Dr. Mark Burhenne is a member of the American Dental Association, the American Oral Sleep Association, and the American Oral Health Association. For the past 35 years, he has been engaged in clinical and related research in the field of oral functional therapy.
In order to better popularize more oral expertise to the public, he created ask the dentist website in 2010, because it is widely loved by peers and the public, and has become one of the largest oral health websites in the United States.
Images are from the web
The following translations from Dr Burhenne's research on pacifiers are well worth reading for new parents.
For years, the debate over baby pacifiers has been raging as parents try to sift through conflicting information that shows, on the one hand, that pacifiers can provide comfort to children and even save the baby's life, but at the same time state that pacifiers can have a negative impact on infant or jaw development and make it difficult for breastfed babies to learn to suck properly.
As a dentist, I have my own opinion on pacifiers, but the gist is this: if you know how and when to use pacifiers correctly, pacifiers are beneficial for both parents and babies.
Why pacifiers should be labeled with a warning
One of my favorite parts of being a dentist is spending time with my patients and their families for a long time. I've even seen young patients grow up and continue to build their own families, and the transition to parenthood is a wonderful and unique time in one's life: a time to explore discovery, gain inspiration and for many people --- anxiety.
New parents always want to do the right thing for their children, which leads them to worry about whether they have made the right choices for their children. In fact, questioning and analyzing every baby-related decision by new parents does change what happens and what happens in the future. This certainly includes baby products that have become our "normal" habits: bottles, straw cups, and especially pacifiers.
Each of these baby products actually more or less prevents the normal development of children's mouth and jaw, which is a common problem.
Our mouth, jaws, airways and face have undergone significant changes over the past 50 years, and the popularity of wisdom teeth, tonsils and adenoid removal is a direct result of this transformation. Dentists have noticed this, and I see it every day in my patients: our facial contours are reduced, and the jaws are not fully developed.
Images are from the web
I have to admit... When I first saw my granddaughter using a pacifier, I felt a little worried. Long-term use of pacifiers can lead to chronic tooth decay, tooth irregularities, narrowing of the maxilla and even sleep apnea.
But, as my daughter reminded me, pacifiers also have a lot of benefits.
All in all, it is important for every new parent to consider many factors before giving a pacifier to their child. To reduce parents' worries, I will summarize the pros and cons of using a pacifier and all the considerations behind it, and share how to minimize the possible adverse consequences of a pacifier and how to choose the best pacifier for your child.
Biggest controversy: Should you give your baby a pacifier?
In an ideal world, it is best not to use pacifiers, as they can seriously affect your child's oroforomandal development.
As a dentist, it is important to tell the new parent this information because it can have serious consequences later in the child's life.
That being said, there are a few other factors to consider.
First, using a pacifier in the first year of life can reduce the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) by 90%.
Pacifiers have also been shown to strengthen the jaw muscles in early childhood, helping to prevent oral breathing.
Pacifiers can provide emotional comfort for babies.
What's more, much-needed relief help can be provided to new parents.
Note: If you are breastfeeding, research recommends not giving a pacifier to the baby until the baby has sufficient breastfeeding sucking habits.
This prevents "nipple confusion" and helps ensure that babies develop healthy breastfeeding habits.
Also, since the risk of SIDS is greatly reduced after one year, I strongly recommend that you deactivate the pacifier after your baby's first birthday.
It seems that both sides of this debate about the use of pacifiers have positive and negative arguments. Now, let's take a closer look at some of the factors to consider before giving your child a pacifier.
When to use a pacifier - specifically recommended
Eventually you may use pacifiers regularly, which is not something to be ashamed of. In some cases, it is best to use a pacifier:
After establishing a strong breastfeeding sucking habit and before the age of one year, the risk of SIDS can be greatly reduced due to a pacifier.
Breastfeeding with too much milk: A pacifier can be used during breastfeeding to avoid over-feeding that interferes with your baby's normal breathing (a condition that the mother can detect if your baby vomits or sucks too fast immediately after feeding).
Bottle feeding: Pacifiers can enhance non-nutritive sucking habits (i.e., sucking independent of feeding/nutrition) and make it easier for babies to be bottle-fed.
