As a parent, you may have wondered when is the best time to phase out your child's oral habit such as, thumb sucking, finger sucking or pacifier use.
Developmentally, babies do not need the pacifier to self-soothe after six months of age. The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD), recommends weaning from oral habits by age 3.
Is breaking an oral habit a necessity? It can be. Extended thumb sucking, finger sucking or pacifier use can contribute to the development of oral myofunctional disorders, which can leave your child at risk for:
How can Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy help?
OMT can help address these habits through reeducation and retraining of the muscles in and around the mouth, tongue posture exercises, correct swallowing techniques, and breathing training.
Ask us about our Habit Elimination Program for children ages 4 and up who cannot stop the pacifier/thumb sucking habit on their own.
This process should be fun and rewarding, not stressful and difficult! We'll team up with you and your child to help them learn positive ways to eliminate the habit.