Pacifiers help infants to cope with distress and discomfort. The appliance increases sucking activity that helps toddlers to receive nourishment, aside from soothing and reducing pain for a breastfeeding infant. This is why these plastic or silicon devices meet a great demand. On the downside, extensive use of pacifiers affects the growth of the mouth and dental alignment.
Likely, it can cause changes to the roof of the infants’ mouths. Such dental issues provoked by extensive use of pacifiers are commonly known as pacifier teeth. Please keep reading to know what our kids dentists say about it.
What exactly are pacifier teeth?
Pacifier teeth refer to unpleasant alterations in the oral cavity caused by prolonged use of pacifiers. The duration and intensity of sucking behavior determine the severity of pacifier teeth.
Remember that sucking on a pacifier even after age 2 will adversely affect the kid’s oral health. Long-term thumb sucking can also make a baby susceptible to developing pacifier teeth.
What are the most common pacifier teeth damages?
The primary teeth start to develop when a baby is in the womb. At birth, a baby has its full set of teeth. When a baby is 6 months old, the formed milk teeth begin to erupt through the gums. Later, the adult teeth (or permanent teeth) start to develop and erupt when the child is around 6 years old.
In, teeth development takes place through infancy and childhood of one’s life.
When a suction force is applied, keeping a foreign object in the mouth for a long period will hinder the development of healthy mouth structures. Likewise, the dental alignment is also considerably compromised. It leads to various complications when the permanent teeth erupt.
Due to excessive soother use, many people experience the following tooth issues:
- Buck teeth – The suction force produced by the movement of the tongue and lips while drawing soothers into the mouth affects the alignment of teeth and jaw. It implies teeth in the upper jaw will overlap bottom teeth, causing buck teeth. It is also known as overbite.
- Teeth damage – Individuals with crooked teeth often clench or grind their teeth due to bite alignment issues such overbite, openbite, and crossbite. It will havoc on teeth with enamel damage, making them sensitive to microbial invasion.
- Gingival recession – Needless to say, bruxers have a high chance of developing gingival recession. It happens because the constant pressure exerted on the gums by motion pushes them to recede, followed by loosening the teeth in their sockets.
- Cavities – Some people dip pacifiers in sweet solutions for a pleasant taste. However, it steadily exposes a baby’s teeth and gums to sugar, feeding the oral bacteria. As a consequence, cavity occurs.
In the meantime, the constant pressure of pacifiers inside the mouth will narrow the mouth’s roof region. Speech difficulties also occur by the combination of a misaligned bite and a modified palate.
What should you do to keep your child from developing pacifier teeth?
Remember that pacifiers and other soothing appliances are benign if your kid uses them in moderation. If your kid is aged above 2 years and is still sucking pacifiers, you should indulge in activities to break the habit.
Meanwhile, take into account the following tips while purchasing new pacifiers for your little champs:
- Prefer Orthodontic Pacifiers
- Avoid dipping the pacifiers in a sugar solution
- Get the appropriately sized pacifiers for your kid
The good news is pacifier teeth damage resolve on its own for kids who break the habit of pacifiers once they turn 2. Such self-correction is not possible for pacifier-sucking babies who stick to this habit even after becoming 4 years old. It is because the permanent teeth start to develop under the primary teeth in this stage.
Want to know how to break the habit of thumb-sucking and pacifier-sucking for your little champs? Contact our pediatric dental clinic in Trichy for your kid’s oral well-being.
