Oral Health›Life stages

Dummies and Thumb Sucking: Effects on Teeth and How to Stop

Why babies and young children suck dummies, thumbs and fingers, how a long-lasting habit can affect the teeth and bite, how to use a dummy safely, and how to help a child stop.

Updated September 2026·By the OHA editorial team·8 min read·How we write
Key takeaways
  • Sucking is a natural reflex, and most children stop sucking a dummy, thumb or fingers between 2 and 4 years old.
  • A habit that carries on as the adult teeth come through, from around age 6, can push teeth out of position and change the bite.
  • Never dip a dummy in sugar, honey, jam or anything sweet: it can cause tooth decay.
  • If you are breastfeeding, wait until feeding is well established before offering a dummy. Bottle-fed babies can have one from birth.
  • Praise, rewards and gentle reminders help many children stop. If the habit continues at school age, or you notice changes to the teeth or speech, ask a dentist.

Sucking on a dummy (also called a pacifier or soother), a thumb or fingers helps many babies and young children feel calm and secure. The Australian service Pregnancy, Birth and Baby calls these non-nutritive sucking habits, meaning sucking that is not for feeding. It says sucking is a natural reflex that helps newborns feed, and that up to 1 in 3 babies suck their thumb or fingers in their first year. In most children the habit fades on its own.

How can sucking affect teeth and the bite?

The Better Health Channel (Victoria) says dummy sucking is not a problem for oral health in the very early years, but a long-term dummy, thumb or finger habit can change the teeth and jaws. The problems it and Pregnancy, Birth and Baby describe include:

  • Overbite: the upper front teeth are pushed further forward than usual.
  • Open bite: a gap between the top and bottom front teeth when the mouth is closed, so the front teeth cannot bite together.
  • A narrow palate: the roof of the mouth pushed up and narrowed.
  • Speech changes, such as a lisp, especially with "s" and "z" sounds.

Pregnancy, Birth and Baby says the risk depends on how often and how hard a child sucks, the angle of the thumb in the mouth, and genetic factors. The American Dental Association (ADA) says children who rest a thumb passively in the mouth are less likely to have problems than those who suck vigorously.

Timing matters. A Cochrane review (a systematic review of the research) explains that if sucking continues as the adult teeth start coming through, at around age 6, those teeth may grow into the wrong position, stick out too far or not meet when biting, and dental treatment may be needed. The Better Health Channel says the earlier a child stops, the more likely the teeth and jaws are to correct themselves. See braces and aligners for how bite problems are treated.

Is a dummy better or worse than a thumb?

The ADA says dummies affect the teeth in essentially the same ways as thumbs and fingers, but the dummy habit is often easier to break.

When does it become a concern?

Sources agree that most children stop between 2 and 4 years old (Better Health Channel, Raising Children Network, ADA). The ages they give for acting differ a little:

  • Thumbs and fingers: Raising Children Network says you might encourage your child to stop after they turn 4. Pregnancy, Birth and Baby says many children stop by 4 and others when they start school, and suggests talking to a professional if sucking continues at around 4 to 7 and your child has problems with their teeth or speech.
  • Dummies: Pregnancy, Birth and Baby says to stop by 4 to avoid crooked teeth. Red Nose, the Australian safe sleep charity, says dummies should be stopped between 2 and 4, and Raising Children Network says use beyond 3 to 4 years raises the chance of dental problems.
  • Speech: Pregnancy, Birth and Baby says speech therapists recommend stopping a dummy at around 14 months so it does not affect speech development.

How to use a dummy safely

Advice from Pregnancy, Birth and Baby, Raising Children Network, the Better Health Channel and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP):

  • Never dip or coat a dummy in anything sweet, such as sugar, honey, jam or syrup. The Better Health Channel warns this can cause severe tooth decay very quickly, and the NHS also advises against it. The NHS says honey should not be given to babies under 1 in any case.
  • Choose a one-piece dummy with a firm shield wider than your baby's mouth and air holes. Raising Children Network says the shield should be more than 3.5 cm across and meet Australian Standard AS 2432:2015. The AAP gives at least 3.8 cm.
  • Never tie a dummy to your baby's hand, neck or cot. Raising Children Network says any dummy chain should meet the Australian Standard and be under 22 cm long.
  • Check it often and replace it if it is worn, torn or discoloured.
  • Keep it clean, and do not lick it or share it. Pregnancy, Birth and Baby says to sterilise dummies for babies under 12 months; Raising Children Network says under 6 months. During oral thrush, Raising Children Network suggests a new dummy each week.
  • Ear infections: Red Nose advises limiting dummies and seeing a GP if your baby keeps getting ear infections.

Dummies, sleep and breastfeeding

Sleep

The NHS says to think about using a dummy to settle your baby to sleep, as some research suggests it can help lower the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). Raising Children Network and Red Nose say the benefit is linked to offering it for every sleep. Red Nose says never to force a dummy on a baby who refuses it, and the AAP says it is fine if a baby does not want one.

