Thumb Sucking - Houston,TX

I'm afraid I don't have much advice for you. My sisters and I were all thumb/finger suckers. What worked for my sisters was my grandma bribing them with $20 around age 6-7. Unfortunately, I didn't stop until I was 12!! and the only reason I did was because my jaw was so small that I had to have an expander put in on the roof of my mouth so it would be the same size as my lower jaw. Then, there was no room for my finger.
There also used to be some type of nasty-tasting but non-harmful rub to put on the thumb to help stop it, but if kids are determined...
All three of us had to have braces and I'm sure it's because of the thumb sucking since neither parent had problems.

Ugh, I hope you have better luck with your kids!

My aunt had 9 children. they all sucked their thumbs, they are all fine with great teeth.
It is a stress reliever and kids give it up when they can and not before. I would save the kid and figure that the teeth will survive. Try and decrease the stressors. give their mouths a workout with sugar free candy, apples, pineapple and lots of excerise.
With the flu season insisting on hand washing first may help them to see how much thumb sucking they are doing. Cut out all buy 30 min of TV which along with going to bed is prime thumb sucking time. REmove thumb after they fall asleep.

More you focus, more they stress, more they suck.

K.

Forget about it. They'll stop when they want to. If it gives them comfort and a feeling of security, why take that away. My now grown daughter was a thumb sucker for many years, longer than most, and she turned out fine. The thumb sucking did not cause her to have braces. I talked to her dentist and "leave her alone" was his advice. If your friends children do not suck, don't let them make you feel bad. Just ignore them and it...and please don't make a big issue of it with the children. They have enough on their minds just growing, they don't need you adding problems.

constantly reminding them. every time you see it in there mouth tell them stop sucking your thumb. i was a nail biter and used fingernail polish to quit...hated having flakes of polish in my mouth!!! :P good luck. * the thing dentists put in the mouth is painless for the mouth but it hurts your thumb...friend had it and was very mad about it still to this day...they didnt tell her thats what was going on.

We went with a TSA (thumb sucking assistant). It is a device the dentist puts in th roof of there mouth. It is painless. He wore it 6 months and he was done. Insurnace also paid for it. The dentist told us when his permanet teeth were coming in and it was time. He was in kindergarten. Take the pressure off you.

Two of my 4 sucked their thumbs----They both stopped on their own around Kindergarden. Of course we would remind them in public to take their thumbs out of their mouths--but at night I wasnt too worried about it--They are both kids that to this day have high stress levels and Im sure at that age it helped to get rid of it. A neighbor had to use the dental implant----she was in JR High.

Hi C.,

I am having the same problem with my 2 1/2 yr old. She is constantly sucking her thumb, not just while watching tv and sleeping. We call her out every time we see her, but it doesn't help. My pediatrician told me the only thing that will work (aside from the miracle that she will quit on her own soon) is a bar put behind the front teeth by a dentist (same thing other posts have mentioned). However, her dentist actually said that for her son, she used something that you paint on their thumb nail that tastes terrible. Can't remember what its called but she said you can ask your pharmacist for it. Think that's our next step...good luck!