Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Behaviour/development

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

Flip

1 2 3

Original poster

Thumb sucking... Anyone not got buck teeth from this??

60 replies

Nini100 · 19/08/2014 14:14

Hi
Im being torn over thumb sucking with my second child. She is 4.5mths old and uses her thumb to go to sleep on her tummy in her cot.
She doesn't do it any other time not in car seat or buggy. She just uses motion to go go off on these occasions.

Due to hearing horror stories of thumb sucking and bad teeth and adult thumb sucking I'm trying to get her to stop.

So I'm trying to push dummy which occasionally works but at times it just stresses her out and she just plays with it and pulls it out etc.

If she continues with it I would like some ideas on how to wean off when older or any positive stories of thumb sucking as it suits at the moment but don't really want to ruin her teeth.

Many thanks

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

VelvetEmbers · 19/08/2014 18:31

My DC4 sucked his thumb from birth until he was at least 10. He is now 22 with beautiful straight white teeth, and no braces.

MewlingQuim · 19/08/2014 18:33

I thumb sucked until I was 12 and had an overbite and crooked teeth. Who knows whether it was caused by the thumb sucking or not? Plenty of people I know had to have braces but were not thumb suckers. DH sucked his fingers as a child but has lovely straight teeth without braces.

I paid for orthodontic braces to straighten my teeth when I was in my thirties. It cost £2900.

DD sucks her fingers when she is tired. I don't stress about it much but DH does.

todayisnottheday · 19/08/2014 18:55

I don't have buck teeth but do have a huge overjet. My mum had the same again from thumbsucking. Her correction involved years of braces and her jaw being broken both sides, twice. It's cost £X000.00. I decided I'd live with it rather than go through what she did.

Other people have no effects. I suspect there has to be a weakness there in the first place, perhaps softer bones or something but have no evidence of that obviously!

Wrt your child, I wouldn't try to stop it but I would try to replace it with a dummy if you can. If not then decide to try and deal with the thumb early on, ideally as soon as they have developed other soothing behaviour you can encourage. I certainly wouldn't try to stop a 4.5mo self soothing.

reup · 19/08/2014 19:02

I sucked my thumb until 7 or 8 no braces. I stopped naturally. My oldest never did, he needs braces!

My youngest did till 6 and one tooth sticks out badly- will need braces . I think you don't have to worry till 2 or 3 though. We used plasters on his thumb which worked then a few months later he started again. We then usedf that anti nail biting paint which worked.

TeaAndALemonTart · 19/08/2014 20:08

DS2 never sucked his thumb or had a dummy but needs braces for a big over bite. He's refusing to have one though.

Original poster

Nini100 · 19/08/2014 23:29

Thanks for all the replies. She is only sucking when asleep in cot not mastered doing it whilst sitting upright.
The whole orthodontic costs thing is a worry. Im gonna use dummy for car seat naps and see how she goes for bed sleeps.
I totally agree dummy can be taken away and thumbs cant but she doesnt seem to settle well on dummy and dont fancy the going in and out of bed to put it back in.

OP posts:

olivo · 20/08/2014 08:16

I tried a dummy with both of mine but neither liked it and as soon as they found their thumbs, wouldn't entertain dummy at all.

lazurm65 · 31/12/2016 00:38

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

stillwantrachelshair · 31/12/2016 00:44

DS is 4.5 & doesn't just have an over bite but his bottom teeth are being pushed flat. He has a speech delay anyway but this really isn't helping as his mouth can't form some sounds properly as things aren't in the right place. The most recent dentist trip really worried him & he is doing amazingly well at stopping whereaS a year ago he just couldn't stop himself.,

BertieBotts · 31/12/2016 00:49

Still suck my thumb aged 28 and don't have buck teeth. My top teeth do stick out a little past my bottom ones, but so do my sister's, and my son's. Neither of them have ever sucked theirs.

I'm convinced it's genetic. I think dentists assume that it's related because of confirmation bias. Most children suck a thumb, finger or dummy, so when asked they can pin it on that. But they probably don't ask the parents of straight teethed children if they sucked anything.

BertieBotts · 31/12/2016 00:50

Oh seriously, zombie? FFS.

