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Are you aware of what causes thumb sucking and how to properly treat it? Thumb sucking is a condition in which a child sucks their thumb to help alleviate fears or concerns that they may have. Typically, it is used as a security blanket to help provide an additional layer of care for a child who may have confidence issues or experience intense fears.

If your child is routinely sucking their thumb, it can put an increased risk on the proper growth of teeth. Not only can it slow the progress of teeth erupting in your mouth, but it can also cause teeth to not fully grow in. Furthermore, it can lead to misaligned teeth and alterations in the shape of the roof of a child’s mouth.

As an alternative, you may be able to wean your child off thumb sucking and onto pacifiers. However, even though pacifiers are an easier habit to break, they can lead to the same symptoms of thumb sucking. However, pacifiers have been shown to help lower a baby’s risk for sudden infant death syndrome.

The time is now to enhance your smile with pediatric dental care from Dr. James Strang and our team at our office in Colorado Springs, Colorado. James M Strang Junior DDS PLLC wants to help your child with thumb sucking treatments, so call us at 719-598-0971 to book an appointment.