Oral habits like thumb sucking or pacifier use are common in young children for providing comfort and soothing. However, when these habits persist beyond a certain age, they can negatively impact dental development, speech patterns, eating and overall oral health. Traditional oral habit elimination programs are often recommended to help break these habits, but many times they fail, or new habits emerge.
Traditional Oral Habit Elimination Programs
Most traditional oral habit elimination programs are straightforward: they focus on stopping undesirable behavior, such as thumb sucking or pacifier use, through techniques like positive reinforcement, visual reminders, or even physical barriers like thumb guards. While these methods can be effective in the short term, they often fail to address the root cause of the habit.
Children tend to engage in oral habits due to a need for comfort or because of a developmental or structural issue within the mouth or jaw. When the focus is solely on stopping the habit, without addressing the underlying reasons, children may simply replace one habit with another, for example as nail-biting, cheek chewing, finger sucking, or teeth grinding.
Replacing the Habit: Why Proper Tongue Position is Key
For long-term success, the goal should not be merely eliminating the habit but replacing it with a healthier, functional behavior. This is where myofunctional therapy plays a critical role. When a child sucks their thumb or uses a pacifier, it often alters their natural tongue posture, resulting in improper oral rest posture.
In a healthy oral rest posture, the tongue should rest gently on the roof of the mouth, with the lips closed and the teeth slightly apart. Myofunctional therapy helps train the tongue to take over the position previously held by the thumb or pacifier. By focusing on this proper tongue posture, it becomes less likely that the child will substitute their old habit with a new, potentially harmful one.
When Is an Oral Habit Elimination Program Appropriate?
It’s important to note that age plays a key role in determining the best approach for eliminating oral habits. For children over the age of 4, a structured oral habit elimination program, along with myofunctional therapy, can be highly effective. By this age, the child can follow the more complex directions to eliminate a tongue thrust swallow pattern.
However, for children under the age of 4, a gentle and customized weaning approach is warranted by a trained feeding specialist. Younger children often rely on oral habits for emotional regulation and self-soothing, so a sudden or harsh elimination strategy can be counterproductive. A weaning plan that gradually reduces reliance on the habit, while providing alternatives for comfort, is often the most effective way to transition younger children away from thumb sucking or pacifier use without triggering the development of new habits.
Why Do New Habits Appear?
The failure to replace the thumb or pacifier with the proper oral function—such as correct tongue posture—leads to the formation of new habits. When the original source of comfort is abruptly removed without addressing the underlying need, children instinctively seek new ways to self-soothe or the old habit may return.
Ensuring that the tongue takes over the thumb or pacifier’s role is critical in preventing new habits from forming. This is why myofunctional therapy, which focuses on retraining the mouth and tongue muscles, should be a cornerstone of any oral habit elimination program.
Conclusion
Oral habit elimination programs are more effective when they address not only the visible behavior but also the underlying oral functions and emotional needs that drive the habit. For children over the age of 4, myofunctional therapy can be a game changer, helping to establish proper oral posture and preventing the emergence of new habits. For younger children, a gentle and customized weaning plan is key to ensuring a smooth transition. With the right approach, it’s possible to eliminate oral habits successfully—without creating new ones.
Come join us at The Body, Birth and Baby Center for a fun and informative gathering where we’ll learn about thumb-sucking and pacifiers and methods to say goodbye to binkies and thumbs for good by addressing the root cause. This event is perfect for parents interested in learning about looking to help their little ones kick the habit and move on to big kid activities.
What The Workshop Offers:
1. Expert Education: Understand the reasons behind prolonged thumb sucking and pacifier use.
2. Proven Strategies: Learn effective techniques tailored for your child’s needs.
3. Supportive Materials: Access an engaging oral habit elimination kit customized to your child to make the transition smooth and fun!
4. Myofunctional screener: screen for any abnormal muscle functions in the face and mouth that can impact breathing, speech, swallowing and overall oral health
The owner of The Mouth Rehab, Bryanna Schwarting will provide a step-by-step gentle weaning plan, materials, activities, and strategies on how to transition away from binkies and thumbs while empowering your little one to drop the habit by seeking the root cause!
Join us September 20th at 4PM and empower your child to embrace new habits with confidence! Say toot-a-loo to thumb sucking and pacifiers for good! Enroll now and take the first step towards a healthier, happier future!
SPECIAL BONUS
Get ready for back-to-school with 50% off our workshop until September 13th! Don’t miss out on this limited-time offer to kickstart their journey at a fantastic price!
