Feeling rubbish - dummy has messed up teeth

[theculture]

My dc didn't use a dummy until about 2 years and became really attached to it. I knew it wasn't a great idea but thought she would grow out of it. She didn't and now at 5 I realize she has a gap between the top and bottom teeth because of it

Feeling pretty rubbish for not being the grown up and stopping her

Does anyone have experience of what will happen next, her big teeth haven't come yet - will she need dental treatment?

You don’t know why her teeth shifted, it happens all the time with little kids as they grow. More importantly you have no idea what her mouth will look like when her adult teeth all come in. I know moms are programmed to feel guilty about everything but honestly it’s a bit overdramatic to make this potential non-problem about something you did.

Oh no it’s another one of those threads where everyone’s an expert and they all definitely absolutely positively know what happened to OP’s daughter’s teeth and why. I never realized many eminent orthodontists were on mumsnet!

Dummies & other parafunctions (eg thumb or finger sucking) do cause this. It's because the teeth want to occlude with (bite on) something, usually the bottom teeth. If there's something else in the way then that's what they will bite on. The sucking causes the narrow upper jaw.

OP, I practised as a dentist for nearly 15 years although I generally avoided children asking as the sucking is stopped by the one the adult teeth start to erupt (6ish), it will almost certainly resolve itself.

There may be genetic mis positioning of teeth underlying this issue but ¯\(ツ)/¯ can't say without knowing more.

Don't stress, just try to get the dummy gone at some point.

An ex-expert. Does my opinion count..?

*asking as = as long as

Oh no it’s another one of those threads where everyone’s an expert and they all definitely absolutely positively know what happened to OP’s daughter’s teeth
Defensive much? Only one person said that they worked in dentistry. But given that the relationship between extended dummy use and dental issues is well evidenced, it does shock me (like many other posters) that people continue on well past the usual age of use. I know from personal experience that it's hard to stop the dummy, and I feel sympathy for OP, but also don't think it's ok to be all 'dont worry hun'-ish about this when other posters are saying they're doing exactly the same.

IME it is a lot easier to reduce dummy usage and then remove it than it is to do the same with thumbs

I just don't want to tear away his biggest comfort at the moment Stuckforthefourthtime. DH is adamant that it needs to go, but it's his only baby thing that he has left. I just feel like he needs to give it up on his own accord.

For anyone with a thumb or finger sucked I'd recommend buying a 'thumbsie'. DS used it for a few weeks and it completely broke the habit. It's been a couple of years now and no thumb sucking since

I went cold turkey with the dummy. Three nights of fussing and job done. Although the DD hates all fairies now, especially the evil dummy stealing fairy. If you're that bothered do something.

Is it well evidenced? It seems to me that dentists are all very disapproving but it always seems to be based on asking the parents does this child have a dummy/suck thumb/breastfeed, and of course they say yes, because I'd imagine that over 90% of small children have something. So it's easy to say oh yes the dummy has caused this when it might just be a normal thing? I've never heard of a dentist asking about dummy use when there isn't a visible problem.

I'm very much not an expert but I've never seen any actual studies about it, that's all. I'm quite prepared to believe there is a link, I've just only ever heard opinions about it.

My daughter was the same. She now needs braces at age 14. Not much comfort to you but it can be sorted out if big teeth also grow in like this.

@BertieBotts you can spot a dummy/thumb sucker from across the street. But (particularly on this forum) dental problems are never the fault of the individual/parent choices, they're always either bad luck or genetics or something else made up.

Glad I don't practise anymore, it's frustrating to watch people ruin their own health and that of their children.

That's your opinion though, isn't it? That's what I have an issue with. Observations on strangers in the street that you can't possibly know are true aren't evidence. I am not saying it's definitely not true either, I just don't think it's a good basis to draw a conclusion from.

Elder dd, no dummy, never sucked her thumb. In train track braces for 3 years.
Younger dd, dummy until 4 (at night), no orthodontic treatment needed.

Who knows why 🤷🏻‍♀️?

gives up

If we could all be calm about this I DO remember reading somewhere that breast feeding is better for jaw development than bottle feeding due to how differently the baby has to suck to obtain the milk.

That might have something to do with it although ds was breastfed till he was 18 months as were the girls. And as I said he was the one who needed orthodontics. Maybe it's how they drink from their sippy cups who knows? I would err on the giving them comfort when they need it. They have stressful enough lives.