Super Smiles - Oral Habits - Oral Health Kansas -

SUPER SMILES
FOR YOUR CHILD

Super Smiles Homepage

SMART SNACKING BEATING BRUSHING BATTLES

OVERCOMING ORAL HABITS

DYNAMITE DENTAL VISITS

SUPER SMILES FOR YOUR CHILD

Overcoming
Oral Habits

1. Videos

Baby Bear Stops Sucking His Thumb - Sesame Street

2. Hold or Go? Sorting Game

Prolonged (after age 2) and intense sucking can sometimes cause problems with speech, tooth, and facial development. There are as many tips for stopping a thumb or pacifier habit as there are for hiccups. Some ideas are safer and work much better than others. See if you can tell the difference. Drag each tip idea to the appropriate Super Tooth.

Great job! Keep going!

Oops! Try again!

Fantastic! You really know how to help stop a thumb or pacifer habit!

3. Songs

Put Down the Pacifier: Bye Bye Binky Song- Sesame Street

Suzy the Soother Fairy

A Note From Suzy the Soother Fairy

4. Book Suggestions

Books on Thumbsucking

Thumbs Up Brown Bear by Michael Dahl

Dana's Finger Is Set Free by Vered Kaminsky

David Decides About Thumbsucking:
A Story for Children, a Guide for Parents by Susan P H. D. Heitler

Books on Pacifiers

No More Pacifier, Duck (Hello Genius) Board book by Michael Dahl

Bye Bye Binky by Brigette Weninger

Bea Gives Up Her Pacifier by Jenny Album

Last Noo-Noo by Jill Murphy

What's Next?
We hope you enjoyed your journey through Overcoming Oral Habits. Did you get some good ideas?

1. Are there any changes you'd like to try to make in your family's daily habits?
If so, please let us know: (just select 1 for now… change takes time!)

Stop thumb/finger sucking habit immediately.

Give up the use of a pacifier immediately.

Stop thumb/finger sucking habit gradually.

Give up the use of a pacifier gradually.

Do you have a better idea?

We are not interested in selecting a goal at this time.

It is fine to not make any changes right now. Hopefully that means you are already doing everything you can to keep your family's teeth healthy. It could also mean that you have other things that are also important to focus on. Keep up the good work and show off your Super Smiles!

Want to Do More?
Thumbsucking rewards chart

Want to Know More?
For more reliable information on the role nutrition plays in keeping teeth healthy, visit these sites:
American Dental Association - www.mouthhealthy.org
American Academy of Pediatrics - www.healthychildren.org

Tips & Tricks
• Pacifier Use
  English Spanish
• Thumbsucking
  English Spanish
• Kicking the Habit
  English Spanish

Parent's Videos

Top 5 Things to Know About Thumbsucking

How to Wean a Toddler Off a Pacifier