• Knowledgebase: Parenting Questions

    Questions about the managment of common parenting problems such as discipline.

    29. When should my child stop sucking his thumb? - Top

    There are several conditions that may call for orthodontic treatment in children as young as age five. One of the major dental problems occurs when thumb sucking persists past the age of four.

    "If a child stops sucking his thumb between the ages of four and six, any problems with the teeth will usually correct themselves," says Ronald A. Bell, DDS, MEd, professor and chair of the Department of Pediatric Dentistry and Orthodontics at the College of Dental Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina, in Charleston. "After that, the child is making the transition to permanent teeth, and thumb sucking can prevent the teeth from coming in properly." - Updated: March 8, 2001

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