Thumbs or Pacifiers? Heroes Or Monsters?

The results of studies on both thumbs and pacifiers this decade have had some surprising results.

  

It seems that both can be a hero or a monster. 

The differences are in the timing.

Hero

One of any parent's worst nightmares is SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome). There is usually no warning and the causes are not entirely understood.

In comes the former-arch enemy of infant health -- 'The Pacifier' to the rescue. Studies performed in this last decade show that babies use of a pacifier at night can help reduce the chance of SIDS.

Pacifiers keep an infant from sleeping as deeply as they would without one. And, while sleepy parents might not find this a great thing, the lighter sleep and sucking allow the infant to be pulled from a sleep that could become so deep that breathing stops.

Thumb or Pacifier?

Thumbs or a parent's little finger used to be considered a healthier alternative by some groups. They had more "give" they were skin, and there is a limit to how hard they can be sucked on.

However, they can't be sterilized as easily as pacifiers. More importantly - reports show that it is often easier to get a toddler to stop using a pacifier than it is to get them to stop using the convenient and always present thumb.

Why is this important?

 Monster

Being able to ween your toddler off of either option by age 2 (and at the VERY LATEST age 4) can make a big difference to the need for future dental treatment. And don't we ALL want less treatment and more smiles?

The studies on sucking effects showed on crossbite in the molar area steadily increased from 5.8 percent for children who stopped the habit by one year of age. It jumped to 13 percent among children who stopped between two and three years old. And reached more than 20 percent for children who continued to use a pacifier or thumb-suck after they turned four years old.

Which Will You Pick?

So much of parenting is in balancing the special needs of each stage of development. It is good to know that there is benefit to allowing our infants (and ourselves) the comfort and quieting of a thumb or pacifier.

But we also need pick wisely looking ahead to that time where the sucking benefit becomes a curse. And, choose the method we feel we can successfully ween sooner rather than later. What will it be.. Thumb or pacifier?

 

Dr Karen Chu DMD

I would love to hear what you decided for your infants and toddlers  Please leave a comment and share what has worked for your family.

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Tricks For A Tooth Friendly Halloween

Halloween is one of our most fun holidays. Who doesn't like to play dress up, do startling jokes and get together with friends around a theme? For our kids especially, it is a time to indulge in imagination and delicious yet safe scariness.

It is NOT so great for small teeth. In the days before during and after there is an unusual amount of sugars eaten at odd times which can lead to some danger for small teeth. And, it is a time for potluck parties and home treats that sometimes have less than professional chefs. Caramel and toffee gone hard can lead to tooth shattering experiences.

So, here are some simple tricks to make sure your child's treats are tooth friendly:

1.  Extra brushing. Between friends and parties and pocketed treats, twice a day may not be enough. Check in another time or two and send them to do a quick "treat brush" during the day.
2. Show them how to savor a candy apple or caramel treat. Shoe them to give it a lick fort (so they can get a warning if it is a rock) and then a nibble ( a scraping of teeth against outside of the treat) and then to slooowwwly sink their teeth in. Let them know that if the teeth don't sink in then that this is a licking treat like a tootsie pop -- not a biting treat.
3. Remove home made treats from the Halloween candy bag unless you know the house they came from. As sad as it is to waste a treat made with love, you cannot know what has come out of a stranger's kitchen. Although many urban myth sites claim the razor blade in the food story never happened, there can be honest mistakes that can occur such as a splintered stick end or nuts that are just not shelled well that can hurt tender gums.
4. Above all, keep track of how much candy came home in the bag and the rate it is eaten. You will want to continue to check for extra better flossing (caramel and toffee can cling) and add in some extra brushes until it is ALL gone.

Wishing  you all have a  spine tingling fun and safe Halloween!

Karen Chu DMD

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