Many parents ask us what impact thumb sucking will have on their child and how they can help to stop it so we thought we’d share some insights we have. Firstly, thumb sucking is a very natural thing that many children do from an early age…and we mean very early. There is plenty of evidence that shows babies in utero sucking their thumb! Why do they do it? Thumb or finger sucking [...]
Sucking in babies, whether this is thumb, finger or dummy, is part of normal, healthy development. In the very early stages of life, dummy sucking is not a concern, however if it continues, it can cause changes to the teeth and jaws. What are some of the problems we see with prolonged dummy sucking? Many of the kids we see with prolonged dummy habits often do have issues with their teeth and [...]
Certain disorders of the muscles of the face and mouth are known as Orofacial Myofunctional Disorders (OMDs). They include non-nutritive sucking habits, improper swallowing habits, and incorrect postures and functions of the muscles of the tongue, lips, jaws and face. Orofacial Myofunctional Disorders can include one or more of the following: Thumb, finger, lip, tongue or cheek sucking habits Mouthbreathing which results in a mouth open and lips-apart rest posture A forward [...]