Does the pacifier affect the child’s bite, what is the relationship?

The occurrence of malocclusion increases after three years of age, and among five-year-olds with a pacifier, crossbite occurs 22 times more often than among peers without this habit.

Concerned parents who are worried about the correct formation of their child’s bite come to our clinic. The cause of concern is most often the child's pacifier sucking habit. Can a pacifier really cause harm? How to prevent unwanted changes in the bite and at what age should you wean off the pacifier? In this article we answer the most frequently asked questions from parents.

What does a pacifier replace?

Already in the sixth month of intrauterine development, the fetus develops a sucking reflex. This fact is often observed by doctors and parents during ultrasound diagnostics: the child holds his finger in his mouth. The development of this skill will directly determine the baby’s survival after childbirth: how he can suck breast milk, how quickly he can adjust the mother’s lactation and, accordingly, will receive the nutrients vital for his existence.

However, this all concerns instincts provided by nature; in life, everything usually happens differently. For example, a mother deliberately or under pressure from circumstances refuses breastfeeding, switching to formula, or sharply reduces the frequency of breastfeeding. Everyone knows that there is no need to suck artificial nutrition out of the bottle, it pours out on its own. But the child’s powerful sucking reflex remains, he worries and cries, and this is where the pacifier comes to the parents’ aid.

In fact, it replaces the mother’s breast for the baby, and then for the older child, and not vice versa, as is commonly believed in our post-Soviet space. It is this imaginary convenience that often makes parents turn a blind eye to the problem of malocclusion from the pacifier. Therefore, if the mother provides the baby with breastfeeding on demand, and not according to a schedule, the pacifier simply will not be needed - his sucking reflex will be fully satisfied.

However, if for some reason difficulties arise with breastfeeding, a pacifier can also bring benefits:

• Breast replacement for formula-fed babies.
• Development of the sucking reflex in premature infants.
• Reducing anxiety and excitability in a child.
• Help with rocking a baby.

It is worth considering that among pediatricians and lactation consultants there is still no consensus on the use of a pacifier and its effect on the baby’s bite.

Does a pacifier dull pain?

Yes, it's true - sucking a pacifier or pacifier can dull pain in children from the first months of life. Children from three weeks to three months suffer from colic, and peristalsis occurs precisely during sucking - due to this, milk moves through the esophagus into the stomach, and then through the lower parts of the digestive tract. In this case, the pacifier will help the baby get rid of gas and prevent colic. But in addition to this, you need to use other methods - place the baby on his stomach 10 minutes before feeding and massage with pressure movements.

In all other cases, we cannot use the pacifier as a pain reliever - the sucking reflex will not help dull the acute pain. This is rather a distraction, but you need to understand that if something is seriously bothering the child, covering his mouth with a pacifier is wrong.

At what age does a child develop a bite?

Parents rarely think about when a child’s bite begins to form, yet this process occurs from birth and consists of several stages:

• From birth to six months. At this time, the jaws are preparing for the appearance of the first teeth and the correct placement of them during this period is very important.
• From six months to three years - the appearance of a temporary bite.
• From three to six years - preparation of the jaw for the appearance of permanent teeth, the temporary bite is fully formed.
• From six to twelve years, the baby teeth are replaced by permanent teeth, and during this period a mixed bite is formed.
• From twelve to fifteen years, a permanent bite is formed.

As you can see, it is very important to monitor the formation of a correct bite in a child from birth, and not from the appearance of permanent teeth, as many parents believe. Already at the stage of eruption of the first milk teeth, it is necessary to ensure that there is no constant pressure on the jaw, be it a finger in the mouth, a toy or a pacifier. After all, it is for this reason that a child develops an incorrect bite, including the pacifier.

What malocclusion pathologies may appear as a result of pacifier pressure on the jaw:

• Deep (the lower jaw extends far beyond the upper).
• Open (teeth from both jaws do not close together, forming a gap).
• Mesial (the lower jaw protrudes noticeably forward).
• Distal bite (with the jaws closed, the upper jaw moves forward in relation to the lower jaw).
• Crossed (weak development of one of the sides of the upper or lower jaw is observed).

