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Parenting

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Original poster

Oh help! HV has said my ds2 has a bad overbite from his dummy!!!!

26 replies

Helenemjay · 21/12/2005 15:26

What do i do??? he is 3 at the end of feb and he LOVES his dummy, i have said i will be well rid of it by the time he is 3 but our hv commented on his teeth the other day and now i have shown other people and they have been a little concerned too! how do i sort it out, i know nothing about dummy problems as ds1 never had or wanted one! i feel so stupid for not noticing and not doing something about it earlier, whats the best thing to do other than getting rid of his dummy ASAP!!!

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followthestarlover · 21/12/2005 15:28

well, i would go to a dentist and ask them. what do hv's know about teeth?

Pinotmum · 21/12/2005 15:32

I agree that a trip to the dentist would be a good idea. My dd who is 5 yo has a crooked jaw my dentist informed me. The upper teeth should overlap the lower teeth but this only happens on one side with dd. The dentist wasn't unduly worried and said she would keep an eye on it and if it doesn't right itself then dd may have to have a brace when she's 8 ish. I don't care about a brace so long as she doesn't need an op

lunavix · 21/12/2005 15:34

Is it defiately from his dummy? My BIL had a dummy, but his overbite was caused by biting his bottom lip with his top teeth. I do it too (althoguh I don't think I have an overbite) but worrying so does ds!

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DoesntChristmasDragOn · 21/12/2005 15:35

DS1 has done this through thumbsucking.

followthestarlover · 21/12/2005 15:35

yes, i would have thought a dummy could push the teeth out... but can't see how it would cause an overbite?

DoesntChristmasDragOn · 21/12/2005 15:36

Um... I thought pushing them out was an overbite.

DoesntChristmasDragOn · 21/12/2005 15:37

DS1 has pushed the top teeth out and the lower ones in.

MelissasSecretSanta · 21/12/2005 15:37

My neice had a bad overbite because of her dummy, (once she was off the dummy her teeth slowly dropped back into line) & DD has one too. I am not overly concerned (and I am a dental Nurse)
as by the time her adult teeth come thru she will be well off her dummy by then.

Once he stops with the dummy, his teeth will drop back. The dentist won't do anything but advise you stop giveing him the dummy, I know how hard that can be! They won't give you naything to conteract the effects as his jaw is still growing too quickly & an appliance would have a detrimental effect on growth.

MelissasSecretSanta · 21/12/2005 15:39

I should actually correct my post, your DS's teeth & my DD teeth PROTRUDE due to the dummy. An overbits is when the jaw is too far forward & no, a dummy wouldn't cause this.

followthestarlover · 21/12/2005 15:40

i thought an overbite was when your top jaw stuck out further than the bottom... not just the teeth sticking forwards

mythumbelinas · 21/12/2005 15:43

i took my 2 dds to the dentist recently. Dd1's teeth is fine and never used dummy, but dentist did comment on dd2 sucking her dummy .. habit i must try to break her out of. Her teeth are fine right now, but dentist mentioned a 4 yr old boy who's teeth had gone horribly crooked.
(I sucked my thumb ..not how i got my mn name!! haha hoho ;) even after my milk teeth fell out, but my dad taught me to press my teeth!)
dd2 also loves her dummy, day and night (can't fall asleep w/o it!!) but so far i've got her off it during the day (some tears involved) and will give it to her at night, but pull it out when she falls asleep and during the night too .. gotta work at it

MelissasSecretSanta · 21/12/2005 15:45

followthestar, you are right, that is why I corrected my post in another post. I didn't read the thread title right & so didn't make the connection until after I had posted.

MelissasSecretSanta · 21/12/2005 15:45

An overbite can be eithe jaw being to far forward BTW.

Original poster

Helenemjay · 21/12/2005 15:52

Well she called it an overbite but my mum said she doesnt think thats right, when i ask him to show me his teeth he closes them together and his top teeth (at the front this is) has like an arch you could almost fit your little finger (or a dummy!!!) through the gap it creates between those and his bottome teeth, it really really doesnt look right now that i can 'see' it!!

