If your baby continues to be cranky and uncomfortable after you attempt to ease its teething pain, call your physician. Children should have ceased thumbsucking by the time the permanent front teeth are ready to erupt. Usually, children stop between the ages of two and four years. Sucking often gradually lessens during this period as children spend more of their waking hours exploring their surroundings. Peer pressure causes many school-aged children to stop.
Some studies show that thumbsucking behavior is viewed negatively by classmates.
Children with these behaviors may have more problems making friends. Sometimes a primary tooth is lost before the permanent tooth beneath it is ready to erupt. If the primary teeth are lost too early, nearby teeth can tip or move into the vacant space. When the permanent teeth are ready to come into the mouth, there may not be enough room. As a result, teeth may erupt out of their proper positions, leading to malocclusion.