How the Habit of Thumb-sucking Can Cause Oral and Social Issues

Thumb-sucking is one way in which a baby or child soothes his or herself, but it can affect their oral health negatively. Read today’s blog about how this stress-reliever may cause potential future oral problems.

When a baby or child sucks his or her thumb, it’s usually because they are stressed about something or feel insecure. As a parent or caregiver, you may be tempted to allow them to continue the habit; however, it can affect their teeth and mouth adversely, causing more problems than you may realize. Some of the potential dental issues thumb-sucking in Manchester, Connecticut, could cause include:

– Speech Impediment, which can occur when children suck their thumbs, especially with hard consonants, such as “D” and “T”.

– Open Bite, a more serious permanent side of effect of thumb-sucking, otherwise known as malocclusion. This misalignment usually requires orthodontic correction in the future.

– Social issues can also be a consequence if the habit continues when they get into school, since some kids may bully the child. Thumb-sucking is mainly a habit to deal with stress and anxiety, so if a child is teased or bullied, it may make them want to suck more.

We would love to help you break your child’s thumb-sucking habits, so please get in touch with our dental team at Pediatric Dental Associates & Orthodontics at 860-649-4655. We are more than happy to set you up an appointment with one of our dentists for thumb-sucking today!