From the first day of birth, the child begins to explore and explore the world around him. In the beginning, only a part of the senses participates – smell / sense of smell, recognition of mother /, hearing / reaction to sounds, voice /. Subsequently, sight, touch, taste are included. Until the child reaches the age of one, the main means of learning about the world around him are his hands and mouth. He/She touches the relevant interesting objects and puts them in his mouth to taste them. This is also the moment of the appearance of the first deciduous teeth, in which there is abundant salivation and the need to comb the gums to soothe. During this period, the sucking reflex is also strongly expressed, due to which children most often suck pacifiers, pacifier bottles, fingers.
As the child grows older, it is necessary for him/her to be accustomed to the age-appropriate habits and to separate from those of the breastfeeding period. This is extremely important because it affects the proper formation of oral-facial structures, the construction of the masticatory apparatus and the development of articulatory structures. The older the child, the harder the habit becomes and the harder it is to break.
We will look at the most common bad habits:
The use of a pacifier in infancy helps to satisfy the need for sucking outside of feeding. Soothes the baby and helps him fall asleep easier. After 1.5 years of age, the pacifier is no longer needed.
Pacifier bottles are sometimes used completely wrong. In addition to being fed, some children are left to sleep with them or offered to them all night. Accordingly, the newly erupted teeth are almost constantly in a “bath” of carbohydrates and lactic acids, which leads to multiple caries and their destruction. On the other hand, the constant loading of the stomach with new portions of food does not allow him the necessary night’s rest.
Finger sucking is one of the most common habits. The child calms down when he is worried, it is easier to fall asleep.
Sucking on the lower lip, tongue cheeks is usually unconscious, and is done during sleep.
Sucking clothes, blankets.
Nail biting is a fairly common habit. Usually the child does it when he/she is worried.
Teeth grinding during sleep is common even in adults. It’s called Bruxism. It usually manifests itself in moments of tension. Also in childhood, this may be a sign of worms.
All bad habits should be eliminated in a timely manner. The child should be separated from the pacifier and the bottle after the age of 1.5. It should be taught to drink from a glass, and night meals-eliminated. Up to 3 years of age should stop sucking the finger, because this will lead to serious dental deformity. Biting nails and objects is something that can happen at any age. On the one hand, microbes and dirt from the hands constantly get into the mouth, and on the other hand, fragile teeth can be injured and damaged.
In conclusion, we must say that bad habits damage and deform the dental apparatus, lead to articulation and speech therapy problems, introduce germs and infections in the mouth, damage teeth. They must be removed in a timely manner.