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Behaviour/development

Talk to others about child development and behaviour stages here. You can find more information on our development calendar.

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Original poster

Any tips on how to stop thumb - sucking?

31 replies

zebedeethezebra · 03/04/2012 10:49

Hi ladies

DS is 2.3 and loves his thumb. The dentist said this morning he really needs to stop now, but didn't otherwise give us any advice on how to do it.

Please let me know how you managed to get your child to stop, how long they sucked for and whether it has had any lasting effect on his teeth.

DS's teeth do protrude, but I thought that would correct itself once he stopped, although the dentist didn't seem to think so.

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

Gingerbreadlatte · 03/04/2012 10:55

Hi
No advice but watching with interest. I've got a 3yo TS-er.
Reluctant to make her stop as its such a comfort for her but i worry about her teeth....

SoupDragon · 03/04/2012 11:01

No, it won't necessarily correct itself when he stops sucking.

Sadly you can't easily stop a child sucking their thumb unless they want to do it. [bitter experience]

DSs orthodontist recommended long socks on both arms, fastened at the top. I reckon a pair of tight put on like a cardigan would work.

There are other factors involved in how damage to teeth and jaws occur but the main one is that, if they are sucking a thumb all the time, their mouth is not closed with teeth together and this affects how the jaws grow. also the position of the tongue is important in ensuring teeth have enough space.

DS1 made a shocking mess of his teeth and jaws through thumb-sucking (from 4 weeks old until he couldn't get it in his mouth at around 8 due to the brace). He has had braces from age 7 (private and £££). He's now 13 and only has to wear it at night and the overbite has gone completely, his teeth are perfectly spaced and straight and the lower jaw has been brought back to where it should be giving him a fantastic profile. He will not require surgery or extractions.

SoupDragon · 03/04/2012 11:04

DD (6) also sucks her thumb, to my intense chagrin given DS1 [sigh].

I should add that DS2 did not suck his thumb but has also had the private orthodontic work as sitting slack jawed in front of the TV/computer/whatever also causes jaws to grow incorrectly! However, his problems were far less complex than DS1's.

TodaysNotAGoodDay · 03/04/2012 11:04

I sucked my thumb till I was 7. It didn't damage my teeth or my thumb or my speech. Just let him be, it's a comfort for him.

mistressploppy · 03/04/2012 11:05

Watching with interest as DS1 (2.5yo) is a committed thumb-sucker and I'm wondering what on earth to do about it.

Is it better if they just do it at night?

SoupDragon · 03/04/2012 11:05

I sucked my thumb until I was 8 or so. it didn't damage my teeth or thumb. DSs orthodontist knew I had sucked my thumb from looking at my profile - he never looked at my teeth. Don't be so sure there is no damage :)

2ombie5layer · 03/04/2012 11:06

Watching with interest too as I have a 4YO thumb sucker. My dentist has also said we need to get them to stop. He suggested when thumb goes in, give her something else to do like colouring, but how do you do that on a night? Also she sucks her left thumb and is right handed so that doesn't work. Liking the sock idea though not sure how long DD1 would keep them on for as she is often wandering around with one slipper on having "lost" the other

Original poster

zebedeethezebra · 03/04/2012 11:15

I've just found this on the internet as the dentist mentioned a gadget.

www.thumbguard.co.uk/the_habit.php

Has anyone tried it? It looks like a splint. Its pretty expensive and I can just imagine DS being in floods of tears if I put it on. I'm wondering if it is worth a try.

I'm a bit desperate as the dentist said that she could see that the habit was affecting the shape of his palate and the bones fuse at the age of 2.6. He's already damaged one of the front incisors from a fall, which has now gone grey.

OP posts:

SoupDragon · 03/04/2012 11:18

"Liking the sock idea though not sure how long DD1 would keep them on for"

I think the key is that you put one on each arm and fasten them at the top - having both hands encased in sock makes it far more tricky to remove one. Even harder to get a pair of tights off I would imagine.

I have to confess I have not tried this on DD yet. I am
a) a hypocrite and
b) resigned to the orthodontic treatment anyway.

MsBakingCakes · 03/04/2012 14:34

I sucked my thumb until I was 9 and DD does too . My teeth have always being alright and I haven't had any problem with my mouth in general. I am not sure how ideal is to stop them sucking their thumb. What I know is that they will stop the day they are ready, they won't be sucking their thumbs for the rest of their lives.

Original poster

zebedeethezebra · 03/04/2012 14:43

Yes, I've noticed lots of other 2 year olds sucking their thumb who's teeth do not appear to be affected. However DS's teeth ARE being affected and have done so for quite some time. So I'm not inclined to just leave it alone any more.

I think you've just been lucking cakes

OP posts:

Bitdifferent · 03/04/2012 14:48

Snort my Dh is an orthodontist and dd1 (10) still sucks her thumb with obvious consequences! He's tried various appliances on her but she either breaks them or they've caused other problems. He's just waiting now to treat her properly. Dd2 (5) only sucks her thumb occasionally now so they do grow out of it. Dd3 sucks a muslin. You could try that nail varnish 'stop and grow' it tastes foul. Think different professionals have different ideas. Maybe it's just because she's his daughter he treats her differently...

SoupDragon · 03/04/2012 14:59

"they won't be sucking their thumbs for the rest of their lives."

Plenty of adults on Mumsnet still do!

TheMoreItSnows · 03/04/2012 15:02

Hi - I've used thumbguards on my kids, the big one was sucking her thumb at the 17 week scan and continued from as soon as she found her hands, and the little one saw the attention the big one got and copied her.

