{"id":184,"date":"2020-01-19T16:56:58","date_gmt":"2020-01-19T16:56:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.castlerocksmiles.com\/blog\/?p=184"},"modified":"2020-02-24T16:58:29","modified_gmt":"2020-02-24T16:58:29","slug":"how-can-thumb-sucking-negatively-impact-a-childs-teeth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.castlerocksmiles.com\/blog\/2020\/01\/19\/how-can-thumb-sucking-negatively-impact-a-childs-teeth\/","title":{"rendered":"How Can Thumb Sucking Negatively Impact a Child\u2019s Teeth?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignleft is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.castlerocksmiles.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/AdobeStock_12438655__1582481005_96343.jpg\" alt=\"a young child with blue eyes holding a blanket and engaging in thumb sucking\" class=\"wp-image-185\" width=\"305\" height=\"203\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.castlerocksmiles.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/AdobeStock_12438655__1582481005_96343.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.castlerocksmiles.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/AdobeStock_12438655__1582481005_96343-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.castlerocksmiles.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/AdobeStock_12438655__1582481005_96343-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 305px) 100vw, 305px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Whether it is a pacifier or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.castlerocksmiles.com\/preventive-dentistry.html\">thumb sucking<\/a>,\nit is likely that your child picked up on one of these two ways to \u201ccomfort\u201d\nthemselves at an early age. Although cute and sweet when little, over time, these\nbad habits can have a negative impact on their oral health, most especially\ntheir teeth. To find out what can happen as a result of these coping and\ncomforting mechanisms, hear from a pediatric dentist who will also be happy to\nshare what you can do to keep your little one happy while protecting their\nteeth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What Kind of Impact Does Thumb Sucking Have on a Child\u2019s Teeth?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>As a baby or toddler, it should come as no surprise that\nyour child finds comfort in sucking their thumb. This is a completely normal\nbehavior that many kids develop; however, if allowed to go on too long, it can\nlead to serious consequences for their smile, some of which include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Overbite<\/li><li>Changes in the roof of the mouth<\/li><li>Misalignment of teeth or bite<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>In most cases, children between the ages of 2 and 4 will\nstop sucking their thumb; however, if it does not stop, it is best if you\nschedule an appointment with your child\u2019s pediatric dentist to discuss ways to\ncurb the practice to prevent serious tooth problems from developing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How Can It Be Stopped?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>There are a few things you can do to help your child forgo\nthis bad habit and get them on track to better oral health, including: <\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>Identifying triggers<\/strong>: If your little one immediately\npops their thumb in their mouth when hungry, tired, or bord, work to address\nthe problem by finding the appropriate remedy. Keeping them engaged with their\nhands can prevent them from pulling their fingers into their mouth. <\/li><li><strong>Remind your child: <\/strong>When you notice them\nsucking their thumb, do not resort to anger or threats. Instead, calmly remind\nthem to stop and don\u2019t be easily deterred if you have to do this multiple times.\n<\/li><li><strong>Offer positive reinforcement:<\/strong> To help your\nchild stop sucking their thumb, praise them when they are not practicing the\nhabit. It can also be helpful to enlist a sticker chart or other reward system for\nencouragement. <\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>The most important and useful resource is your child\u2019s\npediatric dentist. They will be happy to answer any questions and offer tips\nand suggestions on various ways to curb non-nutritive habits like thumb sucking\nor pacifier use. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>About the Author <\/strong><br>Dr. Layne Benzley understands that children can develop normal, yet, bad habits from an early age (i.e. thumb sucking, pacifier use, etc.). Although difficult to break, he and his team can work with you to develop methods and techniques to curb these problems before it takes a toll on your little one\u2019s dental health. As a pediatric dentist, Dr. Benzley is trained and knowledgeable on how to care for young teeth. Earning his bachelor\u2019s degree in economics from Brigham Young University, he went on to receive his dental degree from the University of Iowa. He completed his pediatric dental specialty certificate from the Eastman Dental Center at the University of Rochester and has finished all the requirements to be a certified Diplomate of the American Board of Pediatric Dentistry. Offering high-quality dental care to young smile, he is happy to help parents and children walk through various stages of oral growth and development. To learn more, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.castlerocksmiles.com\/contact-us.html\">contact us<\/a> at <strong>(303) 660-5373<\/strong>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Whether it is a pacifier or thumb sucking, it is likely that your child picked up on one of these two ways to \u201ccomfort\u201d themselves at an early age. Although cute and sweet when little, over time, these bad habits can have a negative impact on their oral health, most especially their teeth. To find [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-184","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>How Can Thumb Sucking Negatively Impact a Child\u2019s Teeth? - Castle Rock Smiles<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.castlerocksmiles.com\/blog\/2020\/01\/19\/how-can-thumb-sucking-negatively-impact-a-childs-teeth\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How Can Thumb Sucking Negatively Impact a Child\u2019s Teeth? - Castle Rock Smiles\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Whether it is a pacifier or thumb sucking, it is likely that your child picked up on one of these two ways to \u201ccomfort\u201d themselves at an early age. Although cute and sweet when little, over time, these bad habits can have a negative impact on their oral health, most especially their teeth. 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