Well, of course it is so nice and so comfy to suck your thumb, but it can be a nuisance as it can make your teeth stick out; it could affect your speech causing you to speak with a lisp; and it could make it more difficult for you to close your mouth when you eat, drink or sleep.
Thumb-sucking can also change the shape of your mouth and raise your palate upwards, making it difficult to breathe through your nose, as your nose is more often blocked. This can result in an irritant sniffy nose, colds and mouth-breathing. You will wake up with a dry mouth and possibly bad breath – not nice at all.
We could make this story even longer with problems caused by thumb-sucking , but let’s keep it simple. What can we do to stop thumb-sucking? Here some useful tips:
- Ask your parent or guardian to put a plaster or colourful sports tape on your thumb or finger.
- Ask your parent or guardian to take your thumb out when you are tired or for example while you are watching TV.
- Ask your parent or guardian to check on you while you are asleep at night; let them take the thumb out of your mouth and let them close your mouth gently so you breathe through your nose again.
- Make an agreement with your parent or guardian that they will reward you for not sucking your thumb for a set period of time, like a whole day or through the entire night or week. Getting a reward will make stopping more FUN!
If you have stopped your thumb-sucking, Well Done! You are a real cool dude!!!!!
If you have more questions or good tips on how to stop thumb-sucking, please ask your parents or guardians permission to email us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or just come by. We’d love to give you good information. Good luck and lots of love from the Dident Dentist Team, Henriette and Lien.