If the dummy falls out once your baby is asleep, Pregnancy, Birth and Baby and Red Nose say not to put it back in; the AAP says you do not have to.

Breastfeeding

All four sources say to wait until breastfeeding is well established before offering a dummy, but give different times: Pregnancy, Birth and Baby says usually the first 3 to 4 weeks, while Raising Children Network and Red Nose say around 4 to 6 weeks. A dummy should not replace or delay a feed.

The evidence on breastfeeding is mixed. Raising Children Network says a dummy introduced in the first 4 to 6 weeks might interfere with breastfeeding, milk supply and weight gain, and Pregnancy, Birth and Baby says it can contribute to early weaning. A 2016 Cochrane review of two trials found that, for mothers motivated to breastfeed healthy full-term babies, dummy use did not significantly affect breastfeeding up to 4 months.

How to help a child stop

Ideas from the Better Health Channel, Pregnancy, Birth and Baby, Raising Children Network and the ADA:

  • Praise and rewards: praise your child, use a sticker chart, and plan a small treat after a set number of days.
  • Distraction: offer a toy or an activity for the hands, such as drawing or a puzzle.
  • Reminders: a glove, sticking plaster or sock on the hand at night, or a bitter-tasting paint-on solution (ask a pharmacist). The Better Health Channel says the child must be willing for this to work.
  • Comfort: the ADA says children often suck when anxious, so address the cause, and let older children help choose the method.
  • Try not to nag, which Pregnancy, Birth and Baby and the Better Health Channel say can make a child defensive.

For dummies, the Better Health Channel suggests limiting them to sleep time, preparing your child for a couple of days, swapping the dummy for a chosen cuddly toy, or giving it to the "dummy fairy". It advises against stopping suddenly, as this can lead to thumb sucking, while Pregnancy, Birth and Baby says you can either stop altogether or cut down gradually.

If these do not work, a dentist can fit an appliance inside the mouth that makes sucking harder (Pregnancy, Birth and Baby, ADA). The 2015 Cochrane review found low-quality evidence that such appliances, and behavioural approaches such as rewards, help children stop.

When to see a dentist
  • You notice changes in your child's baby teeth, or are worried about the habit (ADA).
  • Your child still sucks a thumb, fingers or dummy at around school age and has problems with their teeth or speech. Pregnancy, Birth and Baby says a dentist, orthodontist, speech pathologist or paediatrician can help.
  • You see signs of decay, which Raising Children Network lists as white patches or brown spots, holes or broken teeth. See children's teeth.

Frequently asked questions

Should I put the dummy back in if it falls out while my baby sleeps?

Pregnancy, Birth and Baby and Red Nose say not to. The AAP says the dummy still helps even if it falls out, so there is no need to put it back.

Will thumb sucking damage my toddler's teeth?

Usually not. The Better Health Channel says it is healthy and normal in very young children. Problems are more likely if it continues as the adult teeth come through.

Can a dummy cause tooth decay?

Pregnancy, Birth and Baby says children who use a dummy may be more likely to get holes in their teeth. The Better Health Channel says decay, especially of the front teeth, is a risk if the dummy is dipped in something sugary. See tooth decay, and teething for sore gums.

Sources

  1. Thumb sucking, Pregnancy, Birth and Baby, accessed September 2026
  2. Dummies and comforters, Pregnancy, Birth and Baby, accessed September 2026
  3. Dummies, Better Health Channel (Victoria), accessed September 2026
  4. Thumb sucking, Better Health Channel (Victoria), accessed September 2026
  5. Dummies: advantages, disadvantages and tips, Raising Children Network, accessed September 2026
  6. Preschooler teeth issues, Raising Children Network, accessed September 2026
  7. Using a dummy safely, Red Nose Australia, accessed September 2026
  8. Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), NHS, accessed September 2026
  9. Looking after your baby's teeth, NHS, accessed September 2026
  10. Thumbsucking, American Dental Association (MouthHealthy), accessed September 2026
  11. Pacifier safety, American Academy of Pediatrics (HealthyChildren.org), accessed September 2026
  12. How to keep your sleeping baby safe: AAP policy explained, American Academy of Pediatrics (HealthyChildren.org), accessed September 2026
  13. Interventions for stopping dummy or finger or thumb sucking habits in children, Cochrane (Borrie and others, 2015), accessed September 2026
  14. Effect of restricted pacifier use on duration of breastfeeding in full-term infants, Cochrane (Jaafar and others, 2016), accessed September 2026

This article is general information about oral health. It is not a diagnosis or a substitute for advice from a dentist or doctor who knows your situation. If you have pain, swelling, bleeding that does not settle, or a problem that is getting worse, see a dental professional. In an emergency, contact your local emergency service.

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