Thumb Sucking - Salt Lake City, UT

I also have a 2 year old thumb sucker and a 10 month old thumb sucker and I sucked my thumb until I was 8,( only to sleep and only when I was at home). I asked their pediatrician and she said they will stop in their own time and won't suck it at school because other children will tease them. She also said that the "buck teeth" is a myth. Which I know to be true because I have no problem with my teeth.

I have had relatives try to take their thumb out of their mouth and lecture me about thumb sucking, and I hate that. I personally would rather see their thumb in their mouth than a binky. Maybe because I sucked my thumb and I turned out normal..... I would let her be...I am..
My parents tried the chili on the thumb and telling me it would fall off too. I think that is more tramatic than the remote possibilities of dental problems....

My daughter sucked her thumb all the way up to kindergarten. We tried all of the "home" remedies people suggested like chile powder, hot sauce etc. Everyone also told us oh she'll grow out of it. I don't beleive that because I know an adult that still sucks his thimb. Also I noticed someone else responded by saying they'll stop when they go to school because of getting teased, not so my daughter continued to suck heer thumb when she was in kndergarden. It did cause dental problems for my daughter, the sliva from sleeping with her thumb in her mouth was as bad as giving her a bottle. She had 2 molars that needed silver teeth. It also effected her front teeth, when she smiled she had a round gap which is where her thumb usually went. We took her to a special pediatric dentist and they were able to place a device similar to a retainer in her mouth. The device made it so there was no room to put her thumb in her mouth anymore. She completly stopped sucking her thumb & the retainer fixed the gap too. No complaints from her it was a natural way to do it, and she never noticed the retainer. Good Luck!

None of mine were thumb-suckers, but my youngest sister was.

My mom tried to get her to stop with no luck. When she was about 4 she had a trip to the dentist and he let her know she didn't need that anymore and should stop... she did! Mom says practically cold turkey. I don't know exactly what he said to her but it sure worked.

Hi K.,

I personally sucked my thumb until I was 13. And believe me, I have a lot of other friend who were in the same boat. One of them actually sucked her thumb until after she got married.

Here's from experience -- the longer you wait to break your child of it, the harder it will be on you, her and the family. Yes, it does cause long term dental problems. Very expensive & complicated. Braces, oral surgery, sometimes having to break and reset the jaw. Not fun!

My advise, stop today! You can find a product at the pharmacy called Thum. Its made to put on her thumbs and its HOT. She will probably cry and it might be difficult for a few days. But its worth it. Just remember, the longer you wait, the more she becomes attached and the harder it will be to break the habit.

Hi K.,
My daughter also sucked her thumb. Actually, we're still working on breaking her habit and she just turned 9 years old. I tried over the years to get her to stop by talking to her and putting "No Bite" on her thumb nail. I also put bandaids on her thumb and even taped her thumb to her hand with medical tape. Nothing worked and she insisted on sucking her thumb.

She now has some of her permanent teeth. Her thumb sucking did cause dental problems--she has quite an overbite and will have to wear headgear to correct it.

I do think most kids stop on their own. If I had it to do over again, I would have been more proactive in getting my daughter to stop when she was very young. Her dentist recommended wearing a mitten during the day. She also puts a sock on her hand each night and tapes it with masking tape around her wrist so it doesn't slip off while she's sleeping. She has almost quit sucking her thumb, but still has to wear a sock on her hand each night so she doesn't forget.

Good luck.

My daughter was 8 before we could finally get her to stop sucking on two of her fingers. Yes, it did cause dental problems and we have shelled out alot for braces. I encouraged my second and third children to take a pacifier so that I could take it away at an appropriate age. Therefore, I would advise encouraging her to stop before she is 5 - when she will start to loose her baby teeth and permenant teeth come in.

I took two of my children to see Sandra Coulson. She took the pressure of being the bad guy off of me and my husband. My kids were almost 4 and 18 months. My 4 yr. old never sucked her thumb again after the initial visit and my 18 mo. old stopped within 2 weeks. She has a great multi-faceted plan that works great with kids and adults alike! Check out her website. It is srcoulson.com. She is an oralfacial myologist.
Good luck.
S.