I was reading in my parenting magazine about a little boy that went to the dentist and had one front tooth shorter than the other. The dentist said it was from his pacifier. Does anyone know anything about this? Since that article, I noticed that my now almost 3 year old has the same problem and she had a pacifier until she was 19 months old. Are her permanent teeth effected by this also? When should I take her to the dentist? Does anyone know. TIA

By Tink on Tuesday, July 27, 2004 - 11:56 am:

Most children should see a dentist around the time they turn 3. If you have a concern you may want to take her in early. I think there are a lot of things to take into consideration. How often did your dd use the pacifier? My dd used hers until she was 2 but it was only in her crib and it fell out after about 1/2 an hour of sleeping so she doesn't have any dental issues relating to it. There may be other moms who have been there, done that (BTDT) and have some more to offer.

By My2cuties on Tuesday, July 27, 2004 - 12:21 pm:

Thanks alot! she was quite attached to it, and would wake up in the middle of the night to look for it . Well, thanks for the info I believe we will take her to the dentist around her 3rd birthday (October) to get her teeth looked at. They are not that bad but still a concern.

By Jodes on Tuesday, July 27, 2004 - 05:29 pm:

I was a dental assistant in pediatric dentistry before becoming a stay at home mom, and what I know is that the pacifier is only a concern when the child continues to use it once he turns 5 years old and older, because that is when the permanent teeth usually begin to come in. My younger son used a pacifier until he was almost 2, and his teeth are just fine now, he is 6.

By My2cuties on Tuesday, July 27, 2004 - 06:14 pm:

Thank you, Jodi! I hate to run to the doctor/dentist and ask them everytime I wonder about something.

By Kristie on Thursday, July 29, 2004 - 02:47 pm:

I don't know much about pacifiers cuz I threatened the nurses in the hospital that they were under no uncertin terms to put a artificial nipple in my ds mouth. I had seen my friends kids have them up into when they were way too old to need that sucking comfort. It also affected their teeth and their speech skills. My ds dentist first saw him when he was 2. It may be diffrent in other places. I do hope your child dosent have problems because of it. Good luck.

By Tonya on Thursday, July 29, 2004 - 10:44 pm:

Timmy had one until he was 1 and only when he was in bed once he was mobile and Jade has one now and will lose it when she turns 1 also. I see nothing wrong with it unless they are trying to talk with it in their mouth then they are a problem.

By Pamt on Thursday, July 29, 2004 - 11:25 pm:

As a speech therapist I recommend no pacifiers past one year of age. It isn't the pacifier per se that does damage to teeth and/or speech. Rather it is the fact that the tongue assumes an incorrect position and movement pattern that pushes against the teeth (instead of the hard palate) and can cause the poor dental alignment and a lisp. If I see a child older that a year old I have to consciously restrain myself from going over to yank the pacifier out. It's one of my major pet peeves. The *best* time to pull the plug is about 6-10 months. At this age a baby is very mobile and busy and will forget about the pacifier more easily. They also no longer have non-nutritive sucking needs at this age.

By Tink on Friday, July 30, 2004 - 01:11 am:

Pam, thanks for giving us your two cents. I wondered what your recommendation would be since you have the most actual knowledge of the problems this can cause. Even without your schooling, I have to stop myself from ripping a pacifier out of the mouth of a preschool-aged child! Makes me crazy!

By Annie2 on Friday, July 30, 2004 - 08:07 pm:

I have to agree with Pam. My son has speech problems from over using his sippy cup.