What happens in the mouth
During sucking on a dummy, pressure is exerted on the jaws and tongue. With prolonged and intensive use, this can cause the teeth to become crooked. You can sometimes see this reflected as an ‘open bite’: the upper and lower front teeth no longer meet properly.

The milk teeth are fortunately flexible. If your child stops using the dummy before their third birthday, their teeth will naturally move back into the correct position. However, if the dummy is used for longer, the chance of a permanent misalignment increases. The sooner you start weaning them off it calmly, the better.

Weaning from the dummy
That's easier said than done, we know. But this approach can help:
Link the stopping to a milestone. For example, the third birthday is a natural moment. Or let your child ‘give away’ the dummy themselves to the dummy tree, the tooth fairy or Sinterklaas. Gradually reduce the use: start by only using the dummy when sleeping, and then phase that out.

Do you feel that the position of your teeth has changed at all, or do you have questions about the approach? Feel free to ask during your next check-up or make an appointment.