Thumb-sucking is a common habit among babies and young children. In fact, it is considered a normal part of their development and can be comforting for them. However, some children can develop a more intense form of thumb-sucking, which can lead to problems with dental and speech development. In this blog, we will discuss how to tell if your child is a vigorous thumb sucker and what steps you can take to help them break the habit.
If your child is a frequent or long-term thumb sucker, the constant exposure to saliva can have adverse effects on their skin, causing irritation, dryness, and even infection. In this blog post, we will explore the damage saliva can do to the skin on hands during thumb sucking, and provide some tips to help heal damaged skin.
When long term or persistent habits leave a child with bald patches, a visible overbite or areas of broken skin on their hands, the habits can also lead to social and developmental issues. Understandably, if there are no major factors that might be influencing the habit, such as grief or trauma, parents may decide to encourage their child to end their habit. Here we give our best tips for helping children stop habits and reduce the associated risks.
The average treatment time with braces, for overbite and other similar issues, is approximately two years. However, factors such as how well your child cleans their teeth can play a part in increasing that time.