Thumbsucking

THUMB SUCKING Thumb Sucking is an infant's chief pleasure. Universally babies suck on their fingers at some time during the first 2 years of their life. An infant's mouth is an essential organ not only for feeding but for exploration and pleasure as well. There is no evidence that thumb sucking is a response to an emotional ailment. It does not elicit teeth deformities as long as it cedes before the eruption of the permenent teeth. Thumb sucking enhances weight gain and decreased crying and therefore it is a source of self comforting. Persistance of thumbsucking to adulthood is equivalent or parallel to overeating with resultant obesity. Mohamed Buwe Osman, MD physician & artist