Guest Post by Glovey Huggey

Although thumb sucking seems to be a “normal” behavior in humans and some primates even from their time in the womb, it is not so healthy for older children and adults.  According to one survey, two-thirds of children under 2 years old suck their thumbs. About one-quarter continue through age six and as many as nine percent suck their thumbs at the age of six.

Most agree that sucking the thumb does little harm as long as the child has baby teeth. Thumb sucking habits often calm children as an extension of the deep-seated sucking reflex. The focus on prevention and habit change is after the permanent teeth come in. For children at school age the question of how to stop thumb sucking takes on some urgency.

Dental problems stand out as bad consequences of thumb sucking. The force of pushing the thumb into the mouth often causes problems with the shape of the top of the mouth. Adult teeth get pushed out as they come in so the teeth are not aligned as they should be. A child may develop a lasting overbite where the top teeth rest further out than the bottom teeth. Some children may develop a “buck teeth” look.

Some children develop speech defects associated with poor dental development. The sound of their speech could be distorted; They may develop a lisp, caused by improper use of the tongue in articulation. Appearance and speech problems could have consequences for social development as the child matures. Children who suck their thumb in school may be the victims of bullying or teasing.

As a child matures, sucking the thumb is definitely not beneficial for health. The habit can damage the thumb and cause skin infections, often affecting the nail roots. Even for toddlers, the thumb or fingers are rarely clean. Sucking the surface of the thumb nearly always brings external bacteria into the mouth. These germs can cause diseases or tooth decay. Children who suck their thumbs often have a high frequency of throat infections.

A lot has been written about how to stop thumb sucking. Some emphasize a psychological or behavioral approach using explanation or praise to end the behavior. Dentists sometimes recommend hardware in the mouth to prevent entry of the thumb. These include palatal crib, rakes, palatal arches, or lingual spurs. Unpleasant tasting or hot tasting chemicals painted on the child’s thumb are used with mixed results. Devices worn over the thumb with a glove-like fitting have also had some success in breaking the habit.