Digit Sucking

Digit sucking is a habit that occurs in infants. Children usually give up digit sucking by the age of three or four. If the child continues past the age when their permanent teeth start to erupt, they may develop crooked teeth and a malformed roof of their mouth. This results from the frequency, duration, intensity, and position of the digit in the child’s mouth. This can also affect the position of the upper and lower jaw and can also affect speech.

Suggestions to break the habit:

• Wait till the time is right (low stress).
• Motivate your child (show examples of what could happen to their teeth and fingers/thumbs).
• Use a reward system (small incentives will encourage your child to stick with it).

If the gentle suggestions above are not successful then we have other options.

• You can try to use a clear bitter nail polish on their fingernails.  It is possible that the bitter taste can deter them from sucking their fingers or thumb.
• The next option would be a plastic appliance that goes on their finger or thumb to cover their favorite digit.
• Lastly, we can custom make a dental appliance to prevent them from sucking their fingers.  See image below.

All of these options are determined by the patient’s age, maturity, and desire to quit sucking their fingers or thumb.  We will discuss this with the parent and the child to see what is appropriate on a case by case basis. Schedule an appointment to discuss which one is right for your child.