If your baby is undergoing painful surgery, such as a circumcision.
If your baby is in intensive care. Babies in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) need pacifiers because they cannot have other forms of sedation, such as skin-to-skin contact.
When parents exhaust all other methods to soothe the baby is ineffective. Pacifiers should never be the first line of defense, but they can certainly be used when necessary.
If you decide to use a pacifier, keep the following in mind:
Serve only between feedings (never delay eating).
If your baby doesn't want it, don't force him.
Do not use a pacifier to separate feeding times.
Keep the pacifier clean.
Make sure it is made of safe materials.
And again, don't use pacifiers unnecessarily. For example, if it falls while your baby is asleep, there is no need to put it back in.
Soothes the negative effects of the pacifier
Images are from the web
New parents often ask me, "Does a pacifier make your teeth uneven?" The short answer is, yes! This is my biggest concern about pacifier use – they can seriously affect the development of the mouth, teeth, jaws and face, and the longer they are used, the more severe all of these effects will be. Specifically, pacifiers cause:
Front teeth opening and closing - the most common dental problem associated with pacifiers. This is because the upper and lower front teeth are pushed outward (making room for the nipple or thumb).
Back teeth reverse bite - The front teeth are deeply overlaid with the posterior molars reversed, which means that the molars of the lower jaw are more malar than the maxillary molars.
Stenosis of the maxilla - in this case the top of the mouth is higher than normal. The airways are narrowed, which causes the airways to become smaller.
It is important to discuss this because deformities in the mouth and airway can have serious consequences for health later in life. The biggest concern about the above changes in oral and maxillofacial development is that they lead to a smaller respiratory tract, which leads to sleep breathing disorders.
Sleep breathing disorders are characterized by abnormal breathing in the deepest stages of sleep. This prevents the body from completing critical repair processes in different cells and organs, eventually leading to debilitating symptoms and triggering diseases, including:
exhaustion
insomnia
ADHD in children
Difficulty concentrating
Anxiety, depression and other mood-related disorders
Cardiovascular diseases
Alzheimer's disease
corpulent
Type 2 Diabetes
It can be seen that the influence of pacifiers on airway development cannot be underestimated. We are still learning how to use pacifiers safely, as it takes time to study the growth of the first pacifier users.
Since the first pacifiers were developed in 1901 and widely used in the 1940s, it took us decades to fully realize the effect. We now recognize the importance of starting to prevent sleep-disordered breathing in childhood.
In addition to the negative effects on oral development, other problems with pacifiers include:
Breastfeeding interference - Pacifiers can make breastfeeding more difficult due to "nipple confusion".
Increased risk of ear infections – Infants using pacifiers are at three times higher risk of developing ear infections.
However, the study found that this correlation appears to be dose-dependent. Essentially, the more pacifiers are used, the higher the risk. (If you choose to use a pacifier, this is a reason to reduce the number of times you use it.) ）
Analysis of the affect of pacifiers on emotions
Without considering the emotional impact of pacifiers, it is impossible to really discuss the pros and cons of using pacifiers. On a positive note, we know that pacifiers can help soothe a depressed baby and help babies fall asleep faster, and they are easier to quit than finger-sucking habits.
Pacifiers are often one of the most effective tools parents use to soothe crying babies.
It wasn't a problem in the early days. However, as babies age, this can become a bigger problem. The negative emotional side is that we know that babies will become dependent on pacifiers, and that withdrawals afterwards can cause psychological trauma.
It is important to note that when you give your child a pacifier, you will tell your child that the particular emotion he is experiencing is not a good feeling.
If a child feels scared, worried, or upset, parents always use pacifiers to soothe this uncomfortable emotion, rather than addressing the causes of those emotions, which will ultimately prevent the child from learning how to cope appropriately with various situations as they age.
As your child grows older, I encourage you to help him ease his mood instead of relying on a pacifier. This not only prevents unnecessary use of pacifiers, but also allows children to cope with emotions effectively.
What is the best pacifier on the market?
If you're giving your child a pacifier or preparing one at the beginning of an emergency, I recommend choosing a product that minimizes the potential adverse consequences of a pacifier.
