The Thumbsucking Clinic

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Another course for Beyond Teeth Oral Health courses here in Brisbane this weekend 💫 (at Next Hotel Brisbane)

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Do you have a 2-3yr old dummy sucker? I’ve just reviewed this great product on our FB page! • • • • #thumbsdown #thumbsucker #dummy #dummysucker #dummysuckers #tonguetie #thumbsucking #thumbsuckingclinic #orofacialmyology #stopthumbsucking (at The Thumbsucking Clinic)

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eDen Education is a Dental Education website that houses online dental courses, lectures, webcasts, and documents for the purpose of Dental CPD

As many of you know, I do a lot of professional education in the field of child orofacial development as well as thumb and finger sucking behaviours.  I’ve been doing webinars with E-Den Education for 3 years now and they are a fantastic Australian company that provides webinars for CPD education for dental professionals online.  Can’t recommend these guys enough!

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We are in Sydney!!  Back again with my partner Rochelle from OM HEALTH SERVICES doing our Orofacial Myology 4 Day Introduction Course with a bunch of amazing delegates for 4 days in Sydney.  Its cold.  Its miserable.  But luckily I brought a small entourage with me - Baby Faith and her daddy are keeping me company.  Seriously, this kid is my sunshine on a rainy day.  Her big sisters are very unhappy they have been left at home this time though!

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Well guess who likes her thumb!????

This photo was taken when Baby Faith was only a few weeks old.  Straight away, she found her thumb and has been sleeping from 7pm-7am since 7 weeks old! (I do realise how lucky I am by the way!! My first baby hardly slept until she was about 8 months old!!!)

People often ask me whether this concerns me.  

If you know me and my philosophy, and the philosophy of my clinic, I always answer with a big, emphatic NO.  Babies are meant to suck.  Babies get a lot of comfort from sucking.  Do not worry if your baby sucks their thumb, its normal.  And adorable.

If you’re still having issues when bub is 4 years old, call me then.  Till then, let your baby be a baby.  I’m very much enjoying mine.   :)

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Hello!!!!!

The Thumbsucking Clinic went AWOL over the Christmas break - our website was down for maintenance and I took some time off!  But we're back in 2014 with a vengeance!

I'm seeing kids left right and centre and doing heaps of SKYPES with kids all over Australia.

This weekend however, I'm in SYDNEY again,  teaching with The Australian Orofacial Myology Lecture Series for 4 days. Its Day 3 today and I'm having such a great time talking to speech pathologists, dentists and oral health therapists and hygienists about muscles, tongue ties, TMD, and my favourite subject - thumb sucking!!

Looking forward to being back in the clinic later this week!  

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Its been very busy at the Clinic lately and I've been a bit neglectful of the blog of late!  Miss H's visit today reminded me how much I love sharing our wonderful successes here at the clinic. 

Miss H's mother had tried EVERYTHING to stop her sucking her thumb.  She'd used toilet rolls on Miss H's arms to stop her thumb going into her mouth, nail polish, guards - the last resort was that her dentist had recently put in a plate to discourage her sucking.  Mum called me 1 week later - not one thing had worked.  Miss H's parents were at the end of their tether....

Miss H stopped sucking on the first day of the program.  Her photos (the second one taken 4 months later) show an incredible improvement in her open bite - yet another case to confirm the findings of our research with James Cook University that our program assists with the closure of open bites, a notoriously difficult issue to fix orthodontically.

On their way out today, Mum turned to me and said - "I can't believe it was so easy, I cannot believe we waited so long to see you.  Thank you."  Her comment completely made my day. 

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We now offer SKYPE consultations!!!  

Do you have a child with a thumb or finger sucking habit and you’ve tried EVERYTHING?  Well you haven’t tried a digit sucking expert! (Also known as an Orofacial Myologist!)  

Carla’s quit program is so successful, James Cook University Dental School is conducting research with The Thumbsucking Clinic about how their programs help to improve open bites, a type of malocclusion that is very difficult to treat.

Check out our online shop and book an initial consultation with Carla for your child now!!

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A SERIOUSLY HAIR RAISING ISSUE!

One little habit that many children have is hair pulling (aka -Trichotillomania or TTM).  This innocuous little habit can be very distressing for parents when obvious bald patches begin to appear on their little Miss or Master's head, often from a very early age!  

2-4% of the population suffer from Trichotillomania.  Similar habits include skin picking and nail biting.    Current research shows that more femails than males have TTM.  Like thumb sucking, hair pulling reduces neurotransmissions in the brain and induces a feeling of relaxation and calm.  Many children pull their hair as a reaction to anxiety or stress.  Others simply like the sensation.

At the Clinic, I commonly see children who have a hair pulling habit that is hand in hand with a thumb or finger sucking habit.  What we find is that if we cure the sucking habit, in many cases, the hair pulling also disappears.  And believe me, its a huge relief to parents who are so desperate, they have been contemplating shaving their little girl's head!!!!

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When kids suck their thumbs or fingers, they can affect their teeth and jaws in different ways.  Some kids create what is commonly known in the business as OPEN BITES.  Open bites are notoriously the most difficult to correct.

