Thumb-sucking Health Dictionary

A common habit in young children, which provides comfort, oral gratification, amusement when bored, and reassurance.

Thumb-sucking tends to decrease after age 3, and most children grow out of it by age 7.

In most cases, it is not harmful.

However, malocclusion of the permanent teeth may develop if the habit continues past age 7.

This is usually temporary; if not, an orthodontic appliance may be needed.

Also called ?nger-sucking, this is a universal and harmless habit in infancy. It is usually given up gradually during the pre-school period, but quite often persists after school age – especially if the child is tired, lonely or unhappy. In these cases the remedy is to deal with the cause. It is cruel to use threats or punishment to try to stop the habit.