Thumb Sucking Dangers
The first ever thumb-sucking clinic in Britain has warned against the dangers of thumb sucking and outlined the problems which it may cause to dental alignment. It is believed that approximately eighty percent of babies and young children suck their thumb at some point and that it is advised that the habit is put to a stop as early as possible to avoid problems occurring in later years. Children should ideally have stopped sucking their thumb by the age of four and if this is not the case, parents should do their best to encourage the child to find comfort in an alternative.
Invisalign is now an alternative to traditional braces
If the habit is not controlled and children continue to suck their thumbs past this age, it is likely that they will experience dental alignment problems and negative dental development in years to come and that it is likely that they will require orthodontic work to correct protruding front teeth, an open bite, crowing or a crossbite, all as a result of the early age thumb sucking.
If a child is still sucking their thumb after the age of four and has already experienced negative dental development such as an overbite or an open bite, advances in dental technologies mean that children today do not require the same ‘train track’ braces as their parents may have worn. Today we are able to offer invisible, ‘Invasalign’ braces, discreet ‘Damon’ braces and even a ’6 month smile’ option as alternatives to traditional braces which all ensure that children are confident about their orthodontic work and not ashamed to be wearing braces.
Posted in: Invisalign
| August 17, 2010 at 12:29 pm | No comment
