This Mom Is Warning Parents With Kids Who Suck Their Thumbs About "Tongue Cribs"

"A tongue crib is a small dental appliance designed to discourage thumb sucking, and although it is not painful, it does look a bit terrifying: Besides the initial shock of how off-putting it looks... Like, lots of people had reactions... And people who have had one confirmed they're not as uncomfortable as they look, thankfully!"

""Typically, we want to wean kids off of their pacifier by age two, or definitely by age three," she said in her TikTok explainer. "Same thing goes with the thumb, because the more that you suck on your thumb, it actually will change the face, or the front teeth don't close when you bite down," she added."

""I think this is often a surprise to moms, because we often don't consider the habits that our kids have, and we see this over and over where certain habits change the structure of the actual face, and facial profile can affect your speech, the way that you smile...but in many cases, it can be fixed with orthodontics. Overall, it's better if the child can just kick the habit, which I know is easier said than done, but it'll be better for their smile, long term,""

Thumb-sucking affects roughly 70% to 90% of infants, with most children stopping between ages two and four. About 12% continue thumb-sucking into early school years. Prolonged thumb or pacifier use can produce an anterior open bite and change facial structure and front-tooth alignment. A tongue crib is a small dental appliance used to discourage thumb-sucking; it is typically not painful but can appear alarming. Dentists recommend weaning from pacifiers by age two or three and advise stopping thumb-sucking to avoid long-term orthodontic issues, though many cases can be corrected with orthodontics.

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