I got to know about this article on ‘thumb sucking’ by Dr Greene through a post on Inside Fatherhood.
I was interested because Matthew sucks his thumb as well when he wants to sleep. He started sucking his thumb when he was about 4 months old. And he hasn’t use a pacifier at all since he doesn’t like something foreign being stuffed into his mouth. Anyway … him sucking his thumb is perfectly fine for us as long as his thumb is clean. But I guess the amount of drool coming out from his mouth is more than enough to kill all the germs in the house.
So, how old is too old for thumb sucking?!
According to the American Dental Association, thumb sucking does not cause permanent problems with the teeth or jaw line unless it is continued beyond 4 to 5 years of age. As it turns out, somewhere between 85% and 99% of children have finished thumb sucking spontaneously before this period.
But I’m not too concern at the moment as my sister and a cousin both sucked their thumbs beyond 4 or 5 years old. And their teeth and jaws are perfectly fine. Guess only their thumbs are a little flatter. 
But being the super-cautious parents that we are, we’ll try to wean him off his thumbing sucking as he approaches 4 or 5 years old. Or maybe he’ll tire of thumb sucking soon.
Technorati Tags: dr. greene, health, parenting, thumb sucking
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{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Isaak, I enjoyed finding your post. I bet Matthew is a delight, given his super-caring parents. I love Singapore, by the way. I had the opportunity to come speak to pediatricians and to parents there, and loved the people and the place (and the food!). I hope my family gets to see Sentosa some day.
Thanks, DrGreene, for dropping by.
And we hope to be able to attend one of your parenting sessions when you conduct one in Singapore.
Sentosa is one of our favorite holiday spots as well. Matthew likes the big open spaces where he can run around. However, there is much construction going on at the moment for the upcoming Integrated Resort that will be built on Sentosa.