Many parents are very concerned about their children’s habits, which can be a concern for them in the future. Sucking thumbs and pacifier habits are some of them. Likewise, if you hear that your child is also affected by this habit, make sure to make him/her get rid of that routine, or else it will impact your child’s oral hygiene. These habits are found mostly in toddlers and infants. As an inhabitant of San Jose, CA, you must make sure to consult with a dentist in San Jose CA.
Understanding the thumb-sucking habit.
Thumb-sucking habits are a regular and pacifying behavior that is primarily found in babies and toddlers. At the start, it is just a palliative feeling for them to feel protected. However, if it is not broken and your child is still soothing or stinking his thumb, then it can impact his/her dental fitness.
The impact on dental fitness.
The habit of pacifying and thumb-sucking can affect your dental health in many ways. First and foremost, by constantly sucking thumbs, you will get a problem of overbite, where your upper teeth alignment will not meet properly with your lower teeth alignment and will impact your chewing ability. Likewise, it will also affect your appearance and lead to wearing braces or aligners.
Social Concerns.
Pacifying will affect your dental abilities, and it will also make sure to make you an anti-social person. With that unaesthetic look, you will not have the confidence to talk or smile publicly, fellow mates will mock you, and you will end up lowering your self-esteem through embarrassment.
Tips to break pacifying habits:
- Start from an early age.
You should start teaching your child about the thumb-sucking habit from an early age, around six months or one year. You must make sure that your address is appropriate for an infant.
- Positive support.
Children are very reactive to positive support from their parents and tend to repeat the activities for which they were praised. Therefore, you must make sure that whenever your baby stops pacifying, you reward them with positive gestures.
- Child awareness and avoiding triggers.
Make sure that you are notifying your child about their habits. Therefore, you can also help them avoid thumb-sucking by keeping them busy with other activities. Likewise, you should also avoid triggers that make them pacifying, like hunger or boredom.
- Seek assistance.
You can also seek assistance from a professional if you think that you are not able to break the habit of pacifying. In addition, you can also search the internet for tips for breaking pacifying habits.
If you are a struggling parent who is unsuccessful in breaking the habit of thumb-sucking, consider seeking help from a pediatrician or your family dentist.
