At Kids First Pediatric Dentistry PC, we understand that thumb or finger sucking in children is natural. However, sucking can cause major problems throughout your child’s life if it continues after permanent teeth start to come in between the ages of 4 and 6. Children often stop finger sucking on their own by age 4. If your child does not stop by this age, you should start to strongly discourage the habit.
Children finger suck for many reasons including teething, tiredness, comfort and other behavioral reasons, such as anxiety. Finger sucking past the age of 4 may cause problems with the development of gum tissue, growth of the mouth and tooth alignment. In some cases, prolonged sucking may cause irregular speech patterns, such as lisping.
Pacifiers cause the same damage as finger sucking, so Dr. Harneet Grewal recommends children stop using pacifiers around age 2.
Our experienced pediatric dentists has a few tips to consider while discouraging your child to stop finger sucking:
- Offer praise for not sucking, instead of scolding for sucking.
- Find the cause of your child’s sucking, such as anxiety, and focus on correcting the cause.
- Place a glove or sock over your child’s hand to discourage sucking, especially at night.
- If your child still struggles to stop sucking, contact our office for more recommendations.
If you have any questions about pediatric dental care in Lincoln Park, Michigan, or if you would like to make an appointment, call us at 313-386-0570 today!
