Thumb sucking is normal till the age of four or five. After the age of five if we see children thumb sucking we need to make an effort to prevent them from doing that. Otherwise, chances are that they will continue with this habit for a very very long time. – Dr. Hamza Dally, a dental surgeon at Al-Madar Dental Clinic in TaifBy Emad Haidari If you are a frequent visitor to your dentist you might have come across the word ‘Orthodontics'. It is the first specialty of dentistry that is concerned with the study and treatment of improper bites, scientifically known as Malocclusions. It may be as a result of tooth irregularity, disproportionate jaw relationships, or both. In order to better understand Orthodontics and what it is needed for, it is necessary to refer to the term Occlusion, which explains the manner in which the upper and lower teeth come into contact with each other. There are different types of Occlusions. According to Dr. Hamza Dally, a dental surgeon at Al-Madar Dental Clinic in Taif, about 70% of his patients suffer from a type of Occlusion known and classified as Class II Malocclusion. One of the conditions where Malocclusion occurs is when the upper front teeth extend along exceedingly over the lower teeth resulting in a varied gap between the upper and lower jaw. The reasons behind this particular problem are different; but like many other medical conditions genetics play a vital role in this condition as well. However, it is not the exclusive cause and many other causes have been observed and addressed by the dental experts. In certain cases it can be due to early or late extraction of milk teeth. Another cause behind this effect is the position of the wisdom teeth. In normal circumstances all teeth are pointing straight upwards. However, in this situation the wisdom teeth are pushing forward. Dr. Dally also believes that while there are many causes behind this type of occlusion, a number of patients acquire this condition due to bad habits. On top of Dr. Dally's list of bad habits is thumb suction. “Thumb sucking is normal till the age of four or five,” says Dr. Dally. “It is entrenched in new born babies' unconscious minds, as it is one of the very few things they could do in the womb, thus the habit continues within their ordinary lives after birth. After the age of five if we see children thumb sucking we need to make an effort to prevent them from doing that. Otherwise, chances are that they will continue with this habit for a very very long time”. Dr. Dally further shared his experience with Saudi Gazette by discussing the severity of the problem and he added, “I have a patient who is 24 years old and until now he enjoys thumb sucking. He cannot sleep without sucking his thumb. During the suction, children are applying pressure on the upper front teeth causing them to move forward and the lower ones to move backwards”. Dr. Dally suggests that parents' attention and observations play a significant role in stopping children from thumb sucking, children themselves do not realize what they are doing. Dentists need to educate parents on how to prevent their children from this habit. In extreme cases the dentists need to interfere and provide removable appliances that prevent thumb sucking. This is because some parents would not pay attention as they even do not realize how severe the consequences may become in future. Khalid Al-Thagafi a father of five says, “Three of my kids had a problem of thumb sucking. However, I was never bothered too much about it. I merely considered it as one of the bad manners that looked awful and nothing more. I never appreciated that it could badly damage the teeth. My wife and I used to rely on hot sauce, certain spices or other bitter coatings that we put on our child's thumb so that he avoids sucking it. Though, the results were not always satisfactory”. On the other hand, Muna Saleh an intelligent housewife and a mother of two, employs a rather creative approach in dealing with the matter. Muna says, “Instead of always criticizing my child for thumb sucking, I actually praise him when he is not doing so. I set achievable goals for my child with a promised reward. He is usually required to avoid this bad habit for certain days. If he is successful I buy him that favorite toy he wanted to have. I also carefully follow my dentist's advice which suggests that children often suck their thumbs when they are hurt or feeling insecure. We need to focus on correcting the cause of the anxiety and provide comfort to the child rather than traumatizing him or her more”. The development and advancement in dentistry has successfully addressed Suction of thumb as a problematic cause, the parents are now more educated then before and have the first hand expert advice accessible in order to rectify the problem. The dentists' expert advice and various other techniques are only tools designed to aid parents in this problem. However, needless is to say that ultimately the solution lies in optimum parental care. __