Dancinghorses36 · 31/12/2016 00:51

My three girls all sucked their thumbs, the last one who is 7 was doing it right up until last year but they all have perfect teeth, I wouldn't worry about it

Threesoundslikealot · 31/12/2016 00:51

I think dummies can cause problems with teeth.

I sucked my thumb for a very long time. Had a huge overbite, all blamed on thumb sucking, so severe that my first brace was fitted at 10. Four years later, all braces off, teeth shot straight back to where they were, like a PP also experienced. Then they decided it was the set of my jaw. Braces back on to prepare for an op, had that at 18, braces finally off once and for all just as I went to university. But my brother had the same thing and never sucked his thumb, and my much older cousins look the same (don't know their thumb sucking status). It's all bloody complicated and some people will have been told that thumb sucking is to blame for bad teeth when it isn't.

I'm sure it can cause problems - obviously has for some on here - but it's rare.

foxyloxy78 · 31/12/2016 01:30

I had to have teeth removed at the age of 12 because of thumb sucking. And braces put in as I was extremely goofy. All because of thumb sucking. Nip this in the bud asap.

sonlypuppyfat · 31/12/2016 01:57

My cousin sucked her two fingers, she completely mucked her front teeth and ended up with crowns

Cryingandmorecrying · 31/12/2016 02:11

Sucked mine until I was 11 and had no problem with my teeth. No brace and people compliment me about how straight they are as an adult.

EddieStobbart · 31/12/2016 02:27

I'd be trying as hard as you can to push the dummy as an alternative. I was so smug about my two little self-soothing thumb suckers but DC1 is now 10 and was given a brace early, partly to help her stop and partly because of the state her teeth and jaw were in (was told it had impacted on the development of her jaw as well). It's done the job and she's now on a break before getting a fixed brace when all her adult teeth are properly through. Will need to go the same route with DC2 - teeth less crooked but her front teeth seems to have been pushed really high up. I have a feeling we might have to pay for treatment for her as it doesn't look as dramatic as DC1 but I think it's important.

Am so jealous when I see babies with dummies!

EddieStobbart · 31/12/2016 02:30

Orthodontist was clear DCs primary issues where through thumb sucking. They were going to stop treatment at one point as she kept taking out her brace to suck her thumb.

slithytove · 31/12/2016 03:10

I did until I was 13 and my teeth shape is pretty perfect
Never needed braces or a retainer

Baylisiana · 31/12/2016 03:21

I sucked my thumb way beyond babyhood. I think it may have changed my teeth a bit, not that visibly but I can feel the front two they are not quite in the 'right' position. Braces might have helped, I never had them. I would not worry at your dd's age though.

Baylisiana · 31/12/2016 03:23

Cross posted with cautionary tales and am re assessing....my dentist has said my bite is......well, actually I may have misheard but I think deranged was the word used! It never occurred to me it could be connected to thumb sucking.

They make lovely dummies these days OP!

Out2pasture · 31/12/2016 03:24

sucked my thumb till 11 or so. I have a very high pallet, all my dentists were able to spot that this was from thumb sucking right away. my teeth are rather crammed which makes flossing very challenging. no braces needed but I wish I didn't have the dental issues I have.

Baylisiana · 31/12/2016 03:24

Arrgh, zombie thread!

JudithTaverner · 31/12/2016 09:15

My dd sucked her thumb till she was around 6 or 7 and her teeth were fine. I didn't mind her sucking her thumb when she was a baby as it meant she slept

I sucked my thumb through to adulthood and my teeth are ok too!

AlphaNumericalSequence · 31/12/2016 09:25

I sucked my thumb until I was nine and my teeth are perfectly in line, n problems at all.

Of the few people in this thread who sucked their thumb and do have misaligned teeth and other problems, I would like to say that this shouldn't be a cause of worry for you, OP. Just through chance, some people who thumb-sucked will have bad teeth, just like some non-thumb-suckers do.

I still look back on thumb sucking as a very very positive thing for me. It is great to have a way of self-soothing. It made me feel autonomous and assured and calm. On the other hand I felt really upset, humiliated, small and annoyed when well-meaning adults took me to task for it.

I was quite sad that neither of my children sucked their thumbs!

Flip

1 2 3