Most children stop sucking on thumbs, pacifiers or other objects on their own between 2 and 4 years of age. No harm is done to their
teeth or jaws until
permanent teeth start to erupt. The only time it might cause concern is if it goes on beyond 6 to 8 years of age. At this time, it may affect the shape of the oral cavity or dentition. Children may experience difficulty in swallowing and speech patterns due to the adverse changes. Aside from the damaging physical aspects of thumb sucking, there are also additional risks, which are present at all ages. These include increased risk of infection from communicable diseases, due to the simple fact that non-sterile thumbs are covered with infectious agents, as well as many social implications. Some children experience social difficulties, as often children are taunted by their peers for engaging in what they can consider to be an "immature" habit. This taunting often results the child being rejected by the group or being subjected to ridicule by their peers, which can cause understandable psychological stress. Methods to stop sucking habits are divided into 2 categories: Preventive Therapy and Appliance Therapy. or the Association of Pediatric Dentists. Some suggest that positive reinforcements or calendar rewards be given to encourage the child to stop sucking their thumb. The American Dental Association recommends: • Praise children for not sucking, instead of scolding them when they do. • If a child is sucking their thumb when feeling insecure or needing comfort, focus instead on correcting the cause of the anxiety and provide comfort to your child. • If a child is sucking on their thumb because of boredom, try getting the child's attention with a fun activity. • Involve older children in the selection of a means to cease thumb sucking. • The pediatric dentist can offer encouragement to the child and explain what could happen to the child's teeth if he/she does not stop sucking. • Only if these tips are ineffective, remind the child of the
habit by bandaging the thumb or putting a sock/glove on the hand at night. • Other
orthodontics for appliances are available. The British Orthodontic Society recommends the same advice as ADA. A Cochrane review was conducted to review the effectiveness of a variety of clinical interventions for stopping thumb-sucking. The study showed that orthodontic appliances and psychological interventions (positive and negative reinforcement) were successful at preventing thumb sucking in both the short and long term, compared to no treatment. Psychological interventions such as
habit reversal training and
decoupling have also proven useful in
body focused repetitive behaviors. Clinical studies have shown that appliances such as
TGuards can be 90% effective in breaking the thumb or finger sucking habit. Rather than use bitterants or piquants, which are not endorsed by the ADA due to their causing of discomfort or pain, TGuards break the habit simply by removing the suction responsible for generating the feelings of comfort and nurture. Other appliances are available, such as fabric thumb guards, each having their own benefits and features depending on the child's age, willpower and motivation. Fixed intraoral appliances have been known to create problems during eating as children when removing their appliances may have a risk of breaking them. Children with mental illness may have reduced compliance. However, more studies are required to prove the effectiveness of external devices on thumb sucking. == Children's books ==