{"id":959,"date":"2025-09-07T19:58:30","date_gmt":"2025-09-07T19:58:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cabinetbellevue.be\/my-child-sucks-their-thumb-when-should-i-be-concerned\/"},"modified":"2025-09-07T19:58:30","modified_gmt":"2025-09-07T19:58:30","slug":"my-child-sucks-their-thumb-when-should-i-be-concerned","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cabinetbellevue.be\/en\/my-child-sucks-their-thumb-when-should-i-be-concerned\/","title":{"rendered":"My child sucks their thumb: when should I be concerned?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p data-start=\"117\" data-end=\"321\">Thumb sucking is a natural and comforting gesture for many children. However, after a certain age, this habit can have an impact on the development of teeth and jaws.<\/p>\n<h3 data-start=\"323\" data-end=\"373\">Why do children suck their thumbs?<\/h3>\n<ul data-start=\"374\" data-end=\"542\">\n<li data-start=\"374\" data-end=\"437\">\n<p data-start=\"376\" data-end=\"437\">To reassure and calm oneself, especially before going to sleep.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"438\" data-end=\"493\">\n<p data-start=\"440\" data-end=\"493\">Because it is a reflex acquired from birth.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"494\" data-end=\"542\">\n<p data-start=\"496\" data-end=\"542\">Sometimes to compensate for boredom or anxiety.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 data-start=\"544\" data-end=\"582\">Up to what age is this normal?<\/h3>\n<p data-start=\"583\" data-end=\"744\">Before the age of 3 or 4, there are generally <strong data-start=\"623\" data-end=\"645\">no consequences<\/strong> for the teeth. However, if the habit persists <strong data-start=\"702\" data-end=\"719\">after the age of 5 or 6<\/strong>, it can cause:<\/p>\n<ul data-start=\"745\" data-end=\"881\">\n<li data-start=\"745\" data-end=\"785\">\n<p data-start=\"747\" data-end=\"785\">teeth that protrude forward,<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"786\" data-end=\"815\">\n<p data-start=\"788\" data-end=\"815\">a deformed palate,<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"816\" data-end=\"881\">\n<p data-start=\"818\" data-end=\"881\">occlusion problems (poor jaw closure).<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 data-start=\"883\" data-end=\"923\">When should you see an orthodontist?<\/h3>\n<p data-start=\"924\" data-end=\"970\">It is advisable to make an appointment if:<\/p>\n<ul data-start=\"971\" data-end=\"1140\">\n<li data-start=\"971\" data-end=\"1050\">\n<p data-start=\"973\" data-end=\"1050\">the child keeps his thumb in his mouth very often, even during the day,<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"1051\" data-end=\"1092\">\n<p data-start=\"1053\" data-end=\"1092\">the front teeth appear to be protruding,<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"1093\" data-end=\"1140\">\n<p data-start=\"1095\" data-end=\"1140\">speech or breathing are affected.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 data-start=\"1142\" data-end=\"1184\">How can you help your child quit?<\/h3>\n<ul data-start=\"1185\" data-end=\"1448\">\n<li data-start=\"1185\" data-end=\"1228\">\n<p data-start=\"1187\" data-end=\"1228\">Praise progress instead of punishing.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"1229\" data-end=\"1285\">\n<p data-start=\"1231\" data-end=\"1285\">Offer a comfort blanket or other comforting alternative.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"1286\" data-end=\"1358\">\n<p data-start=\"1288\" data-end=\"1358\">Use fun little tricks (reward charts, games).<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"1359\" data-end=\"1448\">\n<p data-start=\"1361\" data-end=\"1448\">In case of difficulty, the orthodontist can offer gentle and tailored solutions.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p data-start=\"1450\" data-end=\"1603\">At <strong data-start=\"1455\" data-end=\"1473\">Ortho Belle-vue<\/strong>, we support families with patience and kindness, to transform this stage into a positive, stress-free experience.<\/p>\n<hr data-start=\"1605\" data-end=\"1608\">\n<h2 data-start=\"1610\" data-end=\"1624\">\u2705 In summary<\/h2>\n<ul data-start=\"1625\" data-end=\"1846\">\n<li data-start=\"1625\" data-end=\"1670\">\n<p data-start=\"1627\" data-end=\"1670\">Thumb sucking is normal up to the age of 3\u20134 years.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"1671\" data-end=\"1728\">\n<p data-start=\"1673\" data-end=\"1728\">Beyond 5-6 years of age, risk of dental deformities.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"1729\" data-end=\"1792\">\n<p data-start=\"1731\" data-end=\"1792\">Consult a doctor if symptoms persist or if there are visible changes.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"1793\" data-end=\"1846\">\n<p data-start=\"1795\" data-end=\"1846\">Simple and caring solutions exist.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Thumb sucking is a natural and comforting gesture for many children. However, after a certain age, this habit can have an impact on the development of teeth and jaws. Why do children suck their thumbs? To reassure and calm oneself, especially before going to sleep. Because it is a reflex acquired from birth. Sometimes to [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":947,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-959","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-non-categorise"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cabinetbellevue.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/959","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cabinetbellevue.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cabinetbellevue.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cabinetbellevue.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cabinetbellevue.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=959"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.cabinetbellevue.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/959\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cabinetbellevue.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/947"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cabinetbellevue.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=959"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cabinetbellevue.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=959"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cabinetbellevue.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=959"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}