Many children suck their thumbs to calm themselves. Sucking the thumb causes young child to struggle with this unhealthy habit that they love and can’t seem to break. Sucking your thumb causes crooked teeth, overbites, and deformities(roof of mouth). This can lead to oral health issues by making it difficult to swallow foods and change their speech patterns.
This psychological or pleasure-seeking problem of sucking ones thumb can be resolved by either applying removable or fixed appliances in the child’s mouth, or an adhesive plaster onto the child’s sucking finger. However, this condition can reoccur if a child starts to suck their thumb again once they are no longer forced to stop.
As a community, we can be willing to work with our child so that they can avoid the potential long term negative effects of their actions.