Tag Archives: children's dentistry

Pediatric Dentistry

My Child Is Sucking His Thumb

We finally got rid of my son’s pacifier, but now he is sucking his thumb. We can’t throw that away! Should I be worried about this? His baby teeth have already started coming in.

Alexi

Dear Alexi,

Young boy smiling holding his toothbrush

I’m glad you wrote. One of the most prominent emotions of good parents is worrying. The good news is that your son sucking his thumb at this age won’t really matter. It is not until his permanent teeth are in that you have to start worrying. In my experience it is best that you don’t make a big deal out of the thumb sucking. Most children give it up on their own by the time they are school age. If they don’t their peers sort of encourage that.

If his permanent teeth are coming in and he is still sucking his thumb you could try using something called Thum. It is a liquid that you can paint on her thumb that tastes bitter.

Those children who continue to suck their thumb after their permanent teeth will likely need some type of orthodontics. Your best bet it is make sure he sees a pediatric dentist regularly. Don’t wait until he has a dental problem. You want his first experience at the dentist to be a positive one. If you wait until he has a dental emergency, then he will always associate the dentist with pain and fear. If the dentist isn’t scary to him, then they will have a healthy relationship and he’d be more willing to listen to advice about handling his teeth.

This blog is brought to you by Phoenix Dentist Dr. Hillary Peck.
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Pediatric Dentistry

Discolored Baby Tooth?

My four year old son took quite a tumble. Now one of his front teeth is chipped and discolored. Should I whiten it or is there something else I should be doing? If he loses the tooth, do I need to get a space maintainer?

Elsie

Dear Elise,

Young boy smiling holding his toothbrush

I am glad you wrote. I can tell that you are a good mother and want to make sure you are doing the best for him. In this case, there is no need to do anything. Teeth whitening will not work on a tooth discolored from trauma. Even if it would, I wouldn’t recommend it for a child. They’re not likely to keep the trays in and that tooth will not last long anyway.

Unlike the rest of us, young children are not bothered by things like a discolored tooth. In fact, on the school yard, an injury is like a badge of honor, especially for boys. The grosser the better.

If the tooth falls out, you will not have to worry about a space maintainer. It is close to the time in which he would lose that tooth anyway, so you don’t need the added, unnecessary expense. The one time that your son would need a space maintainer would be if he lost a back molar. These have to stay in his mouth until he is around twelve years old. If that tooth was lost, you’d have to keep the space reserved. Otherwise, in the amount of time until his permanent molars come in, the other teeth will drift or tip into the opening causing overcrowding.

Unless the tooth develops an infection, I’d just leave it alone. If it does get infected, his pediatric dentist can just remove it.

This blog is brought to you by Phoenix Dentist Dr. Hillary Peck.
Click here to learn about affordable dental care.