In any case, the sooner the bite is determined, the easier it will be to correct the pathology in the future. If there are obvious problems already at primary school age, it is necessary to use special structures to correct the bite, such as plates, trainers, and at an older age - a brace system.

The optimal period for correcting the bite is adolescence, when the replacement of baby teeth with permanent ones has already occurred.

Thumb sucking habit

Thumb sucking is a bad habit that leads to deformation of the dentition and the development of dental anomalies. A finger remaining in a child’s mouth for a long time puts pressure on the teeth, especially on the upper jaw, which leads to the formation of a symmetrical or asymmetrical open bite. This type of malocclusion is characterized by protruding upper front teeth and improper positioning of the lower jaw. In addition, thumb sucking can provoke the occurrence of such anomalies as crossbite of the lateral teeth, marginal closure of the lateral incisors, and protruding incisors (protrusion).

All these anomalies can lead to dysfunction of swallowing, breathing and speech. Note that breast-fed babies who receive their mother's breasts on demand suck their fingers less often than bottle-fed babies.

General harm from pacifiers

When parents think about whether the pacifier spoils the child’s bite, it turns out that there are some other negative aspects that this item can bring. Sucking on a pacifier for a long time can cause:

• Refusal to suck milk from the breast;
• Incorrect latching of the nipple during sucking, which can lead to breastfeeding pain for the mother.
• Speech delay, incorrect pronunciation of sounds and words.
• Allergic reaction.
• Delayed mental development of the child.
• Oral diseases.
• Mechanical damage in the mouth and chin area.

However, most pediatricians are of the opinion that using a pacifier for up to six months should not cause serious harm to the baby. After 6 months, the use of a pacifier is undesirable, and after a year it is necessary to reduce this habit in the child.

About reflexes

The nutrition of a newborn, namely the receipt of milk and its entry into the gastrointestinal tract, is carried out through two actions: sucking and swallowing. How does this happen? The milk ducts of the mother's breasts are surrounded by soft muscles that contract to release milk. To obtain milk, the baby does not need to suck it from the mother's breast, but only needs to stimulate the soft muscles so that when they contract, they release milk. During feeding, the baby makes small squeezing movements with its lips, which are instinctive actions. Once the milk enters the baby's mouth, all he has to do is lower his tongue to allow the milk to flow further into the throat and esophagus. At this moment, the tongue moves forward until it touches the lower lip.

This sequence of actions determines infant swallowing, the so-called infantile type of swallowing, in which there is an active contraction of the muscles of the lips and the orbicularis oris muscle, the tip of the tongue moves forward to contact the lower lip and upward to press the nipple to the palate.

The contact of the tongue with the lower lip is so common in newborns that it is considered a resting position. You can often notice that if you lightly tug on a newborn's lip, the tip of the tongue moves along with the lip, as if it were glued to it.

Which is less harmful: a pacifier or a finger?

Doctors are unanimous on this issue: it is better to let the child suck a pacifier than his own finger. This is especially true for the period when baby teeth have not yet appeared. There are several reasons for this:

• The habit of thumb sucking is much stronger, because it is always there, you don’t have to ask or look for it like a pacifier.
• An infant who has a particularly strong need to satisfy the sucking reflex may seriously deform his finger.
• A pacifier made of high-quality materials and suitable for the baby’s age has much less negative impact on the jaws.
• The pacifier is easier to keep clean, it is disinfected, and you can be sure that the infection will not get into the child’s oral cavity in this way.

It is better to wean your baby off the habit of thumb sucking as early as possible, distracting him in every possible way with a pacifier or special latex teething toys.

Is a pacifier a source of infection?

It’s not very often that a pacifier can cause an infection, but such cases do happen. For example, if a child has damage to the oral mucosa, then the opportunistic microflora that is in the air and on objects can cause stomatitis. There are also situations when a mother, a carrier of some virus or bacteria, licks a pacifier and then gives it to the child. And when he grows up, this happens with the spoon. This is also a predisposing factor for the occurrence of diseases.

