I was at a Christmas concert yesterday enjoying the songs rendered by the choir when suddenly my attention was drawn to two little girls sitting a few rows away. I guess they were sisters. The older one who was about 6 years old was sleeping and thrusting her tongue while the younger one who was about 3 years old was sucking her thumb and playing with her belly button. I wished I could do something to make them stop. Maybe a chat with their mum to educate her on the effect this habit
could have on her daughters appearance would have helped but I didn’t have that opportunity.
Children engage in a number of habits while growing up; the most common of which is thumb sucking.
Thumb sucking and tongue thrusting are seemingly harmless habits that babies and young children engage in to get some form of emotional succour. These habits are picked up at very early stages of life and are sometimes difficult to get rid of. Parents who encourage the habits often do so to escape giving the babies constant attention as the habits tend to keep them busy and calm.
As the children grow up, some stop the habit while others continue. Children who do not stop sucking their thumb or thrusting their tongue before their permanent teeth comes out (i.e before 5/6 years) usually have issues with the way their teeth are arranged.
Some of the end results of the Habits include:
- AOB- Anterior Open Bite: This is a case in which both upper and lower front teeth do not come together when the teeth are closed.
Any habit that causes the finger or tongue to stay between the upper and lower teeth for long periods often serve as a hindrance to the normal occlusion (the way the upper teeth and lower teeth should touch when the teeth are closed).
- Protrusion of the upper front teeth: Prolonged thumb sucking or tongue thrusting habit puts pressure on the upper teeth causing it to stick out of proportion.
Treatment:
All these conditions can be treated by an orthodontist; a dentist who sees to the proper arrangement of the teeth.
Prevention
Encouraging the child to stop the habit before the permanent teeth erupts will help prevent the occurrence of these conditions. Stopping the habit can be a big challenge as most times the habits are done subconsciously.
The parent can set a goal for the child and reward him each time he does well. It could be as simple as getting a gift for not sucking for a whole day. The idea is to celebrate little victories so he can strive to do more. Sometimes it could require putting something bitter or a tape on the finger as a reminder not to suck.
When the child cannot stop the habit on his own, he will need the dentist to give him an habit breaker which restricts him from engaging in his thumb sucking or tongue thrusting habit.