Thumb Sucking Habit and How to Stop It
How to stop thumb sucking?
Thumb-sucking is a common occurrence?whether or not it causes dental problems?depends on how old a child is and how?often sucking occurs.
In this article,?we're going to talk about thumb sucking?and its impact on the dentition. The?thumb is the most popular choice but?sucking on one or more of the other?fingers also occurs. When a child is?under the age of three, thumb sucking?should not be a big concern.
Most?children stop the sucking habit between?age four and five. The critical age, one should stop?sucking is age six when the permanent?teeth start to rot. Many children were?stopped sucking on their own once they?start school as a result of peer?pressure but others may continue to suck?at night.
Thumb sucking after age six can?cause serious?orthodontic problems. The?thumb or fingers act like an orthodontic?appliance by pushing the upper teeth?forward like this and they can actually?distort the entire front of the upper?jaw as seen here.
The suction action?pushes the cheeks against the back teeth?causing a narrowing of the upper jaw and?cross bite?normally. The upper teeth?should be on the outside of the lower?teeth. When the upper teeth are on the?inside of the lower teeth as seen here?it is called a?cross bite.
The most?serious dental problems caused by thumb?sucking or finger sucking is an?open?bite?which is insufficient overlap of?the front teeth. Normally the upper teeth?should overlap the lower teeth a bit so?that you can't see the tongue when the?teeth are together.
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