Are pacifiers bad for the teeth?

Question

My Dr. said that I have to take away pacifier from my 15 month old cold turkey. She was hysterical for an hour and would not go to sleep without it. So I gave up. Is it really that bad? He said she will have problems with her teeth.

Answer 1

wow.

my little sister

is 3 years old and still uses

a binky.

but it does cause an overbite.

i tell my parents to take it away but she goes crazy

try giving her a sippy cup before bed,

i know u probably dnt want advice from a 17 year old but ive taken care of my 6 other brothers and sisters.

for a while now.

good luck =]]

Answer 2

Yeah they can cause buckteeth as far as i know, which means big money on braces!! the thumb is worse though, because you cant take that away. But i would take it away from her the sooner the better, or you'll have a 3 year old with a pacifier.

Answer 3

Yes pacifiers can cause problems with teeth both from pressure and from breeding bacteria.  However that is generally NOT a problem until age 5.

Some of these links are about thumbs but remember thumbs are supposed to be worse:

http://www.drgreene.org/body.cfm?id=21&a...

How old is too old?

According to the American Dental Association, thumb sucking does not cause permanent problems with the teeth or jaw line unless it is continued beyond 4 to 5 years of age. As it turns out, somewhere between 85% and 99% of children have finished thumb sucking spontaneously before this period.

Which children keep sucking their thumbs?

Many parents are concerned that thumb sucking at a late age is a sign of emotional immaturity or lack of self-confidence. When investigators have looked at late thumb suckers for common traits, they found only one thing in common that distinguished them from other children -- a prolonged history of a strong battle with thumb sucking at an earlier age. It is striking that many well-meaning parents have actually encouraged thumb sucking by trying to forcibly take the thumb out of their children's mouths.

http://www.ada.org/prof/resources/pubs/j...

BREAKING THE HABIT

Pacifiers can affect the teeth in essentially the

same way as does sucking on fingers and thumbs.

However, pacifier use often is an easier habit to

break. If you offer an infant a pacifier, use a clean

one. Never dip a pacifier in sugar, honey or other

sweeteners before giving it to an infant.

Most children stop sucking their thumbs or

other fingers on their own between the ages of

2 and 4 years. The behavior lessens gradually

during this period, as children spend more of

their waking hours exploring their surroundings.

Peer pressure also causes many school-aged children

to stop placing their fingers in their mouths.

If a child does not stop on his or her own, parents

should discourage the habit after age 4

years. However, excessive pressure to stop can do

more harm than good.

THINGS TO CONSIDER

dInstead of scolding the child for thumb sucking,

offer praise for not doing so.

dChildren often suck their fingers when feeling

insecure. Focus on correcting the cause of the

anxiety and comfort the child.

dReward the child when he or she avoids thumb

sucking during a difficult period, such as being

separated from family members.

http://www.cps.ca/english/statements/cp/...

Pacifiers and otitis media

Because of the high burden of illness of otitis media, it would be convenient to at least partially blame pacifier use, a controllable yet controversial risk factor. If pacifiers are a cause of early weaning (see above) and if breastfeeding is protective against otitis media (12,31,32) then it could be argued that pacifiers also contribute to the cause of otitis media. It has been suggested that pacifiers are fomites with high infectivity, although a study that cultured 40 recently used pacifiers found microorganisms on only 52.5% of pacifiers, meaning the other half of the pacifiers were surprisingly uncontaminated. The most common organism was alpha-hemolytic streptococci. The pacifiers were negative for the major pathogens that cause otitis media (33).

Pacifier sucking may impair the functioning of the eustachian tube by changing its patency, and the pressure balance between the nasopharynx and the middle ear. In one study, pacifier sucking was found in 40% of 601 children with chronic otitis media who required tympanostomy tubes in Toronto, Ontario (34).

A research group from Finland stated that pacifier use is a significant risk factor for acute otitis media in a prospective study of children in day care centres (13), and in a meta-analysis of risk factors for otitis media (12). Their most recent study looked at the effect of parental counselling about pacifier use and the subsequent occurrence of otitis media in these children (14). The intervention group received counselling on the negative aspects of pacifiers. Interestingly, at the end of the study, there were more children still using a pacifier in the intervention group than the control group (68% versus 66.5%). However, fewer children in the intervention group used it continuously and the occurrence of acute otitis media was decreased by 29% in this group. Their results suggested that restricting pacifier use to the moments of falling asleep would reduce the occurrence of acute otitis media. Based on their earlier work, they have also suggested that pacifier use be restricted to the first 10 months of life when the need to suck is strongest and the risk of acute otitis media is low.

A recent survey of parents of children aged 12 months or younger also found the risk of developing otitis media to be twice as high in pacifier users (15). This study was limited by a random definition of pacifier use being greater than 5 h per day, and the reliability of parental reporting. A similar study based on questionnaire reporting by parents of infants in their first year of life, found the occurrence of otitis media higher in pacifier users (OR 1.20) (16).

Pacifier use appears to be a risk factor in the development of otitis media; however, it is only one of the many factors involved in the pathogenesis. The pacifier’s culpability seems to increase with prolonged and more frequent use.

Pacifiers and dentition

Dental caries, malocclusion and gingival recession are commonly cited problems associated with pacifiers. Most studies have found that these problems exist only with prolonged (after age five) or inappropriate use (sweetened pacifier) (17).

A recent study showed significant differences in dental arch and occlusion characteristics in users at 24 months and 36 months of age compared with those that had stopped sucking by 12 months of age (18). Another study looked at children aged two to five years and also found significant increases in overjet (greater than 4 mm), openbite and posterior crossbite in pacifier users. The longer the use was, in months, the stronger the association with openbite and crossbite (19).

Both the Canadian Dental Association (CDA) and the American Dental Association (ADA) have similar publications on the appropriate use of pacifiers (35,36). The CDA recommends pacifiers over thumb sucking because it is easier for a parent to control the sucking habit. They advise against putting sugar, honey or corn syrup on a soother because of the risk of promoting cavities. They state that a sucking habit should stop before the permanent teeth erupt. The ADA also advises parents who choose to use a pacifier to use a clean, unsweetened one. They state that although prolonged use can harm the teeth, it is easier to wean a child’s sucking habit from a pacifier than from a thumb.

Answer 4

yes they can be if overuesd. a little patience now will be better in the long run. I know someone that cut the tip off made it less desireable for the child and the child just lost interest