If one of your relatives has intestinal diseases, then you need to be very strict about hygiene - wash your hands often and do not touch objects that the child can use, in particular the pacifier. Only a healthy person should care for the child.

Recommendations for using the pacifier

In order for the bite after the pacifier to form correctly and without pathologies, it is enough to comply with the following conditions:

• Do not allow your child to sleep with a pacifier in his mouth; this is easy to track: as soon as the baby is fast asleep, you need to carefully remove the pacifier from his mouth.
• Observe the rules of hygiene: wash pacifiers thoroughly after each use, boil if necessary or replace with new ones.
• Have several nipples; if one gets dirty, you will always have a clean one at hand.
• Buy special containers for storing pacifiers; they are sealed and protected from dirt and moisture.
• Try to give a pacifier only in extreme cases, and only when the child is not hungry.
• Monitor the condition of the pacifier; if there is the slightest crack or break, it must be replaced; if there are no defects, it is necessary to replace the pacifier with a new one every 1.5-2 months.
• Do not use a pacifier for the first time after discharge from the hospital, when the mother’s lactation is just establishing.
• Do not give your baby a pacifier for more than a total of 6 hours a day.

And the most important advice: do not give the pacifier at the first call of the child. You must first determine the cause of the baby’s restless behavior and try to calm him down by satisfying his natural needs - feeding him, rocking him in his arms, changing his diaper, etc. It is also worth noting that in addition to malocclusion, the nipple, if used frequently, can cause more significant harm - disrupt the psycho-emotional contact between mother and baby.

Orthodontic pacifiers, types

There are several types of orthodontic pacifiers:

• a regular plate, which is used for malocclusion for prophylactic purposes;
• with a visor, promoting the development of the lower jaw, since the baby bites the visor with his teeth;
• with a flap that interferes with the tongue and it cannot fit between the front teeth, thanks to which an open bite can be prevented;
• with a bead - during each swallow, the baby involuntarily rolls the bead with his tongue and thus trains his muscles;
• A pacifier, which completely follows the shape of a female nipple, is used in children up to six months of age.

How to choose the right pacifier?

Modern parents are now seeing a huge range of pacifiers, from classic rubber ones to innovative latex ones with orthodontic properties. Which dummy will be correct and less harmful? Let's try to understand these subtle points and consider how nipples differ from each other:

• According to the material from which they are made. It is best if the nipple is made of silicone or latex. Silicone is more stable, withstands mechanical stress, but at the same time it deforms the baby’s jaws more strongly, unlike latex.
• To size. For each age of the child, a certain size of pacifier is provided; usually the manufacturer indicates this information on the packaging; compliance with this condition allows minimizing the harmful effects of the pacifier on the baby’s bite.
• According to the form. Nipples are classic and anatomical (orthodontic). Of course, experts recommend using the latter; they have less of a negative impact on the formation of the jaw apparatus.
• On the basis. It is better to choose pacifiers that have a recess on the base for the nose and chin, so they will not be damaged during active sucking.

Selection rules

To reduce the harm caused to the baby by regular use of a pacifier, it is necessary to choose this device correctly.

Preference should be given to special orthodontic nipples. These products differ from ordinary pacifiers in their anatomical shape, which is equipped with a beveled surface on one side and a convex surface on the other.

In this case, the beveled part of the product must be placed on the side of the child’s tongue, and the convex part in the area of ​​the palate.

Thanks to this design of the pacifier, the growth of the lower jaw is activated, which from the birth of the child significantly lags behind the upper jaw in size.

In addition, the pressure exerted on the palate and upper jaw is insignificant, which contributes to their full development.

When choosing, you must also pay attention to the following points:

1. Material of manufacture. There are two types of nipples on sale: silicone and latex. Silicone products are more durable and can withstand high temperatures, making them easier to boil.
   At the same time, they have little elasticity, so after teething, there is a possibility that the child will chew them.

