You probably know that when your child cries, a natural solution is to hand them their pacifier. Fortunately, there isn’t anything wrong with that—in fact, a pacifier can comfort your child and help you, as their parent, get some precious rest. However, if your pacifier isn’t used properly, or is used too long, they could cause a number of problems.
Luckily, your child will typically give up on their pacifier on their own when their between two and four years old. However, if your child hasn’t given up on their pacifier by the time they’re four, you may have to take the pacifiers away yourself. You could simply throw the pacifiers away—though you should be sure you catch them all. You see, children have been known to actually hide pacifiers from their parents.
You see, if your child keeps their pacifier or too long, their front teeth could slant out or their bottom teeth could slant inwards. Similarly, your child’s upper and lower jaws could become misaligned, and the roof of their mouth may even become narrower from side to side. Luckily, there are a few things you can do to help your child stop using a pacifier—though most parents agree that cold turkey is the best way. Simply try to limit your child’s pacifier use to nap and bedtime.
Do you have more questions about what you can do to help your child give up their pacifier? Are you worried about the status if your child’s teeth? Are you simply interested in setting up an appointment with our dentist, Dr. Neal Smith? If so, please don’t hesitate to contact Central Washington Pediatric Dentistry at 509-248-2973. We’ll gladly answer any of your questions and examine your child’s mouth. We look forward to hearing from you soon.
