My 2 year old sucks their thumb/finger and I want them to stop!
      Sucking is a natural reflex and infants and young children may use thumbs, fingers, pacifiers and other objects on which to suck. It may make them feel secure and happy or provide a sense of security at difficult periods. Since thumb sucking is relaxing, it may induce sleep.
      At 2 years old, children need the comfort their thumb provides. It is very difficult to stop a very young child from sucking their thumb. It is best at this time to ignore the habit as much as possible. Trying to force a two year old to stop sucking their thumb will be battle of wills, with you, the parent the loser! It is better to try to engage or distract your child when sucking, and take their thumb out of their mouth when they fall asleep.
      When they are 4-5 years old, you can use a reward system. Reward your child when they do not suck, with a star, and when they get 10 stars they get a reward (e.g., toy, video, book). You can also limit the locations of thumb sucking to home only, or bed only. If your child is still sucking when the lower front teeth become loose, we can make a thumb sucking reminder appliance. These work best to help your child stop sucking his/her thumb.
      Thumb sucking that persists beyond the eruption of the permanent teeth can cause problems with the proper growth of the mouth and tooth alignment. How intensely a child sucks on fingers or thumbs will determine whether or not dental problems may result. Children who rest their thumbs passively in their mouth are less likely to have difficulty than those who vigorously suck their thumbs.
      Pacifiers are no substitute for thumb sucking. They can affect the teeth essentially the same way as sucking fingers and thumbs. However, use of the pacifier can be controlled and modified more easily than the thumb or finger habit.
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My 5 year old grinds their teeth at night! We can hear it down the hall!
      As many as 80-90% of young children grind (brux) their teeth at night. Some children also grind during the day. There is no definitive cause for grinding, but several theories exist.

1. Children with allergies and severely restricted airways grind as a means of relieving congestion, similar to yawning when going up in an airplane to relieve the congestion in your ears.
2. Grinding may be part of a sleep disturbance during REM (active dream) sleep. Grinding can also be associated with bed wetting, sleep talking, drooling while sleeping and night time muscle cramping.
3. The anatomy of the temperomandibular joint (TMJ) allows easy movement of the bottom jaw (mandible). These movements become harder to make as the TMJ matures with age.

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