Easy ways to stop thumb-sucking
Dr. D.Sendhil Nathan MDS, DNB Prosthodontics And Implantology
Thumb sucking is one of the most common bad habit that we all must have done at some point in our early life. Toddlers do it because they are stressed, scared or out of habit. A lot has been written on why toddlers instinctively go for their thumb and how they use it to explore their independence.
But, there are a number of implications that accompany thumb sucking and while we will not be talking about all the health effects of thumb sucking in this article, we will write about its correlation with oral health issues in particular and how to prevent thumb sucking especially in young children.
Oral Implications
- Thumb sucking causes unwanted germs to go inside the mouth of your kid causing a host of serious health issues and the possibility of transmission of diseases from the environment around them.
- Thumb sucking leads to improper alignment of teeth and malocclusion.
- Regular thumb sucking over long intervals of time can lead to oral issues like crowded teeth, improper jaw alignment and bite issues.
- Breathing issues during sleeping.
- Improper teeth and tongue position leading to further problems down the time lane.
- Speech issues.
- Infection in ear due to the opening of the auditory tubes.
- Swallowing will be affected leading to improper digestion.
- Affects the growth patterns of the teeth.
This is why, you ought to introduce positive reinforcement to ensure that your kid doesn’t engage in thumb sucking when they are bored/when you are not watching. Here are some good ideas on what you can do:
- Offer a pacifier in the initial stages, when it is hard for the kid to control thumb sucking as it is easier to take away the pacifier and control the spread of germs by keeping it clean whenever it is not used.
- Reward by gifts and appreciate by oral encouragement when the kid is not sucking their thumbs. Children in particular like positive reinforcement in the form of gifts.
- Coach your kid on good oral habits and explain their significance in a simple language.
- Replace the thumb with a comfort item that is clean and hygienic.
- Distract them with toys or other things to explore. When engaged, kids don’t suck their thumb.
- Teach them proper breathing and eating patterns in a fun manner.
- Show them visually the good oral habits they need to acquire. Visual medium is a very effective way to communicate your point, even to kids.
- Consult with a doctor and take his/her help in conveying the right message to the kid.
- Use toys, images and stories to address oral hygiene issues and the need to adopt good oral habits.
- Apply bitter substances/sour food materials that are safe to consume in the thumb, so that the kid comes to associate the thumb with a negative feeling and help him/her wean off the habit of thumb sucking.
