Why You Should NEVER Suck Your Thumb

[samanthamccoy]

"I could think of a few reasons" with LEGIT concern 😂

[maiakilleen]

Maggie Simpson wearing a pacifier for all 32 seasons: 👁️👄👁️

[karlie]

I had a tongue thrust, my orthodontist put stabby things on the back of my bottom front teeth.
It was awful but after seeing this... I'm thankful

[asiafuhaamango]

THANK YOU! Not only these reasons but it causes speech issues as well. My son did suck on a pacifier longer than he should. But, I noticed how the way he pronounces certain words it's very funny. Like when he says "Disgusting" he will instead say "isgusting". It may not mean a lot. But when you notice your child and other kids who are his age and how well the pronounce words and speak it will make you notice.

I did feel bad as a parent because I notice it. But I'm glad to know where it came from and how to support him the best way I can.

[ellieeveritt]

I sucked my thumb my whole childhood. My parents tried everything, including hot sauce on my thumb. My friends made fun of me at sleepovers because I always had my wrinkled thumb in my mouth. My dad eventually offered me $100 to quit by the time I'm 10. I quit by my 10th birthday, so he gave me a crispy $100 bill a week later! Money talks! 😅 I had a major gap, but braces fixed my teeth perfectly.

[raccoon]

“i mean i could btut why woouthd i wanth tthoo” 💀💀

[lize]

I don't know what it would be called in the US but i'm a speech and language therapist in the Netherlands. We try to teach children and adults with tongue thrust habits to swallow and speak differently so those habits don't influence their teeth and jaw anymore. It's called myofunctional therapy. Don't know if it's a thing in the states but here we see loads of kids with this! If we can treat the habits, braces will actually have a permanent result!

[xombecca]

I do this. Had one of the best orthodontists in Alberta in the late 90's. I had the latest technology in braces and luckily avoided jaw surgery with the new brackets and his expertise. I am 35 and still have my teeth touching 20 years later. Forever grateful for him. 💝

[stardust.]

And all of a sudden I don't think my teeth are that bad anymore..

[katCM]

Sucked my thumb for years and got the worst overbite, overcrowding, and crooked teeth. I couldn’t even shut my mouth because my teeth stuck out too much. I got my braces on 16 months ago- but first had to have 4 adult teeth removed so that all of my teeth could fit in my mouth. I still have my braces on today but my teeth are finally straight and I am so grateful to all of the dedicated dentists and orthodontists out there that help people overcome their insecurities and be comfortable with their smile 😃 ❤

[WayraRose]

Thank you for bringing up tongue thrust. It's a very real habit that needs to be broken. So many dentists don't even mention it or offer practical solutions in childhood.

[lizfritz]

To call myself out: i had the hardest problems with thumb sucking and when I am overly stressed I’ll do it sometimes without realizing. I had to get braces to correct it when I was younger. It was a habit I never gave up because it was like a favorite stuffed animal or a stress ball - it became a coping mechanism from a very young age. Never did it in public, but private/with family? Oh yeah. I rarely do it now unless my anxiety is out of control or some other mental illness is acting up. 😅

[drameishalewis]

I DIED As Soon As He Said “I Could Think Of A Few Reasons” 🤣🤣🤣

[hopeard]

Well now I’m super aware of where my tongue is going when I swallow!! Thanks Bentist 😂

[Josie-]

I felt bad when she said “why” and then opened her mouth because her smile alone should tell her exactly why….. 🤐

Edit* y’all need to chill in the replies, and stop calling her gross. You also need to stop whining at me about things I didn’t say. I never commented on her being unhealthy. I never commented on how much it would cost to fix. I’m not calling her names. I didn’t even say she should fix it. Her video wasn’t about her asking why she should fix it, it’s about her asking why she would want to stop doing the thing that caused it in the first place, and my first response was that the answer should be obvious by looking at her teeth, not because it’s gross or ugly, but because the longer she keeps doing it, the worse it will get, and she already can’t bite into things with her front teeth. If she doesn’t mind how it looks now, she shouldn’t have to fix it, so stop saying she’s gross. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ However, she shouldn’t keep doing it because she may not like it once it gets worse, and at that point, there might be nothing they can do to fix it — at least not very easily. It’s like getting to a hair color that you like and then asking why you should stop bleaching it…. Because continuing to bleach it will change the color that you currently like and also continue to harm your hair until it is too damaged to fix. That’s why.

Edit 2* His entire video is built on telling her exactly why it’s a problem based on *looking at her mouth*, but you’re mad at me for doing the same thing….. he looked at her mouth and said he can tell it’s a problem by her smile. I also saw her mouth and immediately thought of the reasons she should stop based on the fact that she can’t even close her teeth, which is blatantly visible. Yet y’all are down here acting like I called her ugly in four different languages when all I said was that I could immediately tell it was causing problems when I saw her smile.

[kaitlynrainey]

And this is why I’m 26 with full mouth dentures. Because I sucked my thumb until I was 15. I had braces for 7 years with all sorts of gear and different appliances and not even two years later, my bite went right back when my wisdom teeth grew in and I couldn’t wear my retainer. What they don’t talk about is how much having this bite can effect your teeth. My teeth started moving out of my gums because essentially they were “trying to find their mate” ie: my bottom teeth were trying to find my top teeth and my top teeth were trying to find my bottom teeth.

[Aelfwyn]

I only have the courage to talk about this after reading a whole lot of your comments! I sucked my thumb till I was in junior high school, and my brother sucked his fingers his whole life. We were both shamed by our parents, and lectured by our dentist but it just didn’t stop us. High anxiety childhoods for both of us.
Now here’s the twist you didn’t see coming: neither of us had braces, or deformities in our mouth and teeth. I realize how lucky we were to be the exception to the rule. I also realized that my luck wouldn’t be passed down to my three children, and none of them sucked your thumbs or used their pacifiers once they were off the bottle. I didn’t shame them, I just took the pacifier away and told them since they weren’t using baby bottles they wouldn’t need baby pacifiers anymore, and they bought it.

[frankiemoses]

Very informative and scary. My youngest is a finger sucker. Her dentist has said it's fine for now, but I can definitely see her front top baby teeth looking different than my other kids' teeth who didn't suck thumbs or pacis.

[tinaharris]

My parents couldn’t afford braces growing up. Now I’m stuck looking like her. Healthcare system is awesome

[bsgenius]

I sucked on my thumb until I was 18 and slowly grew out of it during my first serious relationship. I thought about it the other day and thought about how hard it was to just stop but now I don't feel the urge at all.