Your baby: dummies and teethQ."Our dentist says our 18-month-old daughter is showing the effects of having a dummy. He said he could see from the shape of her face that her top teeth were starting to move forward over the lower ones. If we discontinued use immediately they would straighten out. Could this really be correct and a cause for real concern? She only uses it at night."A.There has been some disagreement amongst experts about the possible harmful effects of dummies. However, the balance of opinion seems now to suggest prolonged or excessive use of a dummy may push the upper teeth forward. Some children may be more susceptible than others to this effect. Some experts say dummies should be discontinued by the age of three years whereas others believe dummy use should be avoided after the age of 12 months. Dummy use after a year may also interfere with speech development probably because the child has fewer opportunities to babble. As your daughter only has a dummy at night this is not likely to be a problem in her case. At the age of 18 months it's certainly likely any unwanted movement of your daughter's teeth will tend to disappear if you get rid of the dummy. Getting rid of it shouldn't be too difficult. Although changing a toddler's behaviour can be exhausting, the fretting is unlikely to last for more than two or three days. Choose a quiet time when it won't matter too much if your sleep is disturbed and aim to be calm and comforting while she gets used to life without a dummy. Dr Jo Lee, Babyworld doctor Question answered 12 April, 2001 |