Other children will suck so that it appears that their top teeth are "sticking out". Surprisingly, in cases like these, it is usually the BOTTOM JAW that we are more concerned about.  This is because the thumb or finger is preventing the lower jaw from coming forward and growing properly.  Unfortunately these are the cases that often result in the need for surgery to correct.

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Team shot!!  The fabulous group of people with whom I work with at North Queensland Family Dental; Susannah - Practice Manager, Dr Matt Lombardi, Dr John Pulvirenti, myself and Karen Ward, our dental therapist.

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WEBINARS!!!

We are excited to announce that our webinars for parents and carers will begin this month!

How to Help your Thumb or Finger Sucking Child - The Ultimate Webinar for Parents and Carers occurs several times. Please register for the date and time that works best for you:  https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/rt/3306080080267927040 Carla from The Thumbsucking Clinic is here to wade through the rubbish and give you all the REAL information when it comes to childhood sucking habits. A no-holds-barred, interactive discussion specifically for parents and carers, Carla will address the topics;  - Habit or necessity? - What are the REAL reasons behind childhood sucking?  - Does it really cause damage? What even your DENTIST might not know.  - Soft toys, blankies, hair twirling and pulling.  - Does YOUR child need to stop sucking? - Choosing the right time to implement quitting.  - Why doesn't anything I do work??? How to implement your own sucking program at home and get SUCCESS as well as a happy co-operative child!  If you have tried EVERYTHING to stop your child digit sucking, this webinar is for YOU!  Strictly limited numbers  Webinar cost: $90 After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar. Brought to you by GoToWebinar® Webinars Made Easy®

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"SO WHAT'S INVOLVED WITH COMING TO THE THUMBSUCKING CLINIC?"

We get this question a lot from parents interested in bringing their little ones in.

It's important to know that at The Thumbsucking Clinic, we believe that one size definitely does not fit all.

This is why we see every child first for an Initial Assessment.

This appointment is to take records for each child and perform a full medical and health history and a thorough physical assessment.

This is so we can write an individualised treatment plan specific for YOUR child.

The assessment appointment takes around 45 minutes and consists of the following:

airway screening 

oral muscle tone and function

tongue function and attachment

speech screening

developmental screening

dental and skeletal development screen

psychological screening

It is very important to discover if the thumb or finger sucking is primary (a habit and a problem for the patient) OR secondary (a SYMPTOM of an underlying issue).

Often we refer children to other professionals for care before we deal with the digit sucking.  Not every child who walks through the door is a candidate for treatment. We refer regularly to Occupational Therapists, Speech Pathologists, Psychologists, Ear, Nose and Throat specialists (ENTs), Dentists and Orthodontists.

If we find that your child is a suitable candidate for treatment, we then discuss our programs and develop a specific program just for them.

Then its onto QUIT DAY and off we go!!

You can call our clinic today to arrange an appointment for your child on 07 4755 20 55

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Big things are coming!!

The Thumbsucking Clinic is about to become part of something big.......

Soon we are going to launch our Smiley Face Clinic - a special clinic which is committed to Developing Little Faces!  

Stay tuned for more details......

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Miss Arlia - for some children its not too early!

Look at this gorgeous cheeky possum!!!  Little Miss Arlia came and saw me because of thumb sucking concerns.  Being only 4 years old, I had some initial concerns as to whether or not it was the right time to begin a program. I normally begin at 5 years old.  But Arlia's mum was keen to give things a go and, although she was very quiet and timid at first, so was Arlia!!

Arlia stopped sucking on the first day of the program.

The first thing her mother noticed was the dramatic improvement in Arlia's speaking.  "She talks to me all the time in the car now, whereas before, she just used to stay quiet and suck her thumb."  Arlia's little personality has simply blossomed since she gave up her thumb and I'm so proud of her.

Well done Miss Arlia!!!

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Had to share!! Today I got my door frosted - doesn't it look great??  Behind this door is where all the magic of The Thumbsucking Clinic happens!!  Do you need to make an appointment?  Call us at North Queensland Family Dental on 0428 285 275 for a new patient appointment.

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Nyah the Superstar

Little Miss Nyah came to me with concerns from her mother about her long term thumb sucking habit.  When we chatted about the Thumbsucking Clinic program, Nyah wanted to get started straight away!

Lucky for Nyah, she had just lost her two front teeth and her adult teeth were beginning to erupt.  The perfect time to give up her thumb!  You see in some children who continue to suck after they have lost their adult incisors that these teeth never fully erupt properly because the thumb perpetuates a space between the upper and lower teeth.

On her Quit Day in May, she took to the program like a duck to water.  By September 2012, she was finished the program with barely ONE accident and told me she didn't even miss sucking her thumb.  Not only that, her adult teeth had erupted beautifully.

Also, notice the difference in Nyah's facial muscles in her"before" and "after" photos - her after shot is much more relaxed because those poor facial muscles, that always used to get a workout during sucking, have had a well deserved rest and are being used for what they are supposed to be used for - smiling and expression only!!!

Well done Nyah!!!