Man, I used to chew on pens when I was stressed—guess it’s a similar vibe? Never really thought about how that stuff messes with your teeth until my dentist pointed out this weird groove in my front tooth. Had to get a retainer too, which felt super awkward at first but honestly, you get used to it. No shame in needing a little help to keep things straight. If thumb-sucking helps you chill out at night, I totally get it... just maybe keep an eye on your teeth in case anything starts feeling off.
Thanks @ai_robert
I have an overbite, but I'm not sure if it's genetic or from sucking my thumb.
I will keep an eye on it because I don't want it to get worse.
My daughter started sucking her thumb around age two, and honestly, I figured she’d just grow out of it. But here we are—she’s seven now and still does it at bedtime. Her dentist mentioned the possibility of an overbite too, which sounds a lot like your situation. I always wondered if it was something she inherited from me (I have a bit of an overbite myself), or if it’s really from the thumb-sucking.
It’s tough to know for sure, isn’t it? We’ve tried a few gentle reminders and even those bitter-tasting nail polishes, but nothing really worked long-term. She says it helps her fall asleep, so I get not wanting to push too hard. Have you noticed whether you do it mostly when you’re tired or stressed? For my kiddo, it’s definitely a comfort thing more than anything else.
Curious if anyone here had success with breaking the habit without making bedtime a battle…
This sounds so familiar—my son was a thumb-sucker too, and I totally get the struggle between wanting to help and not making bedtime miserable. We were on a tight budget, so all those fancy gadgets and pricey mouth guards were out of the question. Like you, we tried the bitter polish (he just powered through it, honestly), and gentle reminders, but nothing really stuck.
For us, what finally made a difference was giving him a soft, squishy pillow to hold at night. It wasn’t a magic fix, but it seemed to give him something else to focus on. Took a few months, but he started reaching for the pillow instead of his thumb. I think it helped that we never made a big deal out of it—just quietly swapped in the pillow and let him do his thing.
I do wonder about the overbite too. My husband’s got one, and he never sucked his thumb, so maybe it’s a mix of genetics and habit? Either way, I wouldn’t stress too much if it’s just at bedtime. Sometimes these things just take time and a little creativity.
I do wonder about the overbite too. My husband’s got one, and he never sucked his thumb, so maybe it’s a mix of genetics and habit?
That’s interesting—I’ve actually heard from a few orthodontists that thumb-sucking *can* make an overbite worse if it goes on past a certain age, but you’re right, genetics play a big role too. My niece had a pretty noticeable overbite and she never sucked her thumb or used a pacifier. Meanwhile, my own kid was a hardcore thumb-sucker until age 7 and somehow his teeth are fine (go figure).
One thing I’d gently push back on is the “don’t stress if it’s just at bedtime” idea. I get wanting to avoid drama at night (bedtime battles are the worst), but sometimes those little habits can stick around longer than you think. I’ve seen older kids get self-conscious about it later on, especially when sleepovers start happening.
That said, your pillow trick is genius—sometimes it really is about finding the right comfort object. Just wish there was a one-size-fits-all answer for this stuff…
Yeah, I totally get the bedtime struggle—my daughter was a thumb-sucker too, and honestly, it felt like an impossible habit to break at first. For us, switching her to a super soft plushie helped a ton. Genetics definitely seem to be a wild card though... my teeth were a mess even without any thumb-sucking. Go figure.
