Raising kids comes with a lot of worries when you are a parent. If you have concerns about their teeth, you are likely searching for answers. There are possible effects of thumb sucking on your children’s teeth.
Please keep reading to learn more about this common childhood habit. If you would like to bring your child to see an experienced dentist, please don’t hesitate to contact our office to schedule your free initial consultation. We provide early orthodontic intervention that can save your child’s smile.
Possible Long-Term Effects of Thumb Sucking
There are negative consequences that prolonged thumb sucking can have. Please keep reading to learn more about the dental conditions to be on the lookout for when your child sucks their thumb.
Malocclusion
There are three malocclusions: a slight overbite with bad teeth alignment, severe overbite, and severe underbite.
These issues can be due to genetics, or they can be due to the way your child’s jaw developed while they were sucking their thumb.
If bad bites go untreated, they can result in tooth decay, pain, and gum disease. It is essential to get your child into the dentist to get a malocclusion diagnosis and have a proper treatment plan in order.
Speech Issues
Not only can your child suffer speech issues from bite problems, but there is also a chance that they could have delayed speech. When children suck their thumb for a prolonged period of time, they may spend less time speaking.
Thumb sucking can cause a decrease in verbal communication compared to kids the same age who do not suck their thumb.
The effects of thumb sucking on your child’s jaw can also make it hard for them to talk without a lisp which can be embarrassing and isolating for a young person.
When Should Children Stop Thumb Sucking?
Children should give up thumb sucking before they reach four years old, ideally before that. If you are worried about helping your child quit sucking their thumb, you can visit our dentists or your pediatrician.
The effects of thumb sucking can be detrimental to your child’s dental health and is also very unhygienic. Kids don’t always have the best hand hygiene, and when they put their hands all over shared surfaces and then put their thumb in their mouth, they are exposed to innumerable germs.
Ways to Reverse the Effects of Thumb Sucking
You can help your child fix their smile by bringing them to a skilled orthodontist to come up with a plan to treat any dental issues they have related to prolonged thumb sucking. Early orthodontic intervention is often used to help malocclusions.
In severe cases of jaw problems, it would be best to wait until they are physically mature enough for jaw surgery to correct their issues. This is typically not only the fault of thumb sucking. Genetics come into play with severe bite issues, but thumb sucking can aggravate this condition.
Free Consultations Available
Please call our office immediately if you want to have your child’s teeth evaluated by an experienced dentist. We would be happy to get you set up with a free consultation, and you can give us a call today to get started.
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Orthodontists Associates of Western New York is proud to offer early orthodontic treatment throughout Buffalo, Lancaster, Olean, Hamburg, Orchard Park, Dunkirk, East Aurora, and Niagara Falls, New York. If you are considering early orthodontic treatment for yourself or a loved one, don’t hesitate to contact one of our seven convenient orthodontic offices to arrange a free consultation.
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