Preventing thumb sucking

BROOKE HAS KICKED THE HABIT!!!!!!!! . . . With the appliance you ordered in for us, it didn't take long for her at all.  Thank you for researching and reviewing the information and letting us know of this other method. Shaun and I were both not enthusiastic about having an appliance put into her mouth by the orthodontist. . . . She wore her thumb guards for 13 nights and socks on her hands for about 13 days. She doesn’t suck her thumb any more and we all couldn’t be happier about that. . . . . It is amazing to me that this has occurred and that it happened so much easier than I ever thought it was going to.  It was so worth it.

Thank you Dr. Bullock for finding the thumb guards and letting us know about it.

Thank you again,

Shaun, Lisa and Brooke

Thumb guard  

     The Thumb guard (T-Guard) is a device that is attached to a child's wrist using a colorful bracelet. When attached properly, a child can not remove T-Guard.  The children must wear the appliance whenever they may be tempted to suck. It comes in different bright colors.  The kit comes with an instructional video, the guard and 60 wrist bands.  Once the guard is worn the child can not generate vacuum so the sucking is not that satisfying.  In the morning you can cut the band off.  We advise the use of this device with your child's permission and not force them to use the device.

Current Research on Affects of Thumbsucking:

Thumb Sucking After Age 2 Can Lead to Overbite

The ideal age for discontinuation of thumb sucking 
habits is around 24 months.

     Kids who continue to suck their fingers or use a pacifier after the age of 2 may be more likely to end up in the orthodontist's office.  Also kids who used a pacifier or sucked their fingers or thumb by the age of 4 to 5 were more likely to:

	Develop protruding front teeth
	An irregular bite
	Affect the development of the jaw
	Influence the placement of developing teeth

     The current report suggests that even shorter-term sucking can have a notable impact on a children dental health.  Research has shown finger or thumb sucking to be more detrimental to the development of teeth than using a pacifier.Parents should do whatever is necessary to prevent their child from developing a finger or thumb sucking habit, even if that means encouraging a pacifier habit for a while.  The reason for this is that when the child is 2 to 3 years old the pacifier can be thrown away and the habit stopped, it's very difficult to stop a finger or thumb habit, so it's best to avoid them.

     "If a child's sucking habits persist by the time he/she is 36 to 48 mounts of age, professional assistance in habit discontinuation may be warranted to minimize the risk of developing malocclusion".  Early dental visits should provide parents with needed guidance to help their children cease such habits by 36 months of age or younger.
SOURCE: Journal of the American Dental Association, Dr. John Warren 2001;132:1685-1693.

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Dr. Bullock

. . . You are the first dentist I have come across that's able to help their patients before needing dental appliances or other expensive work. I wish a lot more dentists would take thumb sucking more seriously and offer help rather than tell parents not to worry. It's been very frustrating so far.

Thanks again for your advice. . . 

Shelley

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