As a dentist, my favorite pacifier is the Natural Rubber Orthodontic Pacifier without Natursutten BPA. Because it's flatter, the design is more like a real nipple.
However, there are many other factors to consider when buying a pacifier:
Pacifiers can be silicone, latex or plastic.
Make sure any plastic is BPA-free. Latex is softer, more like a mother's nipple, but needs to be replaced every six to eight weeks.
Also, if your family has a history of latex allergies, you need to avoid using it. Similarly, latex also has a higher risk of being infected with Candida.
A one-time-form pacifier is the best and most hygienic option. Because the one-piece construction means no seams or cracks accumulate dirt and bacteria.
Standard pacifiers usually have a gap where the nipple and shield are together, making it difficult to keep clean. If the pacifier has an open passage to the pacifier, it will accumulate a lot of dust and bacteria.
The rope or lanyard should not be attached to the pacifier. They can pose a choking hazard.
The pacifier you choose should fit your baby's mouth well. You may need to choose from several different styles and brands to find the most suitable pacifier.
Reverse the side effect of pacifiers - muscle function therapy
If you have already used a pacifier, or if you have chosen the wrong pacifier for your child, your heart may start to beat because you are not aware of some of the problems mentioned in this article. But there is no need to panic, there are many things you can do to correct the problems caused by the pacifier, and the sooner you start, the better.
If you or your doctor finds that your child's abnormal oral or facial development may be related to the use of a pacifier, muscle function therapy is a good option.
Muscle function therapy is like physical therapy for the mouth and face. Painless and simple exercises can be used to activate the right muscles and improve function and appearance.
Muscle function therapy can improve the position of the tongue and the way it is swallowed, thus preventing complications.
The topic of muscle function therapy is complex and varies from child to child.
My advice is to find a good muscle function therapist and make an initial assessment. You can get advice from your dentist. I also recommend seeing a dentist who focuses on the airway, which means they are trained to find relevant changes in the jawbone, mouth, joints, and airway.
5 tips for quitting pacifier habits
I am often asked two questions: "When should my child stop using a pacifier?" And, "How do I get my baby to stop using a pacifier?" ”
Honestly, the sooner you stop using a pacifier, the better. Obviously, you want to get past the dangerous period of SIDS, but once it's accessible (around the baby's first birthday), you should limit any sucking behavior for non-nutritive purposes rather than breastfeeding or bottle feeding. This is the best option to prevent facial dysplasia and emotional dependence.
Here are five tips for quitting pacifiers:
Do it early – I'll always say this because doing so can make it easier for parents and kids.
Do it as soon as possible – I believe it would be better for young children to quit as soon as possible in a short period of time, because this will allow for a smoother transition. But if you don't follow the time plan, this approach can quickly backfire.
Try gradual withdrawal – Some parents prefer to gradually quit by offering pacifiers only at specific times and gradually reducing them. This approach may work if you have a clear timeline and can ensure that all the adults responsible for the child's care are executed together.
Trade it for a snack—if your child is old enough to understand the problem, swap the pacifier for a toy or blanket. Swapping a pacifier for another object that soothes your emotions can be a brilliant way to do it.
Associated with "Becoming a Big Kid" – Depending on the age of your child when you stopped using a pacifier, you can associate it with the concept of growing up. If he has an older sibling, he or she can indicate that he or she no longer uses a pacifier.
If you want to quit your child's habit of using pacifiers, I don't recommend applying it with hot sauce or other unwanted foods. Nor do I recommend that you force a withdrawal and then give up.
Caution: Avoid finger sucking habits after abstaining from pacifiers
If you quit pacifiers early and your baby is still eager for non-nutritive sucking, it increases the risk of your baby turning to sucking fingers. The main problem with this is that the finger-sucking habit is less likely to be quit than pacifiers, because you can never completely remove your child's thumb.
If you notice that your child starts to replace the pacifier with thumb sucking, you may want to go back to the pacifier and try to quit it again in a month or two. As your baby grows older, his sucking habits will naturally fade, and it may be easier to quit completely.
At the end of the day, every child is unique. Trust your instincts while keeping the above guidelines in mind. Hopefully, new parents will have enough ability and knowledge to make the best decision about their child's use of a pacifier.