OP posts:

MelissasSecretSanta · 21/12/2005 16:01

It's not an overbite, not if it has been caused by the dummy, don't worry. The teeth are simply protruding because the dummy has simply pushed his teeth further forward. Try going for an orthodontic dummy or a flat dummy, my dd hates both, so I stick with the cherry teat as I know she will grow out of the dummy habit long before it has a chance to effect her adult teeth.

Don't let it worry you too much, he is not in pain & his teeth will not be damaged because of this. Once he is off the dummy they will fall back.

MelissasSecretSanta · 21/12/2005 16:02

HV do not have any dental training, she simply used the wrong word!

rummum · 21/12/2005 16:04

My children cried for the first night then forgot about it....
if you could start weaning him off it now... like only give it for sleep or when he's really tired (maybe you do) and tell him its going soon. Father Christmas took my kids dummy's away and gave it to a baby that needed it. They accepted this.. but if your going to do this idea I'd do it after christmas... get him used to the idea first...

Good luck...

MIstletAOU · 21/12/2005 16:17

Dd2 is a thumbsucker rather than a dummy sucker, and when she was about 2 we started calling her thumbs her "bedtime thumbs" - ie they can only go in at bedtime! It took about 6 months of us calling out "thumb!" each time we saw it creeping into her mouth, and even now if she is watching tv or in the car she will try and sneak it in - but generally speaking she doesn't suck it at all now. There was no point us trying to stop her sucking it at night (can't take it away, can you? ), but I've noticed that she only sucks it going off to sleep but not during the night now. She is 7 now btw.

aragon · 21/12/2005 16:53

Helenmjay,

Hi, I am a HV too and I know nothing about teeth apart from what I was taught and have learned since. The best guide to your DS teeth is from a visit to the dentist. My son (3 yesterday) still likes a dummy at night although it's rapidly losing the importance it once had.
My friend who's daughter used a dummy did note an overbite, however, this sorted itself out once the dummy use stopped and this makes sense as their mouth/jaw/teeth are still developing.

Original poster

Helenemjay · 21/12/2005 19:32

oh thankyou aragon, we do only let him have it at night time now and when he is sleepy in the day, i understand its importance to him, but i really dislike seeing kids his age running about with a dummy in their mouths, so i will be happy to get rid of it!

OP posts:

MelissasSecretSanta · 21/12/2005 22:22

sorry aragon, not being picky, but it isn't an overbite. I only say this as Helenemjay seemes quite concerned to hear it was & I want to put her mind at rest.

To quote the dental nurses handbook, "Habits such as finger/thumb or dummy sucking can result in displacement of front teeth, generally resulting in an increased overjet. This is usually corrected when the habit ceases"

Overjet should not be confused with an overbite, totally sepertate problems.

thecattleareALOHing · 21/12/2005 22:32

My ds totally voluntarily gave up his dummy at night as he turned four - no trouble, no tears, no persuasion - his choice. He has only had it at night for about two+ years. His teeth protrude slightly, but all the evidence is that this is temporary and will not affect his adult dentition.

tensing · 22/12/2005 00:52

HV are a pain in the back side, as you can tell I have had several bad ones.

Try not to worry to much, these are only baby teeth at the end of the day.

As for getting rid of dummies, see if you can get your son to leave his dummies for Santa, to take away and giive to new babies, now that your son is so grown up.

colditz · 22/12/2005 01:00

My 2.8 year old ds has exactly that arch in his teeth, i could almost put my little finger in there. He anly has his dummy at night, this has been the case since he was 1, and we do use the flat dummies,

Am I right in believing that it will not affect his adult teeth as long as the dummy is gone then? because his dummy is his comfort to him! I took his bottle away when he was 2 ish, and we have a baby due in April. I want him to feel he doesn't have to give everything to the baby, IYSWIM. He will be losing a chunk of mummy attention as it is, and I intend to give the baby a dummy. It seems so harsh to not let him have one when he can remember how much he loved it. He does ask for it the minute he goes to bed.

MelissasSecretSanta · 22/12/2005 12:10

colditz, as long as it is gone before his adult teeth come thru then I doubt it would cause a problem for him. My neices teeth went back as soon as she gave up the dummy. She is now 6 & you would never know she had an arch.

As I say, I am a dental nurse, my DD has this same arch (will not touch ortho dummies, or flat ones) & I am not too concerned about it. She will be well out of her dummy habit by the time her adult teeth are coming thru.

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