Do Pacifiers Harm Developing Teeth? Here’s What Parents Need to Know
Have you ever wondered whether your child’s pacifier or “binky” is doing more harm than good? While it’s normal for an infant or young child to suck on a pacifier, it can have adverse effects on the development of teeth as they grow older.
We provide the facts about pacifiers and discuss when they stop being helpful and start causing harm. We also suggest strategies to reduce your child’s dependence on their pacifier when necessary.
The Benefits of Early Pacifier Use
Most infants derive comfort from sucking, which is normal during this stage of a child’s development. A pacifier can provide comfort and security, helping them stay calm.
Sucking on a pacifier, especially at bedtime, might even save a child’s life. This device has been associated with a lower risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). When babies sleep with a pacifier in their mouths, they don’t sleep as deeply, making it easier for them to be awakened if breathing stops.
Within the first 1-2 years of a child’s life, a pacifier usually poses no real threat. The calming effects of this device may outweigh potential harms when the child is still young.
When Pacifiers Become a Problem for Your Child’s Teeth
As your little one gets older, pacifier use increasingly becomes a problem, especially when teeth start to emerge. Excessive use can interfere with the formation and placement of healthy teeth. A pacifier can alter the roof of the mouth, affect oral cavity development, cause misalignment, and even contribute to ear infections. More specifically, the following dental issues can develop:
- Excessive mouth breathing because of changes in the palate or jaw structure
- Lisp or difficulty saying certain words
- An open bite when the teeth don’t overlap when biting down
- Protruding front teeth
- Soreness in or excessive pressure on the jaw
- Spaces or gaps between teeth that weren’t there before
After several years of pacifier use, a child’s parents may need to consult a family dentist in their area to address any orthodontic issues that develop. Therefore, staying on top of your child’s pacifier use can help them avoid complex dental treatments, such as braces or other devices, as they get older.
Minimizing the Effects of Pacifiers
While pacifiers can be soothing and calming for your child, using them for too long can unduly influence your child’s bite progression. Understanding the stages of a child’s bite formation can help you appreciate the impact of prolonged pacifier use on healthy oral development.
Birth to 3 Months
Right away, babies have a strong sucking reflex that helps them eat. They can also move their jaws while sucking, making feeding more efficient. The tongue moves back and forth to draw in liquid.
3 to 6 Months
After about three months, you can introduce chew toys instead of pacifiers to help them get used to sucking for shorter periods. During this period, babies gain greater control of their lip movements, improving coordination for sucking, chewing, swallowing, and nipple gripping.
6 to 9 Months
At this stage, children begin to develop the typical up-and-down chewing pattern and can practice these movements with soft foods. Chewing is usually accompanied by side-to-side tongue movements and improved control of the jaw and lips, which aid eating and help keep food in the mouth.
You can also expect to see the two lower front teeth emerge, followed by the two upper front teeth. The eruption of teeth helps the child place the tongue more effectively. It also helps the child produce varied vocalizations, such as “dada” and “baba,” which require more vowel and consonant sounds.
9 to 12 Months
Toward the end of the first year, children begin to use more complex chewing motions, including circular jaw movements and up-and-down movements, to chew a wider range of foods. Your young one will also start to bite foods, not just squish or suck them. At about one year old, your baby might start to say their first words, made possible by the healthy growth of additional baby teeth.
12 to 24 Months
As they progress toward their second year, children increasingly drink from sippy or open cups, which require more controlled tongue and lip movements. They typically exhibit more refined chewing movements as they are introduced to a variety of foods.
Also, children at this stage usually have their second molars and most, if not all, of their baby teeth in place. As they learn to use more words and phrases, they improve coordination with the teeth, mouth, jaw, and facial muscles.
Preventing prolonged pacifier use is critical to supporting healthy bite development and the progression of other oral function milestones. If your child is still at an age when pacifier sucking is not considered harmful, you should still take steps to ensure it benefits them more than it harms.
Weaning Your Child Off Their Pacifier
Discouraging the long-term use of a pacifier should be your ultimate goal, even though it seems to provide much comfort to your child. Some children eventually quit on their own. Others will need a helping hand to break this habit.
Your strategy for weaning your child from their pacifier may depend on their age or how much they currently use it. It’s often easier during infancy, when it’s easier to limit use to naps or bedtime.
If your child has gotten used to having their binky in their mouth, helping them quit may require more creativity. Here are some suggestions for phasing out your child’s pacifier:
- Wait until your child asks for a pacifier before providing one.
- Trade the pacifier for a more appealing, attention-grabbing object, such as a book or a toy too large to fit in their mouth.
- If your child seems to need their pacifier for comfort, cuddle them closely and sing their favorite song or lullaby. Go ahead and give them some extra kisses and snuggles to get them through this transition.
- Dip the pacifier nipple into a safe but unpleasant-tasting liquid, such as white vinegar. The unfamiliar, foul taste may be enough to deter them from continuing to use it.
- If your child is old enough to understand the reason, you can explain that the pacifier can harm their teeth. Use simple explanations that the child can visualize, such as “Your teeth will grow crooked.”
Regardless of your strategy, always use encouragement and positive reinforcement to facilitate this transition. Never punish your child to get them to quit. Being angry or hostile will cause them stress, thereby feeding their desire for a pacifier for comfort.
Expert Care and Guidance from Your Cincinnati Dentist
Most children leave their pacifiers behind as they get older, but if you need help getting your child to stop using it, our providers at Beckham Square Family Dental can help. This is an excellent topic to discuss at your child’s first dental appointment, which should occur within six months of the first tooth eruption or by 12 months at the latest.
We are here to address your concerns and can examine your child for any dental issues related to pacifiers or thumb-sucking. We may recommend an oral appliance or suggest additional steps. For everyone in your family, we offer preventive care and restorative treatments, including cavity fillings and root canals. Cincinnati residents also turn to us for dental bonding, teeth whitening, and other cosmetic solutions.