   Pacifiers made from latex are more durable, however, they cannot withstand high temperatures and also quickly accumulate bacteria on the surface, so they will have to be changed more often. In addition, latex products can cause an allergic reaction.

2. Size. Depending on the age of the child, the size of the pacifier changes. So, for babies up to 6 months, a size 1 pacifier is suitable. Children older than six months should use size 2.
3. The presence of an air valve. This indicator is important when choosing a bottle nipple for feeding. The presence of a valve reduces the likelihood of the baby swallowing air, as well as the pacifier sticking together.

Methods of treating crowded teeth and the consequences of lack of therapy.

In this article we will discuss the problem of a small lower jaw in an adult.

Follow the link https://orto-info.ru/zubocheliustnye-anomalii/ryadov/zuboalveolyarnogo-ukorocheniya.html to learn more about dentoalveolar shortening in the molar area.

How to wean a child off a pacifier?

To avoid difficulties in weaning your baby off the pacifier, it is necessary to study the issue of child development more carefully. Until the age of 7 months, the child needs to satisfy the sucking reflex, which gradually changes to chewing by the age of one year. After all, from the age of 6 months, pediatricians recommend gradually introducing the first complementary foods. At this stage, it is easiest to wean a baby off a pacifier; after a year, this process will already become a bad habit, and not satisfy the sucking reflex.

In order not to create unnecessary stress for the child, the weaning process should be started slowly, gradually reducing the time the pacifier is used. At this stage, there should be no difficulties, because the child develops very quickly both mentally and physiologically, he is interested in everything new, and the research instinct is actively manifested. Therefore, parents can only look for ways to distract themselves from the pacifier, which should now be given only when the baby can no longer be calmed by anything. If you show patience and persistence at the moment, you can wean your baby off the pacifier very quickly and gently.

At the age of one and a half years, if the habit of sucking a pacifier still persists, parents must show the child to a pediatric dentist so that he can determine whether the pacifier can ruin the bite and how strong its effect on the jaw apparatus is.

If a child cannot do without a pacifier after two years, the help of a child psychologist may be needed, because, most likely, the baby is uncomfortable in the environment and the pacifier appears to him as a kind of reassurance and protection.

It is necessary to urgently wean your baby off the pacifier in special cases:

• If he has problems with hearing and speech.
• In cases of mental retardation (under the supervision of a specialist).
• Upon reaching the age of three years.

In any case, there is no universal way to wean off the pacifier; each baby needs a different approach. However, general recommendations boil down to the fact that during this difficult period for the child, you need to provide him with maximum comfort and protection, as well as distract him in every possible way and allow him to develop naturally.

The following weaning methods give good results:

1. If the child is still small - under 2 years old - try to gradually gradually reduce the frequency of sucking by gently removing the pacifier or finger from the mouth, distracting the child. Cuddling and increased attention will reduce anxiety and, as a result, the need for soothing sucking will decrease.
2. The doctor may recommend the use of “replacement” nipples - a variety of vestibular plates.
3. Try to gently convince your older child that pacifier or thumb sucking should be stopped or limited. If the baby has a well-developed sense of responsibility, he can overcome his addiction with the help of willpower simply by promising his parents that he will not suck.
4. Use various incentives if the child voluntarily follows your requests and advice.
5. Invite your child to “gift” a pacifier to another baby or small pet - after all, they need the pacifier more. Tell us how unpleasant it is for your finger when it is constantly sucked. Use other forms of play that involve voluntarily giving up the pacifier or giving up the finger.
6. Wrap your finger in a bandage - not as a punishment or preventive measure, but as a reminder not to suck on it.
7. Contact your orthodontist; he can recommend methods to stop sucking that have been proven by experience and time.

Let us immediately note that sucking foreign objects - pacifiers, fingers/s, fists, lips, the tip of a blanket - is a bad habit, but it does not always lead to health problems. Everything is very individual. Some children are miraculously not affected by the problem, while others suffer throughout their lives, looking at themselves in the mirror. It’s still not worth risking the child’s well-being. But it is categorically not recommended to traumatize psychologically by taking away a reliable “friend” - a finger or a pacifier by force.

