According to the American Dental Association (ADA), if your child stops smoking before their permanent teeth come in, thumb sucking will most likely not cause any dental problems. However, it is better to start now than to wait. Permanent teeth can begin to erupt around the age of 6. Not only do you want to preserve the health of your child’s permanent teeth, but you also want to preserve the health and safety of your child. Young children usually touch everything and the first place their hands and fingers go is towards their mouths. The last place they need to put their nasty fingers is anywhere in your mouth. I get an unpleasant feeling just thinking about it. It is better to start the process now. Here’s a little tip to help you along the way.
(1) First, talk to your child. Explain that big kids don’t suck their thumbs and that doing so will ruin the way their teeth are pretty (girls) or handsome (boys). Try putting a Band-Aid on your thumb to remind yourself. Hopefully, they won’t miss the Band-Aid by sucking on it too.
(2) An old school way is to paint your child’s thumb with lemon juice or a bitter solution like Mavala Stop-Nail Biting and Thumb Sucking Prevention which is sold in stores both online and offline for this purpose. If your child sucks his thumb while sleeping, try putting a glove or sock on his hand while he sleeps.
(3) Another great method is to praise your child. If you see your child without his thumb in his mouth, make a big fuss. You can also give a small reward if you wish. Just make sure the process doesn’t upset your child and make it as fun and rewarding as possible. We want to break the habit, not the spirit of your toddler.
Also, there will be times when changes will occur in the lives of your young children. This includes starting a new preschool, family changes (ie having another baby), potty training, etc. Again, turning the process into a game while at the same time reducing the amount of thumb sucking takes away from the child’s sole goal of “stopping thumb sucking.” It just makes it fun.
If all else fails, call your family dentist. They may suggest an over-the-counter solution or possibly recommend a mouthpiece that makes thumb sucking impossible. Remember, if your toddler is a few years shy of 6, he still has time. Just make sure you plan to help your child stop thumb sucking sooner rather than later. You and your child will be glad you did!