Thumb sucking can be cute and understandable when a child is young, but if they are still sucking their thumb when they start school, you could have a problem concerning your child’s teeth.

The purpose of thumb sucking is to soothe your child. In lieu of a pacifier, it gives kids a kind of security. They can fall asleep with their thumb in their mouth. They can stop crying when hungry or upset if they put their thumb in their mouth.

It starts to become a problem when the teeth come in. At first, it may not be a problem, but once their teeth get completely through the gums, the pressure of the thumb against them can make a change – not only in the teeth but in the mouth as well.

Children don’t just suck on their thumbs; they let them rest behind the teeth. Over time, this action pushes the teeth forward in the mouth. Have you seen a child who is a chronic thumb sucker? They can have the bucktooth look where their upper teeth create a rounded and severe overbite. Even their lip moves outward to cover those teeth.

When the thumb rests against the palate on the roof of the mouth, it can work to change the shape of the mouth. When the shape of the mouth is altered, so is our pronunciation. They can have a hard time making certain sounds and being understood by others when they begin to speak. That can require the use of speech therapy to correct what has been done.

What can be the result of all of this? The teeth may need to have braces put on to straighten them and push them back together if gaps exist due to thumb sucking.

To avoid problems with teeth, it is important to help your child to stop sucking their thumb early on in their life. It is preferable that they have stopped by the time that they start school. Some children stop at six or seven but that is at the upper range of things.

One way to get them to stop is to tell them exactly what can happen. Kids don’t like to stick out and be different from their peers. Having teeth that stick out or not being able to pronounce their words can lead to teasing by other kids. Appealing to their sense of vanity as children can help them to wean themselves off of the thumb. If that doesn’t work, try using a less than tasty substance on their thumbs to train their brain to leave it alone.

Thumb sucking can damage a child’s mouth if it goes on too long after their teeth have started to come in. Stopping the habit as soon as possible is recommended.

Teeth are important to your health. Not only do they add to your attractive appearance, they are also the first part of your digestive system and can also be indicative of how your heart is doing. Dentists say that brushing alone is not enough for a healthy mouth, so you should try to incorporate flossing into your daily routine.

Flossing is the use of a thin thread of dental floss to get in between teeth to remove food and other particles.

When food gets trapped between the gums and the teeth, it breaks down and can draw bacteria into the space, which can lead to tooth decay, gingivitis and other forms of periodontal disease.

In an effort to stop this, we brush our teeth. But, even though toothbrushes are good, they can’t reach all places, especially under the gumline and between the surfaces of the teeth that face one another. The shape of the mouth is rounded and toothbrushes are straight. The bristles can only move across the gums and across the front, tops and backs of the teeth. Small special brushes can get between teeth if there is enough space, but generally speaking, dental floss can go to work in even the tightest corners of your mouth.

A lot of stuff can get missed, especially if you don’t have time to brush your teeth after every meal. Most people brush them in the morning and/or in the evening.

Residual food can also erode the enamel on the teeth. Enamel is the hard substance that preserves the living tissue of the tooth. Once enamel is gone, it doesn’t come back, and your tooth pulp can be exposed to cavities and decay.

The benefits of flossing are two-fold. Firstly, it removes food that has gotten caught between the teeth. That thin thread can slide down the tooth and underneath the gums to get anything hiding there. When particles get between the teeth and the gums, the gums can pull away and cause the teeth to become wobbly in places. This is known as gingivitis, with the more advanced form being referred to as periodontal disease.

Secondly, flossing helps to massage the gums and prevent plaque from forming. Your brushing helps with this too, but plaque can form at the gum line when flossing is not done on a regular basis. Then, a dental professional will have to scale the teeth to remove it. This can be done during regular cleaning sessions, which you should arrange with your dentist at least once every 6 months. For more severe periodontal disease, the dentist might even have to go under the gumline and also clean out any so-called ‘pockets’ they may find.

By removing these particles you avoid having bad breath from a build-up of bacteria. No one wants to have offending breath, so flossing can help ensure that is not an issue.

How often should you floss? Whenever you brush your teeth, also floss them. Dentists recommend it about twice a day. At least once will give you some benefit.

If you have never flossed up to this point, now is a great time to start. Get your teeth on the road to optimum health by flossing every day. If the string of floss is hard for you, there are individual flossing sticks that are easier to manage between the teeth. There is also a flosser with replaceable heads and small brushes that can help you get between the teeth to clean them.

Do you have bleeding gums, sore teeth or worse – bad breath? The solution could lie in the frequency of your flossing.

One thing is for sure, dental health is key to heart health. People with bad teeth are more prone to heart attack and stroke. Heart attacks can often occur after a tooth abcess or other form of oral infection. Tooth plaque seems to be linked to arterial plaque and inflammation, so to cut down on plaque in your mouth, be sure to floss your teeth on a regular basis.

Here is a handy article on how the regular manual toothbrush stacks up against the electric toothbrush: Comparing Toothbrushes