The diagnosis of this condition is quite easy as the changes are very much noticeable. The associated thumb appears to be very much clean and reddened. The fingernails may also be short and chapped. The lips may also seem to be hyperactive.
If thumb sucking persists after the baby teeth have erupted, it can drastically change the growth patterns of the jaw and cause significant misalignment of the teeth.
If your child cannot seem to kick the habit on their own, there are habits breaking dental appliance that can keep your child from thumb sucking. Like many potentially harmful behavior patterns, thumb sucking can be a difficult habit to break. Through the years, parents have tried a variety of home remedies, such as having the child wear gloves, coating the digits with a bitter-tasting substance and even reasoning with their toddlers. Sometimes it works but in other cases, the allure of thumb sucking proves very difficult to control.
If your child has a thumb or finger sucking habit that has persisted past the age of five, and you have been unable to tame it, a more permanent solution to thumb sucking is an appliance called a fixed palatal crib or a rake-style appliance.
Appliances usually use ridges that make it impossible for the thumb to come in contact with the palate, right behind the front teeth where this behavior can cause the most damage. The ridges on the thumb-sucking appliance also make it impossible to create suction and greater force when their thumb is in the mouth.
The appliance is cemented on the upper six year permanent molars and is positioned behind the upper front teeth on the roof of the mouth. The crib consists of semicircular stainless steel wires and the fitting is done with the help of steel bands that are usually fitted to the first permanent molar or primary second molar. The stainless steel wires fit behind the child’s upper front teeth, and they are barely visible, if at all. This appliance does not cause any discomfort and is not affected by eating. The semicircular wires of a palatal crib keep the thumb or finger from touching the gums behind the front teeth. Simply preventing this contact seems to take all the enjoyment away from the thumb sucking habit. It serves as a reminder to the child that the thumb is not supposed to be in his mouth.
The crib usually stops the habit of thumb sucking within weeks or months. Then, the appliance is kept after it is removed and can be re-cemented in the patient if the habit is started again.
While the appliance is being worn, it’s best to avoid chewing gum and eating hard, sticky food that might cause it to come loose and extra attention is needed to make everything all right.