What Are the Dangers of Thumb Sucking from a Dentist’s Point of View?
When it comes to taking care of your children and their health, you need to make sure that you know the dangers of some of their behaviors. Thumb sucking can damage the mouth over time, but it is not always an easy habit to break, especially if you have a young child. If you are looking for kids’ dental in Markham, you should make sure to speak to the professionals about the potential damage that thumb sucking can cause.
Why Does It Happen?
Most children suck their thumb because they are beginning to explore how their mouth works. For babies and small infants, thumb sucking is a natural part of development and does not affect their dental health. It can help to soothe them while also helping to stimulate the growth of their baby teeth. However, if a child continues to suck their thumb when their adult teeth start to grow in, some problems can arise, which will require the help of a pediatric dentist in Markham.
The Dangers
As thumb sucking can be a hard habit to kick for young children, primarily when they use it to help them fall asleep, you may be concerned about the potential damage it can cause when done long term. Unfortunately, when their adult teeth start to develop, several dangers present themselves, becoming more of a problem.
Alignment issues are one of the main problems that can arise when a child still sucks their thumb when their adult teeth begin developing. Their top front teeth may start to come in far ahead of the back teeth. While improper alignment may seem minor, it can cause many irregularities in the mouth, affecting jaw growth, gums, and the mouth rooftop.
While you may not see these damages right away, if you visit Markham dentistry for children, they can speak to you about the long term effects.
Moving Forward
As thumb sucking can cause mouth irregularities and improper alignment, your child may need to have copious amounts of dental work in the future if it is not promptly addressed. You can help stop your child from sucking their thumb by ensuring they have other comforts when anxious or by rewarding good behavior.
At Markham 7, we prioritize your children’s health and can help ensure your child’s teeth are in good shape now and in the future. Contact us today for kids’ dental in Markham.
