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Pacifier and your child's teeth. Is there any risk?

Ways to get your child off the pacifier
Do all parents know when it is time to break the childs habit to suckle a pacifier? Do all parents know whether pacifiers are harmful or not, whether they are necessary for a child or not? First of all let us try to find out what for do children need pacifiers.

The thing is that the main childrens reflex is suckling. Most of the childs needs are satisfied with the help of breast feeding. Sometimes children feel the need to suckle even after breast feeding (children are nervous). To calm down the child give him a pacifier for a short period of time (boil the pacifier before you give it to a child).

If a child is hyperexcited give him a pacifier before sleep. Mind that you should take it away as soon as the child falls asleep. Do not overuse the pacifier. Do not use it when you are busy and the child wouldnt calm down. This way you are alienating yourself from your child and destroying his health.

If a child constantly suckles a pacifier at an early age it will not damage his health. The only negative aspect is that he is getting used to the pacifier. If you let your child suckle a pacifier after he is 6 months old (especially in the moment of dentition) it may cause the following negative effects:
  1. Possible speech disturbance
  2. Possible retarded mental development
  3. Malocclusion
  4. Respiratory disorder
  5. Possible allergy to the material of the pacifier
  6. Special orthodontic pacifiers are less harmful for childrens health but it is better not to turn suckling a pacifier into a routine (a bad habit develops).
A very important thing is to select a pacifier for an artificially fed child. In this case a pacifier must be short and firm, it must contain several holes (food from the bottle must drop but not flow). Holes in the pacifier must be small for the child to suckle properly and form normal occlusion. While feeding hold the bottle so that it would not press the childs jaw.

Another important moment is choosing the time break the childs habit of suckling. If to delay this time the childs health can be damaged.

It is recommended to start breaking the childs habit of suckling at the age of 5-6 months when the sucking reflex is fading. Children often remind their parents about tat by spitting out the pacifier. Before breaking the habit you should turn to a children's psychologist. You cannot use radical methods like smearing the pacifier with mustard. This way you will not only harm the childs health (causing the burn of the oral mucosa) but also cause psychic trauma.

Do not delay the process of breaking the childs habit of suckling. Remember that the later you do it the more stress your child will experience. In case your child continues suckling a pacifier after dentition he may have problems with air passages. The thing is that the child can bite off and eat bits of the pacifier and hose bits can get into the air passages.

The conclusion is: it is not recommended to use a pacifier after your child is 6 months old. The same can be even dangerous if your child is 1 year old and up. The thing is that suckling suppresses most kinds of activities including motion activity.

If a child continues suckling after he is 1 year old the habit isolates him from most new experiences surrounding him. He starts talking much later than other children. In some cases retarded intellectual development can be observed.


  • It is necessary to use a pacifier before he child is 6 months old but do not overuse it.
  • Suckling a pacifier after the child is 6 months old is not only harmful but can retard the development of your child.

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