Africa-Press – Zimbabwe. EMOTIONS are an ongoing system of intricate processes that affect our behaviour, thoughts and physical sensations in addition to how we perceive the environment.
They play an adaptive role in our lives by motivating actions for survival and success.
Mismanagement of emotions can have a lot of detrimental effects.
Children have the same experiences as adults regarding emotions.
Infants start to exhibit oral soothing habits from 18-24 months after birth.
The primary function of these habits is to help them to self-regulate their emotions.
Infants are born with a very strong sucking reflex known as non-nutritive sucking or sucking for reasons other than food.
This sucking habit is essential for providing a calming effect in stressful times, security and comfort as well as helping them to fall asleep.
Nonetheless, these behaviours could have negative effects, therefore, it is critical for the parent to know when to step in or call the dentist.
Thumb and finger habits
Thumb and finger habits make up the majority of oral habits, approximately two-thirds of such habits end by five years of age.
Dentists are often questioned on the disadvantages of these habits if they are prolonged.
The dental changes that occur regarding misalignment of teeth due to these habits are often more of an individual response than a highly specific cause and effect relationship.
The changes vary depending on the amount of force applied to the teeth, how much time the child engages in the habit, the manner in which the digit is positioned in the mouth as well as how long the habit persists.
Research states that a force as little as 35g can tip a tooth, whereas four to six hours of force per day is necessary to cause movement.
Hence a child who sucks with higher force may not produce any tooth movement as compared to a child who sucks with less force, but continuously for more than six hours in months and years.
The most frequently reported dental outcomes with digit sucking include:
Posterior crossbite
This occurs when your back teeth bite on the inside of your bottom teeth when your jaw is closed rather than fitting properly.
Mechanism
Thumb-sucking can lead to upper jaw constriction due to the change in the balance between the oral muscles and the tongue.
The tongue is mainly located on the palate to help to exert a counterbalancing force from inside between the teeth and the muscles on the cheek so that they do not collapse inside to the side of least resistance.
However, the moment the thumb is placed in the mouth, the tongue is forced down and away from the palate, hence the muscles will continue to exert pressure on the surfaces of teeth close to the cheek during sucking causing them to bite inside of the back teeth.
Anterior open bite
This is a dental issue that occurs when your front teeth don’t touch or overlap when your mouth is closed, which creates a noticeable gap even when you are smiling.
Mechanism
Anterior open bite due to the fact that the digit rests on the upper and the bottom incisors preventing complete and continued eruption of teeth, whereas the back teeth erupt without hindrance.
In addition to this, digit sucking could also lead to intrusion of these front teeth if the habit is continued for a long time leaving a noticeable gap in the front.
Increased overjet
This is when your top front teeth stick out too far forward past your bottom front teeth often described as buck teeth.
Mechanism
Active thumb sucking could lead to increased overjet due to the exertion of enough force to tip the upper incisor teeth outwards and the lower teeth inwards causing an increase in the gap between this group of teeth.
How can parents help their children to get rid of the habit
Most children quit on their own between the ages of two and four.
Often, parental pressure at this point causes more harm than benefit.
Step 1: Encouragement and positive reinforcement (Ages 3-4+)
If the behaviour persists as the child grows older and their permanent teeth erupt, you can begin to gently step in.
Acknowledge and reward: Do not chastise them for the habit.
For example you can say: “You are reading that book so nicely with your hands free!” It is a way of praising them rather than rebuking them.
Determine triggers: Observe whether the habit happens at particular times (eg, when they are bored, fatigued or watching TV).
As an alternative, provide a hug, a stuffed animal or an activity that requires their hands, such as building blocks or sketching.
Step 2: Employ barriers and reminders
A gentle physical reminder can be added if positive reinforcement is insufficient.
A bandage or sock applied to the thumb at night can serve as a straightforward reminder for thumb-sucking.
Additionally, there are gloves or thumb protectors made specifically for this use.
The “Binky Fairy” is a time-tested and successful method for pacifiers.
Ask the youngster to leave a special toy in exchange for the fairy taking all of the pacifiers to the newborns.
Step 3: Speak with an expert (paediatrician or dentist)
This is important if after age five or six the practice persists, your efforts at home have not succeeded and also if the habit is too strong.
The dentist can help with counselling, as well as providing a device that can make the habit physically uncomfortable or impossible to perform, examples include a palatal crib that will prevent the tongue or finger from resting on the palate.
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