PAGE 6A | THE SCARSDALE INQUIRER
Kids!
MARCH 23, 2012
Breaking the habit
Thumb sucking and pacifers can be risky business
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BY JACKIE LUPO
ucking is the most basic human instinct. Fetuses can be seen in sonograms sucking their thumbs in utero. Human infants need to suck to feed from the mother’s breast, and they respond to a touch on the cheek by rooting for their mother’s nipple moments after birth. And as babies grow, they may suck on a thumb, finger or pacifier as a way of self-soothing.
“The habits from using a paciΩer and sucking a thumb or Ωngers and putting objects in the mouth can not only harm the teeth and how they erupt but speech, and how they eat, and other issues.” — Dr. Paula Fabbie
A natural behavior Throughout infancy, sucking is a natural behavior. The combination of an infant’s mouth and a mother’s soft, yielding breast is ideal for healthy feeding and correct development of the baby’s mouth and facial structure. The action of sucking also causes the brain to produce endorphins, making sucking a highly pleasurable activity for babies. But the same behavior that is good for infants can be harmful for older babies and children, when they are not sucking on a mother’s nipple, but on a pacifier, thumb or finger. And the problems can get worse the longer pacifier or thumb sucking continues. While a mother’s nipple is soft and flexible, other things babies suck on, such as
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pacifiers or thumbs, are not — and as a result, the developing structures inside the baby’s mouth can be affected. What’s more, once a child passes the age when sucking is no longer a necessary, natural behavior, excessive thumb or pacifier sucking can become a habit that’s very difficult to break. Many people think a 2-year-old with a thumb in his mouth looks cute. Fewer people think the same about an 8-year-old thumb sucker with buck teeth, a receding chin and a tendency to breathe with his or her mouth open. Unfortunately, even the most beautiful baby can develop serious changes to the teeth, jaws and overall facial structure if a natural and normal activity — thumb sucking — continues too long. Similar problems can result if a baby is allowed to use a pacifier beyond the toddler stage. “It’s a pretty common problem, and it’s very hard to stop,” said Gary Heitzler, D.D.S. of Hastings Pediatric Dental. “It definitely could cause malformation of the jaws and teeth.” Dr. Heitzler said thumb sucking and pacifier use could change the growth and formation of the palate. “Some kids can get away with it,” he said. “It depends on how hard a sucking seal they’re forming.
But we always try to have them stop between 2 and 4.” Thumb sucking or pacifier use during the first few years of life is usually harmless, and most toddlers gradually give up the sucking habit on their own. Some kids find the habit hard to break, though. And for the really vigorous thumb suckers, the constant pressure of a thumb against the roof of the mouth can cause the palate to grow in a high, arched shape instead of a nice, rounded one. When the shape of the inside of the mouth is distorted, so is the positioning of the teeth. Common results include malocclusion — when the teeth in the upper and lower jaw don’t meet properly; protruding or buck teeth; teeth that are crooked and widely spaced; and excessive development of the upper jaw along with underdevelopment of the lower jaw. According to the American Dental Association, “Children who rest their thumbs passively in their mouths are less likely to experience difficulty than those who vigorously suck their thumbs.” If you’re not sure how hard your child is sucking his thumb, a sure tip-off is a “popping” sound when he removes his thumb from his mouth. Paula Fabbie, an orofacial myologist in CONTINUED ON THE NEXT PAGE