They work brilliantly, but aren't for the faint hearted, you feel monstrous putting them on, floods of tears, 'how can I possibly get to sleep now?', all very upsetting, but within a day or 2 it's forgotten about and we've never looked back.

I discussed it at length with the big one (she was 5 when we did it), tried it in the day, gave her a night without it, and then went into using it full time, and didn't consult with the little one (she was 4). Big front teeth are now through and beautifully straight. No regrets here.

TheMoreItSnows · 03/04/2012 15:05

They aren't splints as such, just soft malleable plastic, but they create a gap around the thumb so that the vacuum needed for sucking can't happen.

Mine were at school when they used them, they got lots of attention (positive) and quite liked them, I let the teachers know so that any probs with writing etc could be dealt with - but no problems at all. You need to make sure you get the right size though.

Solo · 03/04/2012 15:10

I don't know, but my youngest niece who is now 15 still sucks hers and both she and her elder brother have an odd shaped jaw/gum line (teeth go in a wave shape), so do what you need to do to stop it now because it cannot be rectified once it is misshapen.

ksrwr · 03/04/2012 15:10

Hi zebedee, i am 36 and shamefully i still suck my thumb (only in private!!) ... and there's nothing wrong with my teeth and i've never needed a brace. A dentist once told me that some people have soft teeth and some people have hard teeth, its just genetic, so the amount they'll be affected by thumbsucking or my decay is different.
Equally some people's teeth stick out who dont suck their thumb... so i wonder if people are just genetically going to need a brace and some aren't - regardless of thumb sucking?

Solo · 03/04/2012 15:13

Also cakes my cousin is a couple of years younger than me (I'm 48) and she still does it, so it doesn't necessarily stop.

DeepThought · 03/04/2012 15:16

Wrt thumbguard my eldest nibbled and chewed his, waste of money

His teeth are dreadful, nothing has worked

Pinning all our hopes on braces due this summer (age 12)

LadyInPink · 03/04/2012 15:22

My DD was an active thumb sucker from a few weeks old until the dentist at age 5 said that she really needed to stop as her baby teeth would be falling out and then the adult teeth would start to grow wrong if she continued. She did stop but her teeth still have the huge gap when she tries to bite her two sets of teeth together but i'm glad we stopped when we did.

I got rid of her comfort blankets a year previous by giving them to Santa (try the Easter bunny if doing it now) as she would suck when snuggling her blankie then we showed her pictures of extreme dentistry (i know, i know rather cruel but it worked as she was horrified that her teeth would end up like that). I then said to her that she could choose a present or treat for each week she stopped (maximum of about 4 wks i think) and would buy the present and put it where she could see it at night time to remind her what she would get if she managed it and i would stay and hold her hand and stroke her head and tell her how clever she was etc as the first two nights were hell as she cried and said it was to hard etc.

It did very quickly get easier as her brain seemed to reprogram not to suck but she did need a big thumb type plaster with a bandage wrapped and tied to her wrist so she couldn't pull it off while sleeping. Every time she said it was too hard we would always say "ok you can suck" but she was determined to quit and get her present so the child does need to want to give up so age 2 may not be wise as quite young. Her best friend also gave up the same way as the mum was so impressed it worked and DD teachers allowed her to wear a thumb plaster to school as she would suck at story time/when bored etc.

Another mum tried it recently but her daughter didn't have the will power so she gave her a dummy instead - she is aged 8!

We may need braces but it won't be nearly as bad as if she had carried on and the dentist is always very impressed with her for stopping and gives her stickers and reward books for her efforts.

I wish you all the very best but at age 2 I was just thankful DD could comfort herself to sleep with her thumb whereas her cousin would scream 5x a night for her dummy to be found.

lemniscate · 03/04/2012 15:23

Aside from needing orthodontic treatment to correct it - which as far as I can tell is a cosmetic thing - what are the actual complications of thumbsucking? So many children have braces etc. anyway and not all of them were thumbsuckers. Are we supposed to stop them thumbsucking just so our kids don't have to have braces? Or are there deeper medical reasons why we need to stop them?

I have 2 committed thumbsuckers aged 4 and 18mo. My dentist is fairly relaxed about it for now - says that the comfort they get from it at the moment is more important for us now than any dental work that may or may not be required later. I had braces and don't remember it as being particularly unpleasant and to be frank I'd rather we paid for orthodontic treatment later if it means that my children can comfort themselves and sleep well now. Is that really naive/terrible of me? (Genuine question)

Solo · 03/04/2012 16:13

Teeth can be straightened, gums/jaw shape cannot be rectified.

Solo · 03/04/2012 16:18

THIS is almost exactly (see the close up mouth pic) how my niece and nephews mouths looks.

lemniscate · 03/04/2012 16:40

I didn't realise about the possibility of the jaw changing shape sufficiently to affect how they look etc. However that article has a pretty scary photo (I personally have never seen a child with teeth remotely like that) and it still basically says thumbsucking isn't a problem in the preschool years, doesn't it? I'll carry on letting mine thumbsuck for a while without guilt I think as it is so important to them both at this stage and very helpful for us as a family that they can soothe and settle themselves, and then worry if DS is still doing it at the end of reception year.

SoupDragon · 03/04/2012 16:44

"Teeth can be straightened, gums/jaw shape cannot be rectified."

That's not strictly true - this is why DS1 started orthodontic treatment aged 7. Whilst they are still growing, the orthodontist can change the way the jaws grow and correct the damage. It does have to be started at around 7 though.

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