Many mothers worry about their child's thumb sucking. Modern medicine says the habit is normal if the child stops by the age of five. If it carries on beyond that age, it becomes a problem that needs treatment, because it harms the child both socially and physically.
A child who keeps sucking their thumb may be teased by other children. Thumb sucking also distorts the upper and lower dental arches and the bone that holds the teeth, giving the front teeth an unattractive shape.
Medical research suggests the habit comes from the pleasant feeling children get when a finger or any smooth surface touches the roof of the mouth, which makes the habit hard to give up. Specialists therefore consider it necessary to treat the habit by removing the source of that pleasure.
Treatment
Specialists say that when thumb sucking has become a problem, treatment starts with the parents understanding the child's situation. The doctor then talks to the child gently, in a relaxed atmosphere at the clinic, in the child's own language, so that the child accepts the treatment. If the child accepts it at the first session, treatment can be much shorter; if not, the doctor continues at the next session, and the number of sessions depends on the child's state of mind.
Treatment can also be shortened with appliances that stop the thumb touching the roof of the mouth. These come in two types: fixed and removable.
By Dr Anas Rasem
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