How can I stop my daughter from thumb sucking?

[Marzi]

Hello

My daughter is almost 7 years old and her final teeth are coming through and quickly she is losing her baby teeth. Unfortunately she still sucks her thumb and I am worried that her final teeth will shape in the wrong way as a result of her thumb sucking. I have tried to talk to her and sadly it has had no effect and she is still thumb sucking a lot of the time especially when she is alone in her room. I would like to know if there are treatments available that could stop her thumb sucking? am I right in assuming that her thumb sucking should be stopped as soon as possible?

Thank you

[Dr Mohsen J. Esfahani]

Its better to stop thumb sucking by speaking to children and trying to convince them to stop thumb sucking. If you have tried and would like us to try as well, we would be more than happy to speak to your daughter. For sure its important to stop thumb sucking as soon as possible as it can cause aesthetic and functional problems.

There are anti thumb sucking treatments available but they should only be used as the last resort when all else fails.