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At the beginning just a natural instinct!
Babies gratify their natural sucking instinct even without food intake by sucking their thumb or a pacifier.
At a baby's age, thumbsucking is just a normal response to the breast feeding instinct.
Unfortunately, this can become a habit with many infants and it can continue long after they are being fed
solid foods, sometimes lasting even until school age.
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Possibly damaging when practiced too long...
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This habit shouldn't be taken too lightly, because regardless of whether thumb or pacifier, the sucking
habit can deform the dental arches and the shape of the jaws - particularly the upper jaw.
How strongly the dental arch is deformed depends on how long the habit lasts, the object being sucked,
the way it is sucked, and the shape and position of the jaw.
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What affects does thumbsucking have?
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Not every sucking habit leads to misalignment of the teeth.
On the other hand, the thumb or pacifier acts like a lever pressing against the upper front teeth,
and by biting on it, the lower dental arch can also become deformed.
The sucking action itself tends to narrow the width of the upper jaw, which can lead to a cross
bite of the side teeth.
Or, the upper jaw narrowed by sucking can lead to overjet, or protruding, of the upper front teeth,
while at the same time hindering growth of the lower jaw; the result is a receding lower jaw.
Baby bottles or pacifiers are often held for hours both day and night between the dental arches.
Air pressure inside the nipple presses the rubber against both dental arches, causing the nipple
to intrude between and behind the upper front teeth while at the same time deforming the jaws
into an "open bite".
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Is thumbsucking an indication of a psychosocial disorder?
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Thumbsucking can be a symptom of a psychosocial disorder.
Excessive thumbsucking or symbiotic clinging to the parents can result when the child witnesses
marriage problems. If the child is then also forced to choose between the two parents, the child
becomes hopelessly overwhelmed.
By far the largest proportion of unhealthy behavior or undesirable development among children,
however, can be attributed simply to habit.
The problem can usually be solved with simple means - above all never with force, but instead
with a lot of loving care and affection.
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Loving care and closeness are the best weapons against thumbsucking!
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Never resort to drastic measures!
There are still many books and publications that advocate drastic methods. Below we name a few of the methods
that are now rightly criticized by pediatricians and psychologistsn:
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Wrapping the thumb. |
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Forcing the child to wear a glove, |
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Sewing the pajama sleeve closed, or |
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Tying down the hands. |
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These methods are psychologically wrong, they involve using force, and they can cause the
symptom to shift to other areas such as sucking the lips or tongue, or nail chewing.
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Are there any aids to help break the habit?
Reflex Stoppers
There are acceptable "chemical reflex stoppers" such as DAUMEXOL.
This bitter substance, however, should never be used on the sucking finger without first discussing
it with your child. Your child will be even more cooperative if you let your child put the substance on by itself.
The face on the sucking finger
Prof. Sander (Ulm) and his coworkers have published a much recognized psychologically supported method:
drawing a face on the sucking finger. This little "playmate" would get lost in the dark cave of the mouth
if the child sucks its thumb or finger.
No-More-Thumbsucking Calendar
The "No-More-Thumbsucking Calendar" can be very useful in conjunction with all the other methods.
Your child draws a big sun in the box for each day when it didn't suck its thumb, and a rain cloud for the
days when it did suck its thumb.
Link to No-More-Thumbsucking Calendar.
Pacifiers only conditionally recommended!
Using a pacifier to prevent thumbsucking is at best acceptable only during the baby's first few months.
The goal must be, however, learning to do without by the 2nd year at the latest.
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What you can do at kindergarten age:
Precautionary measures help prevent misalignment of the milk teeth. These early measures often help to prevent
misalignments from being transferred to the permanent teeth.
It is very helpful to
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Discuss the problem with your child
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Integrate the No-More-Thumbsucking Calendar
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The Oral, or Vestibular, Screen
The oral screen, also called vestibular screen, is used exclusively for early treatment of infants
with strong thumbsucking habits.
Similar to a diving snorkel, the oral screen is worn between the front teeth and the lips.
The pressure of the lips on the plastic wings of the oral screen is transmitted to the teeth, thus
moving them backwards. This can be very important because protruding front teeth are highly endangered in an accident.
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The Position Trainer
Many children accept the position trainer more readily than the oral screen. It is made of a soft material
and it looks like a boxer's mouthguard. It is available for different degrees of misalignment and in variations
that can even be worn over fixed braces.
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Pacifier or thumb?
This question comes up as soon as your child is born because the sucking reflex is instinctive and vital to the
baby's life. Both the pacifier and thumb, however, are foreign bodies in the mouth which can lead when constantly
sucked to deformation of the dental arches and the shape of the jaw.
On the other hand:
You can later take the pacifier away from your child -
but not the thumb!
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In any case, it's important that you inform yourself beforehand on this very complex subject.
Mothers should even be informed early during pregnancy! Please ask us for advice!
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We are always at your service to answer
any further questions you may have: +49 (0)30 603 96 08
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Orthodontic Practice Berlin Drs. Weinsheimer-Harms and Partners
Modern Orthodontics · Lingual Treatment · Gentle Orthodontics · Damon-System
Invisible Braces · Analysis of the Temporomandibular Joint · Microimplants
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