Children

Is removing the pacifier a wise choice?

For the sake of our children, the main task of us parents is to make informed decisions, inquiring from authoritative sources, to draw the right knowledge and the right motivation to act.

The pacifier. Delight and bliss of the children as well as of their parents. The pacifier hallucinates the magical moment of breastfeeding and the closeness of the mother, giving tranquility, satisfaction and peace of mind.

No parent would want to take away from their child the opportunity to enjoy all this. Yet the world is split in two, between those who do everything so that the child accepts the pacifier and those who, instead, feel an unspecified fear of compromising the health of their child. We try to clarify rumors and rumors, often vague or with little scientific foundation.

What science tells us

Numerous scientific studies correlate the excessive use of pacifiers and other oral vices to some health problems. Among the main ones are:

  • The smile: failure to develop a good relationship between the arches and / or between the individual dental elements (not creating the right space for the teeth);
  • Posture: the tongue is interconnected with the anterior postural chain by means of the hyoid bone, located below the chin. Through this connection it can influence the entire posture. For example, when a subject puts the tongue in the correct posture recovers a better plantar support than when the tongue is in a non-physiological position;
  • The propensity to develop otitis: those who swallow with their low tongue do not exert the right intracranial pressures that favor the opening of the Eustachian tube, which is responsible for proper ventilation of the middle ear;
  • Increased attention fatigue: the tongue does not adequately stimulate a sensory pathway of the trigeminal nerve which in turn activates certain cortical areas. In addition, if the child is an oral respirator it does not produce nitric oxide in the nasal cavities which is an excellent vasodilator that better oxygenates his brain.

The function of language

The focus of the matter is the posture of the tongue: the pacifier, as well as the bottle teat or the thumb in the mouth, alter the correct posture of the tongue and do not allow it to evolve towards an adult posture, necessary for the physiological development of the palate and for a harmonious relationship between the dental arches.

In fact, the tongue pushes and shapes the palate 1600 times a day, with a force of 1.5 kg at each swallowing.

If this force is applied correctly on the palate, it facilitates the predisposition to a beautiful smile and a good development of oral functions (breathing, chewing, phonation and swallowing).

When it is projected between the teeth, it can predispose to diastemi (creation of large spaces between the teeth), ogival palate (high and narrow), malocclusions of various shapes and other negative effects.

So do we really have to eliminate the pacifier?

I want to be clear: it is not the pacifier itself that involves all the inconveniences we have talked about, but its excessive use, both in terms of daily frequency and prolonged use over the years.

Beyond two, maximum three years of life of the child the pacifier and other oral habits should be eliminated.

Therefore I do not recommend the pacifier at all, as its uncontrolled use.

For the good of our children, the main task of us parents is to make informed decisions, informing ourselves from authoritative sources, to obtain the right knowledge and the right motivation to act.

Every day as a speech therapist I deal with the education / re-education of oral functions. The starting point is precisely to inform parents about how small gestures can improve our well-being today and avoid unpleasant effects on tomorrow.

The wise choice

I return to the question with which we started: is removing the pacifier a wise choice?

I answer: the first wise choice is to inform yourself and understand the basics of the physiology of the mouth. An hour can be enough to do this, but the right information will change your confidence in deciding and your ability to be effective in communicating with the child.

The second wise choice is to get information from authoritative sources, because rumors and advice from the grandmother do not always have scientific foundations.

The third wise choice is undoubtedly moderation in the use of the pacifier, and firmness in abandoning this and other oral habits within 2, at most 3 years.

Conclude

If it is difficult for you to accompany your child in this step, it is your awareness that makes the difference. Get informed, decide, act.

Dr Kathryn Barlow

Kathryn Barlow is an OB/GYN doctor, which is the medical specialty that deals with the care of women's reproductive health, including pregnancy and childbirth.

Obstetricians provide care to women during pregnancy, labor, and delivery, while gynecologists focus on the health of the female reproductive system, including the ovaries, uterus, vagina, and breasts. OB/GYN doctors are trained to provide medical and surgical care for a wide range of conditions related to women's reproductive health.

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