by Sharon Lea Hill

Created on: June 21, 2007

I was a thumbsucker and the only PRO vote would come from my mother, who said I was the sweetest and happiest baby. The CON votes would come from me and my dentist.

According to the ADA (American Dental Association) "Children suck on things because sucking is one of a baby's natural reflexes and as infants get older it serves many purposes. It may make them feel secure and happy and helps them learn about their world to suck on their thumbs, fingers, pacifiers or other objects. Young children may also suck to soothe themselves. Since thumbsucking is relaxing, it may help induce sleep." I sucked my thumb all the time at home, but not in public. The older I got the more home remedies my mother tried to make me stop. Nothing helped. I had sucked my thumb so much that my front teeth were starting to protrude and I had a suction blister on my thumb. As I got older, the thumb sucking slacked off and I would only suck my thumb occasionally when I was watching television. Most of the time I didn't even know I was doing it.

According to the ADA, "Children should have ceased sucking by the time the permanent front teeth are ready to erupt. Usually children stop between the ages of two and four years. Pacifiers can affect the teeth essentially the same ways as sucking fingers and thumbs. However, it is often an easier habit to break."

I stopped when I was thirteen, but it took a very embarrassing moment to make me stop. A friend of mine was coming by to visit. While I waited for him, I was watching television and sucking my thumb. When he showed up, there was a ring of lipstick around the base of my thumb and I thought I would die when he asked, "Were you sucking your thumb?"

The ADA offers the following tips on how to stop children from thumbsucking:

- Praise children for not sucking, instead of scolding them when they are.

- Children often suck their thumbs when feeling insecure or needing comfort. Focus on correcting the cause of the anxiety and provide comfort to your child.

- For an older child, involve him or her in choosing the method of stopping.

- Your dentist can offer encouragement to a child and explain what could happen to their teeth if they do not stop sucking.

- If the above tips don't work, remind the child of their habit by bandaging the thumb or putting a sock on the hand at night. Your dentist or pediatrician may prescribe a bitter medication to coat the thumb or the use of a mouth appliance.

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