Thumb sucking: Difference between revisions

At birth, a baby will [[reflex]]ively suck any object placed in its mouth; this is the [[Primitive reflexes#Rooting reflex|sucking reflex]] responsible for [[breastfeeding]]. From the very first time they engage in nutritive feeding, infants learn that the habit can not only provide valuable nourishment, but also a great deal of pleasure, comfort, and warmth. Whether from a mother, bottle, or pacifier, this behavior, over time, begins to become associated with a very strong, self-soothing, and pleasurable oral sensation. As the child grows older, and is eventually weaned off the nutritional sucking, they can either develop alternative means for receiving those same feelings of physical and emotional fulfillment, or they can continue experiencing those pleasantly soothing experiences by beginning to suck their thumbs or fingers.<ref name="Clinical Research Studies">{{cite news |title=About the Thumb Sucking Habit|url=http://tguard.com/about-thumb-sucking/}}</ref> This reflex disappears at about [[Child development stages#4-8 months|4 months of age]]; thumb sucking is not purely an instinctive behavior and therefore can last much longer.<ref name="Kantorowicz">A. Kantorowicz: "Die Bedeutung des Lutschens für die Entstehung erworbener Fehlbildungen." In: ''Fortschritte der Kieferorthopädie.'' Bd. 16, Nr. 2, 1955, S. 109–121.</ref> Moreover, [[ultrasound]] scans have revealed that thumb sucking can start before birth, as early as [[Pregnancy#Second trimester|15 weeks from conception]]; whether this behavior is voluntary or due to random movements of the fetus in the womb is not conclusively known.

 

 

==Dental problems and prevention==