Pacifiers reduce children's stress:
For many children, the pacifier plays a very important role in relieving stress and helping to adapt to sudden changes and new things in life. For example, the pacifier helps the child to relax when being cared for by someone other than the mother or father. With so much comfort when using a pacifier, you can allow him to continue using it as long as it relieves stress and does not cause any health problems for the child.
Can pacifiers harm a child's teeth?
The pacifier is unlikely to cause permanent damage to your child's teeth, especially since the teeth that are developing for a child at this age are the deciduous teeth, not the permanent ones, and his permanent teeth usually won't start to come in until he's about 6 years old.
However, if your child does not show any signs of wanting to give up the pacifier when he is 3 years old, it is a good idea to consult a dentist for an evaluation of his jaw and teeth.
Because it depends on the number of times a pacifier is used per day and the strength of the child's sucking, the dentist may recommend weaning the child off the pacifier in order to avoid permanent damage to the teeth, as vigorous sucking can change the shape of the jaw and thus affect how the child's permanent teeth appear.
Can long-term pacifier use cause other problems?
Even if your child doesn't have any ear infections and the dentist doesn't see any potential problems with your child's use of a pacifier, you should consider weaning the child off the pacifier sooner or later, as it may become more difficult to wean him off the pacifier as he gets older.
Also, some experts believe that pacifiers can cause problems in a child's ability to develop his speaking skills. If your child often keeps a pacifier in his mouth, he will not talk as much, so the pacifier may distort his ability to speak.
How do I wean my child off the pacifier?
There are many ways to wean the child off the pacifier, so choose the method that you think is most appropriate for your child, as some parents find that starting to ration the hours of the child's use of the pacifier will greatly help in weaning the child from it.
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