Pacifiers have been used for decades as beneficial baby toys, so you might be wondering what all the fuss is about! Believe it or not, studies have shown that letting your child chew on a pacifier past the age of 2 can affect their dental development – and not in a good way. Keep reading to learn how your child’s pacifier could be impacting their smile.
Do Pacifiers Contribute to Dental Issues?
They can when children use them after a certain point of development. Eventually, the mouth tries to adapt to the constant presence of a foreign object and will start to reshape itself. This can negatively affect the way your child’s teeth develop and cause alignment issues. Similarly, the pressure a pacifier can exert on baby pearly whites can slowly cause them to shift, contributing to crooked teeth.
It’s also not recommended to dip your child’s pacifier in sugary substances. While “sweetening the deal” might seem like a helpful adjustment, the prolonged exposure to sugar can cause cavities and gum recession.
Tips for Safely Using a Pacifier
Pacifiers can have many benefits for infants, like promoting healthy self-soothing habits and helping with weaning, so you don’t have to throw them away completely! Along with not coating your child’s pacifier in sugary sweets, there are a few other things you can do to have your cake and eat it too – so to speak. For example:
- Ask your pediatric dentist and doctor about when it would be a good time to stop pacifier use. Recommendations vary, so it’s best to check in with your child’s care providers.
- Sanitize your child’s pacifier on a regular basis to mitigate bacteria build up.
- Make sure the pacifier is the right size for your child.
- In this case sharing is not caring! Don’t allow your child to swap pacifiers with their playmates.
Pacifiers can be beneficial for your child, but they can also lead to dental problems if you’re not careful. Follow these tips and work with your pediatric dentist to promote healthy development for your child’s pearly whites!
About the Practice
Dr. Andrea Beltzner and Dr. Michael Royse are your board-certified pediatric dentists in Hillsboro. At The Dentists at Orenco for Kids, they provide gentle dental care for infants, toddlers, and teens. If you’d like to know more about the link between pacifiers and your child’s oral health, contact their office at 503-640-6565.