Recently I spent time doing some voluntary work with young children and I noticed a toodler having difficulty with speaking and being understood which was causing him quite alot of frustration. After asking his teacher why he was struggling so much with his speech she mentioned that he had top teeth that were protruding and said this was quite commonly observed in children who at an older age were still sucking their thumb and using pacificers.
This then got me thinking and speaking with friends, family and educators of young children about the topic of thumb-sucking and the use of pacificers. I noted a real mix of opinion of people who thought it was completely harmless to give a child a pacifier and what people thought of the habit of thumb-sucking.
So in researching this health topic what was surprising to me is that babies can often be seen on ultrasound sucking their thumb in utero. And if fact the sucking reflex is one of the most important reflexes a newborn baby develops as it enables their ability to eat. However, how long should a child be thumb sucking for and how long should they be given pacifiers as a way to self-soothe is the question? And should we be worried if these habits go on for too long and could they cause major orthodontic work as they get older?
So, I thought I would speak to an Orthodontist who treats and manages children's teeth Dr Sanjana from Class 1 Orthodontics and ask her some questions about baby and child teeth development as well as, find out the truth about thumb-sucking and the use of pacficiers and how they affect children's teeth.
A big thankyou to Dr Sanjana for giving of her time and knowledge.
Dr Sanjana Baksi completed her Bachelor of Dental Science (Hons) at UWA and subsequently worked as a dentist in Perth in private and in indigenous oral health. Shen then undertook and completed her orthodontic specialist training at The University of Adelaide. Dr Baksi is a member of the Australian Dental Association, Australian Society of Orthodontists and American Association of Orthodontists.
For more information on Dr Sanjana and Class 1 Orthodontics visit www.class1ortho.com.au
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