In the previous article we discussed, the causes and bad effects of thumbsucking and now we will shift our focus on how to stop children from sucking their thumb. Thumbsucking as we now know can be much more than a bad habit as it affects the oral health of the child.
First let’s understand what approach we should not take to get the child to quit thumbsucking. Shouting at children, punishing them or mocking them is not the way to get them to quit and probably get them more hooked on to the habit. You might be able to get the child to quit thumbsucking but might hurt him emotionally or have psychological impact on him.
Now, let’s take a look at possible remedies for thumbsucking.
- Admit the problem infront of the child. Let him know that its something he should rather do away with. Convey this casually and not in a strict manner.
- Try finding the cause of the thumbsucking. Is it just a casual habit or the child does it in times of stress and address this.
- Offer a reward for not sucking.
- Wrap a cloth around the child’s thumb. This should discourage him from sucking his thumb.
- Put some bitter material on the child’s thumb to discourage the habit such as Cayenne pepper, quinine, and asafetida. Some doctors term it as cruel though.
- A very popular therapy which has been shown to be effective is the mirror therapy. Make the child sit in front of the mirror daily for few minutes and suck his thumb. Eventually, the child feels embarrassed and realizes the silliness of the habit.
- An orthodontist can place a orthodontic appliance which will deter thumbsucking. Generally a fixed palatal crib is placed on the palate.
- Thumbguards are also known as good deterrents to thumbsucking and can be employed.
