Minimizing the risk of thumb-sucking should be the first task in every parent to ensure their children have the best chance of oral health care success. If thumb sucking is allowed to continue, it can lead to spacing and misalignment issues with your child’s teeth. Here are a few guidelines concerning thumb sucking in children:

– It is mandatory to build a sense of self-worth in children to boost their self-esteem and help them rely less on thumb sucking as a means of a security blanket or fortification.

– Pacifiers are just as harmful to a child’s oral health as thumb sucking can be, but pacifiers do tend to be an easier habit to prevent and wean children from.

– Thumb sucking can interrupt a child’s oral health progress and slow the rate at which teeth grow in.

– Pediatricians can provide substances to wean children off thumb sucking by placing the substance on their thumbs.

– Bacteria from a child’s thumb can easily end up in their mouth when they suck their thumb, which opens a child up to a multitude of greater risks associated with poor oral hygiene and bad bacteria in their mouth.

– Children who suck their thumbs are frequently more likely to develop alignment issues with their teeth.

Dr. Danlu Lee & Wendy Yeung and all of our wonderful team are located in Kirkland, Washington. If you would like to schedule an appointment with Radiant Smiles Family Dentistry for thumb sucking treatments, please call our dental office at (425) 828.9721. Thumb sucking can be conquered, so feel free to bring your child in to see us today.