As a parent, you are always worried about your child. No doubt, you try every aspect to give him comfort, even at the risk of some habits that may be harmful to him later—thumb-sucking is one such act used by infants to calm themselves. Many people might say that it’s a common thing and cause no harm. However, it may have adverse effects if the habit stays longer than needed.

Thumb sucking becomes an essential part of the schedule of infants and toddlers as a medium of learning to accept nourishment. For some unknown reasons, this habit goes along with them even when they are grown up, while for some, it becomes a lifelong habit.

Side-effects of thumb sucking

The fact that thumb sucking is a reflex cannot be overlooked. A passive thumb sucking, which involves taking the thumb or the finger into the mouth, often may not be harmful, but what may be dangerous to the teeth is the active or vigorous thumb sucking, especially to the baby teeth. Moreover, taking the thumb into the mouth before bedtime in the age when the child has just been devoid of breastfeeding, can make the child feel secure, inducing sound sleep. In other cases, it might have become merely an activity to kill boredom and stress.

Now, Thumb sucking may not be problematic to the baby teeth, but once the permanent teeth come in, they can be problematic, especially for the tooth alignment. The adults, thus, need to be careful, if somehow, they have such a habit of sucking the finger. The following are the side-effects:

• Misalignment: It is the most common and permanently staying side-effect of thumb sucking. The exact term for this is dental malocclusion. The misalignment can take in two forms; open bite and overbite. Open bite is a condition in which the top and bottom teeth grow outwards, which is visible even when the mouth is closed. On the other hand, in the overbite malocclusion, the upper front teeth grow such that they cover the bottom teeth. These misalignments affect the shape of the child and also his smile, inviting the feeling of inferiority in him.
• Severe skin problems: Sucking the thumb can also cause various other issues over the years, including serious skin problems. Due to the prolonged exposure of the hand to the moisture in the mouth, the skin may develop cracks and bleed, increasing the vulnerability to various infections. Hence, if you find your child growing any of such symptoms, use a bandage or glove to prevent the disease.
• Speech stuttering: As the regular thumb sucking can affect the jaw, teeth, and palate, it can make a big difference in how they speak and eat. The addition to the problem is that even high-quality speech therapies cannot cure it, which calls for appropriate dental care.

Undoubtedly, anything done in an excessive amount is harmful to health. Likewise, thumb sucking can prove to be disastrous for your teeth and overall looks. Thus, see your dentist as soon as you notice the above signs.

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