by Melody Little

Created on: June 18, 2008

A parents guide to extended thumb-sucking in children.This could possibly create a huge problem for the child. As a child is young so are their teeth the age of growth for the actual dental structure starts at 5 years old. The teeths prime growth age is for the age of 4 to 14 if the child is still sucking their thumb beyond the age of 4 1/2 they cna permanantly stunt the growth of their adult teeth.

This can cause an extreme overbite which is when the upper row of teeth overlap the bottom, and could possibly cause him/her to have buck teeth. Another problem Extended thumb sucking can cause is a lisp by the teeth not being alined right. The lisp can be helped by braces later in life, but it can never completely get rid of that lisp.
The children who stop sucking there thumb before or a little after the age of one were much healthier than those who have not. This thumb sucking increases dental damage by 6% every year past the first year.The children who stopped sucking their thumbs between the age of 2 and 3 increased their chance by 13% for an overbite or crossbite by not stopping themselfs before that time.
After the age of 3 this chance of and overbite or crossbite increased to 20% for children still sucking their thumbs.
This is however a normal Habit and is truely no cause for concern. This thumb sucking habit should only be a cause for alarm only when it is for an extended period of time( pass the age of 6). Some experts say that thumb sucking could be a comfort thing for the child. Just like some children who have a teddy bear, a blanket, or even a bottle these children use their thumb.
If you will pay close attention to when your child chooses to put their thumb in their mouth they will shy away from everything. This is a time when they feel scared, something is going wrong in their eyes, or it could be the stress the child is under( children are easier to stress out than adults).If this thumb sucking is not a constant thing leave the child be as small amounts of thumb sucking will not affect them.
This is what you should do to try and shy your child away from sucking their thumb. So as they get older they are not having constant anxiety attacks wondering what the other children they are around are thinking.
1.During 12 to 24 months of age, a gentle tap on the hand, without saying much, might just remind them not to do that. Plus, at these ages, they still tend to put things in their mouth as the teeth are still hurting a little from coming in.
2.During preschool/kindegarden age, introduce to them a chewable toy that is safe instead of their fthumb. Every time you see them sucking their thumb,talk about chewing the toy instead make this transition fun for everyone.
3.If you have a 3 or 4 year-old, start talking with her about her fingers and how bad they taste.Try to give the thumb a name and therefore making this thumb a friend rather than a comfort.
4.Also there is a nail polish that you can put on his nails so when he places his thumb in his mouth it will taste very bitter.
These should help you out with your childs thumb-sucking habit.Eventually the child will replace this habit with another, be creative and never give up even thought it can be frustrating, just remember that these children need your guidance and help to get over this.

Learn more about this author, Melody Little.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.