- Totally relate to the stress—felt the same when my son wouldn’t give up the pacifier.
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That made me laugh, because it’s exactly how it feels.“Ours kept saying every kid’s mouth grows at its own pace. Sometimes I wonder if that’s just code for ‘We’ll see if you win the dental lottery or not.’”
- Our dentist said not to panic unless the gap was still huge by age 8 or so. The gap closed a bit on its own once he stopped, but not perfectly.
- Honestly, I think half of us end up with braces anyway, binky or not. Don’t beat yourself up about it.
“Ours kept saying every kid’s mouth grows at its own pace. Sometimes I wonder if that’s just code for ‘We’ll see if you win the dental lottery or not.’”
That “dental lottery” line hits home. We tried the gradual approach—cutting the pacifier tip a little at a time—but it didn’t really work. Eventually, we just went cold turkey. There were a few rough nights, but it was over quicker than I expected. Did anyone notice if quitting earlier versus later made any real difference in their kid’s teeth? Our dentist said not to stress, but I still worry a bit.
We did the same—tried to ease off, but cold turkey ended up being the ticket. Our youngest quit around age two, and honestly, her teeth look about the same as her older brother’s did when he quit later. I think genetics just play a bigger part than we want to admit...
That’s interesting—my oldest clung to the binky until almost three, and my youngest didn’t seem to care past 18 months. We tried the “binky fairy” trick, but honestly, it was more drama than results. I’ve noticed their teeth looked pretty similar regardless of when they quit, too. Maybe we overthink the timing a bit? Genetics really do seem to have the final say sometimes... I guess at some point, you just pick your battles.
Totally get what you mean about picking your battles. I remember stressing way too much about the “right time” to ditch the pacifier with my daughter. We tried the binky fairy, too—she was excited for about five minutes, then it was tears and negotiations for days. Eventually, she just lost interest on her own a few months later, and honestly, her teeth look fine (and she’s almost seven now).
I do think we sometimes forget how much is out of our control—genetics, personality, even timing. My dentist told me as long as you’re not still using it by kindergarten, you’re probably fine. Sometimes it helps to hear that from someone else who’s been there... You did what worked for your kids and that’s really all anyone can do. If they’re happy and healthy, I say you’re winning.