Thumb Sucking - Columbus, OH

Well I have that same problem with my 11 soon to be 12 year old..We have tried bandaids, hot sauce, and all the things in between..But what I think helped the most is the talk with the dentist..She still does suck her thumb but not as much...When you tell her she HAS to wear braces she may stop..I hope some of this helps...

Hi K., I had 1 thumb sucker. She probably still sucks her thumb in private at 26. I did not use or do anything that would hurt her like hot sauce. What is wrong with some of you. If the child is older, first talk to the child about the situation and how it will effect her teeth (because it will.)
A Girl does not want buck teeth, show her pictures of buck teeth. Offer a gift upon completing the task. Instead of drawing attention each time it is happening have the child do something with both hands. Pick up papers,play a game, chores etc. Don't try to make her thing she is bad. Let her know you want to help her. Be persistant, loving and creative. B.

my cousin who is now 23 and has 2 darlings of her own suckled on her thumb until she was 13....the solution to finally getting her to stop was Cream of Tartar. its down the spice aisle of the supermarket, just check and make certain you child isn't allergic to it first (rare) and sprinkle a little on her thumb, she won't like it trust me...taste nasty..but it worked for my cousin. Good luck!!!!:)

Good morning K.,
I really don't have any suggestions on how to stop thumbsucking. I'm sorry. I have a nine year old girl that still sucks her thumb. It is only at night, or when she is engrossed in a movie. We have tried the NO BITE stuff for her nails she just sucked right through that. We have tried dipping in tabasco or hot sauce. No go!! We have even offered her money. The dentist has warned her to stop but she thinks braces may be cool. So my plan is to not bother her about it too much and hope she stops eventually.
A.

You may be able to use some of the same things used to get a kid to stop biting their nails. There was a posting about that not long ago. Good luck!

Hasn't any one talked to their dentist? Mine said that thumb sucking isn't going to affect the adult teeth until they start coming in, around 7 years old. At that age, as another previous poster just proved, you can get them to stop with reason. Then you don't have to torture your little one, let them have their thumb for comfort!

Sorry I cant help. Im have the same problem with my 5 yr old. I was hopeing that when she started school she wouldnt want to suck it anymore but yeah right. I hope you find the answer to no more thumb sucking. I know I could use an answer.

GOOD LUCK!!!

my Dd is age 3 and we are working on trying to stop her now. the trut is that it is bad for their overall dental growth to thumbsuck once they start losing their baby teeth. it can affect the shape of their whole mouth not just the alignment of the teeth.

Your daughter is old enough to make an effort to stop. For most it's a habit that has to be broken. Like all habits, it'll be hard to break. My son chewed on his finger for years, I sometimes still have to tell him to stop. He's 11 and has been off the finger, for the most part, for 2 years. You just have to stay on her. Unless she's got some developmental issues she should be able to stop with out all the tactics people use on younger kids. I did get my son one of those stress balls, balloon filled with sand, that he played with to help break the habit. It gave him something to do with his hands when he wanted to put it in his mouth. Give it a try and talk to her! Make sure she knows you love her and want the best for her. Good Luck.

My 7 year old daughter's friend just quit sucking her thumb about 4 months ago (she's 8 years old). Here's what they did after trying all the other ideas (no-bite nail enamel, tabasco, etc) First, since she was old enough and aware enough they spoke to her about thumb-sucking...the stigma, the security it provides and the actual physical habit. They asked her if she had any ideas to help her stop too. She seemed excited that she was being involved in the decisions (instead of being told or forced to stop!) The tongue is an muscle and needs to be trained (some people are tongue thrusters) so most dentists will recommend training the tongue to curb tongue thrusting and yes, even thumb sucking! It worked for our little friend by using hard candies...you place one at the roof of the mouth and hold it there with your tongue. Yes, this may take time but any solution will. There are many different sugar-free candies out there too, I'm sure you can find one your daughter likes. Hope this helps!!! Good luck (just remember to encourage her, dont be negative or stigmatize her for it!)

As a previous thumb sucker...she has to want to stop. I was about 10 or 11 when I finally stopped.