{"id":126,"date":"2019-02-12T20:21:38","date_gmt":"2019-02-12T20:21:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.dentistsatorencoforkids.com\/blog\/?p=126"},"modified":"2020-06-29T15:32:10","modified_gmt":"2020-06-29T15:32:10","slug":"pediatric-dentist-in-hillsboro-discusses-oral-health-and-thumb-sucking","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.dentistsatorencoforkids.com\/blog\/2019\/02\/12\/pediatric-dentist-in-hillsboro-discusses-oral-health-and-thumb-sucking\/","title":{"rendered":"Pediatric Dentist in Hillsboro Discusses Oral Health and Thumb Sucking"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignleft\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/www.dentistsatorencoforkids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/kid-sucking-thumb-resized-1-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"child sucking their thumb\" class=\"wp-image-129\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.dentistsatorencoforkids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/kid-sucking-thumb-resized-1-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.dentistsatorencoforkids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/kid-sucking-thumb-resized-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.dentistsatorencoforkids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/kid-sucking-thumb-resized-1.jpg 800w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>As a parent who wants to ensure their child is healthy and taken care of, you may have wondered what kinds of bad habits to discourage. Making sure your kids grow up healthy and happy is your top concern, and as they grow older you wonder when things like thumb sucking will turn into a harmful practice for them. Thankfully, your pediatric dentist in Hillsboro can ease a little bit of your worry by offering advice for your child\u2019s natural habit.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Thumb Sucking is a Natural Behavior<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Your child has probably sucked their thumb since they were\nin the womb. It\u2019s a completely normal impulse that makes them feel safe and\neven calms their anxiety from being away from you. So, it is important to keep\nin mind how this coping mechanism can affect their mental health as well. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Since a child doesn\u2019t start getting their permanent teeth\nuntil they\u2019re about six, there isn\u2019t much they could do to ruin their oral\nstructure just yet. Thumb sucking can only result in serious consequences when the\nhabit becomes vigorous and frequent past the age of four. Most children tend to\ndrop it naturally, but if they don\u2019t there are always ways to discourage\nit.&nbsp;&nbsp; <br>\n<br>\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Consequences of Thumb Sucking<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>So your child is still sucking their thumb past four\u2014now\nwhat? There are multiple affects that thumb sucking can have on your child\u2019s\noral health past a certain age:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>Shift or\nchange in bite. <\/strong>The force of the suction can cause your child\u2019s teeth to\ngrow in different ways. Your child could develop an overbite where their teeth\nsignificantly overhang, permanently damaging their oral structure. Other\nresults you could see are buck teeth and an uneven bite where their front teeth\nwon\u2019t close but their molars will. <\/li><li><strong>Damage to\nthe roof of their mouth. <\/strong>When children are more vigorous thumb suckers, it\ncan damage their palate which could result in speech issues. The pressure from\nthe suction can break down the surrounding soft tissue and alter the shape of\nthe roof of their mouth.&nbsp; Other factors\nthat this could affect are your child\u2019s swallow patterns, breathing patterns\nand the shape of their face. <\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Do\u2019s and Don\u2019ts of Habit-Breaking<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>There are many ways you could encourage your child to stop\nsucking their thumb if you believe it\u2019s becoming detrimental to their oral\nhealth. Some do\u2019s include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Setting up positive reinforcements and reward\nsystems for your child. <\/li><li>Praising your child when they begin to do the habit\nless often.<\/li><li>Sitting them down and explain how their habit\ncan have a lasting effect on them. <\/li><li>Visiting a pediatric dentist to assess other\noptions of discouragement and for further information on effects. <\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>While breaking habits is a timely feat to take on, it can\nbecome frustrating for parents. It is important to stick to healthy and\npositive ways of discouragement\u2014here are some don\u2019ts:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Do not use spicy foods or substances to deter\nchildren from sucking their thumb.<\/li><li>Refrain from scolding or accusing them of doing\nsomething bad. It could heighten their anxiety and potentially make the habit\nworse. <\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>While some dentists suggest switching to a pacifier is a\nhealthier alternative because you are able to take it away from them, other\ndentists suggest not to do this because it creates another habit. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Regular visits to your pediatric dentist to discuss <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dentistsatorencoforkids.com\/preventive-dentistry.html\">preventive\ncare<\/a> for your child is important in maintaining their oral health. If you\nnotice any kind of change in your child\u2019s teeth or become concerned about their\nhabit, it is important to discuss it with your dentist for kids in Hillsboro. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>About the Practice<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>At Dentists at Orenco For Kids, we offers decades of collective experience between our five dentists, three of which are pediatric experts. Dedicated to serving children, our pediatric team of dentists are each Diplomates of the American Board of Pediatric Dentistry. For any questions or concerns about you or your child\u2019s dental health, visit their practice <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dentistsatorencoforkids.com\/contact-us.html\">website<\/a> or contact them at 503-640-4262. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>As a parent who wants to ensure their child is healthy and taken care of, you may have wondered what kinds of bad habits to discourage. Making sure your kids grow up healthy and happy is your top concern, and as they grow older you wonder when things like thumb sucking will turn into a [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-126","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v22.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Pediatric Dentist Hillsboro | Thumb Sucking | Children&#039;s Dentist | Breaking Habits<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Have you ever wondered when your child should stop sucking their thumb? Your pediatric dentist in Hillsboro offers key advice.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dentistsatorencoforkids.com\/blog\/2019\/02\/12\/pediatric-dentist-in-hillsboro-discusses-oral-health-and-thumb-sucking\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Pediatric Dentist Hillsboro | Thumb Sucking | Children&#039;s Dentist | Breaking Habits\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Have you ever wondered when your child should stop sucking their thumb? 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