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When The Thumb Bites Back…

June 28, 2016

We see it all the time. An infant sucking their thumb is very cute. However, if the habit continues for any length of time, damage to their bite will occur. It creates the ‘buck’ teeth we are all familiar with. It can also cause boney changes in the mouth  by the thumb pushing up on the palate and the cheeks pushing in on the upper back teeth. If a soother with an orthodontic nipple can replace the thumb, awesome. If not, there are habit breakers available if the habit continues into the stage where adult teeth start to appear (around six years of age). It’s not an easy issue to resolve as parents. It could be that the habit has an emotional component we can’t easily dismiss. As well, the science of osteopathy discusses the theory that thumb sucking may be a child’s way of correcting an issue with the movement of the cranial (head) bones, a theory too complicated to fully discuss in a short blog.

– Dr. Jay Rabinovich

Posted in Blog by Jade