You may know about the decades-long pacifier controversy if you’re a parent. Caregivers everywhere are divided on their views of pacifier use. Many are against pacifiers for a variety of reasons, one of them being concerns about what a pacifier can do to their child’s teeth.

There is so much misinformation about pacifiers and oral health, so we’re here as a Utah family dentist to set the record straight.

The Influence of Pacifiers on Pediatric Oral Health

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Pacifiers and Dental Issues

First, we don’t want you to stress about what a pacifier can do to your baby’s teeth. A baby will not immediately develop dental issues from sucking on a pacifier. Babies have a natural sucking reflex that helps them self-soothe and calm down. A pacifier can even lower your baby’s risk of sudden infant death syndrome during the first year of life.

Sucking on a pacifier only really becomes a problem if it continues past two years. For most children, this problem sorts itself out because the child outgrows or loses interest in their pacifier. But not all children do. Some become so attached to their binky that breaking the habit seems impossible.

The Problem with Prolonged Pacifier Use

If your child still relies on the pacifier past age two, knowing the dental aspect of prolonged pacifier use might motivate you to remove your child’s pacifier once and for all.

Prolonged pacifier sucking can eventually lead to bite problems or crooked teeth. This goes for thumb sucking as well—when prolonged, both increase your child’s chances of needing orthodontic treatment down the line.

Because of this, the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry doesn’t recommend pacifier use after age three. The American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Academy of Family Physicians recommend breaking the pacifier habit even earlier. They suggest weaning from the pacifier between the age of six months to a year to avoid dental issues.

If you feel that’s too young to break the habit, don’t worry—as long as you eliminate the binky or thumb sucking at age two, you can avoid most problems.

Thumb Sucking vs. Pacifier Use

Sucking on a pacifier affects a child’s mouth very similarly to sucking on their thumb. However, most parents report that it is much easier to end a binky habit than wean them from their thumb. This is because the child always has their self-soothing thumb with them; you can’t take it away, and the motion to stick it in their mouth is habitual.

Because of this, the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry recommends pacifier use over thumb sucking.

Tips and Tricks for Weaning Your Child from Their Pacifier

If you’re a parent to more than one child, then you know that every child is different. What works like a charm for your first child might not work for your second, third, and fourth. Consider your child’s age and personality when developing a weaning strategy.

Under Age One

For babies, a gradual phase-out process may be successful. Consider allowing pacifier use only at naptime and bedtime. Then, reduce it to just bedtime, and then phase it out completely.

If pacifier use has been a staple step in your baby’s bedtime routine, use the art of replacement and distraction. You could replace the pacifier step with story time or singing time.

No matter what you choose, make sure your sweet child gets extra love from you. They’ve likely relied on the pacifier their whole life, so extra attention can help them as they go through this challenging transition.

Toddlers

Some toddlers may agree to wean after a simple conversation about the dental risks of pacifier use past age three. You know your child best, so decide whether a cold-turkey or more gentle approach would suit them.

Since toddlers can understand more than a baby, consider gathering every single pacifier (even the one in your emergency drawer), and tell your child that the “binky fairy” is coming to take all the pacifiers. You could even tell them that the fairy will leave something else behind to comfort them, such as a blanket or toy. Then, implement the art of distraction with playtime, attention, and extra love.

The most crucial aspect of pacifier weaning is avoiding punishment. Your child got into the habit in the first place to self-soothe and feel better. Taking that outlet away is very hard for them, so it’s essential to be loving and understanding. Furthermore, try to refrain from beginning the pacifier or thumb-sucking weaning process while other big changes are going on in your child’s life such as moving houses or starting school.

If your child prefers their thumb to a binky, the habit-breaking process can be more difficult. Many parents have come up with all kinds of creative ways to discourage thumb sucking, such as hot sauce on the thumb or putting an elastic on their thumb. Nighttime is always the hardest to control, because thumb sucking becomes instinctual after years of doing it—your child might do it in their sleep and have no conscious control over the habit.

Whichever approach you choose, stick to it and be strong! The last thing you want is to bring back the binky in a moment of weakness and then have to start the process over again.

If your child’s thumb sucking or pacifier use has lasted beyond three years and you’re worried about their teeth, reach out to your Utah kids dentist to tackle any issues early on and gain peace of mind.