blog is brought to you by a friendly family dentist in Kalamazoo, Dr. Susan Dennis.