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How to Break the Thumb Sucking Habit

By Young and Polite January 30, 2020

One of the biggest challenges that every kids dentist Mint Hill needs to face is to help a child overcome their thumb-sucking habit. Unfortunately, it’s a common problem among parents who don’t know how to get their little ones to stop. In most cases, children stop sucking their thumbs by the time they turn four years of age. Kids who are older than five years and are still sucking their thumbs need to be encouraged to stop. Otherwise, this habit will lead to jaw and dental problems down the road. If your child has this habit, here are some ways to help them stop it.

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TALK TO YOUR CHILD

You’ll increase your chances of success if your child understands why this habit needs to be stopped.  Voice out your concerns about their permanent teeth coming in crooked because of thumb sucking. When they understand how this habit affects how their teeth will line up, they’ll be more likely to cooperate.

USE POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT

Giving small rewards that include a trip to the local park or an extra bedtime story could encourage your child to stop sucking their thumb. You can also try praising your child when they’re not sucking their thumb. Setting bite-size goals is also a great idea. For instance, establish a no-thumb-sucking rule within than hour before their bedtime. You can get more creative by using stickers to mark the days on the calendar when your kid has successfully avoided the habit.

SPOT THE TRIGGERS

It’s important to identify the issue so that you can provide your child with comfort using other ways. To keep your kids from turning to thumb sucking in order to ease their tension or stress, you can give them hugs, reassuring words or a stuffed animal instead.

In most cases, a chat with the kids dentist Mint Hill about the importance of stopping the habit of thumb sucking can be more effective than a talk with their parents. Schedule an appointment with Young and Polite Children’s Dentistry to schedule your child’s consultation.

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