Posted in Parents by biglamed | Tags: teeth straightening, Orthodontic treatment, orthotropy, pathology, occlusion, teeth strengthening

Child oral care

You can soften the effect of the pacifier on the baby's palate and jaws not only by using anatomical models, but also by using special oral care products. ASEPTA Baby products are rightfully considered one of the best children's dental products:

• ASEPTA Baby wet wipes from 0 to 3 years (special finger pads are designed for gentle cleansing and massage of the baby’s oral cavity).
• ASEPTA Baby gel toothpaste from 0 to 3 years (effective prevention of inflammatory processes in the oral cavity and prevention of the development of caries in children).
• ASEPTA Kids gel toothpaste from 4 to 8 years (prevention of caries, inflammatory processes and tartar formation).
• Paste for permanent teeth ASEPTA Teens from 8 years (saturation of tooth enamel with minerals, prevention of caries and prevention of gum inflammation).

Thanks to the wide range of tastes and aromas of ASEPTA products, the child will be happy to brush his teeth on his own. The natural composition of the pastes, as well as beneficial plant extracts and calcium enrichment, makes the series an indispensable oral care product for children. ASEPTA cares about the health of children's teeth!

Sources:

1. Study of the clinical effectiveness of the use of therapeutic and prophylactic agents of the ASEPTA series in the treatment of inflammatory periodontal diseases in children and adolescents (I.V. Klimova) Irina Vladimirovna Klimova, Candidate of Medical Sciences, Associate Professor of the Department of Pediatric Dentistry, Novosibirsk State Medical University. Department of Pediatric Dentistry, Novosibirsk State Medical University.
2. The use of adhesive balm "Asepta®" in the treatment of inflammatory periodontal diseases L.Yu. OREKHOVA*, Dr. med. Sciences, Professor, Head of Department V.V. CHPP**, Dr. med. Sciences, Professor, Head of Department S.B. ULITOVSKY*, Dr. med. Sciences, Professor A.A. LEONTIEV*, dentist A.A. DOMORAD**, O.M. YAKOVLEV** SPbSMU named after. acad. I.P. Pavlova, St. Petersburg - *Department of Therapeutic Dentistry, **Department of Microbiology
3. Clinical experience in using the Asepta series of products Fuchs Elena Ivanovna Assistant of the Department of Therapeutic and Pediatric Dentistry State Budgetary Educational Institution of Higher Professional Education Ryazan State Medical University named after Academician I.P. Pavlova of the Ministry of Health and Social Development of the Russian Federation (GBOU VPO RyazSMU Ministry of Health and Social Development of Russia)

Does a pacifier cause problems with breastfeeding?

Breastfeeding mothers may have problems - but they have nothing to do with the pacifier. The first problem is stagnation, which occurs due to the fact that more milk is produced than the baby consumes. The mechanism of milk flow is fully formed only by the age of three months of a child’s life.

Milk stagnation can occur when the baby does not latch onto the breast correctly - in this case, the baby will not gain weight. There is another problem that occurs more often in the first weeks of a child’s life - the formation of cracks in the nipples due to improper latching of the breast. This happens both in first-time mothers and in those who give birth at long intervals. When the nipple is not ready for feeding, it loses its elasticity and the baby's strong sucking movement leads to cracks.

Yulia Selyutina (@stomatolog_selyutina)

Pediatric dentist

In some cases, a pacifier is necessary. However, it is important for parents to know and remember that from a certain age, sucking a pacifier is equated to bad habits, so it is better to make an effort and wean the child in a timely manner. Otherwise, this habit can cause the formation of a malocclusion, and correcting it is a rather lengthy, labor-intensive and expensive pleasure.

Consumer Reviews

User about ASEPTA TEENS toothpaste Vasilisa (eapteka.ru)

“Asepta Baby wet wipes were very helpful in my time. When my daughter’s teeth began to erupt wildly, one by one, I began to try many children’s pain relievers that I knew. They helped for a maximum of 10 minutes and then the daughter’s terrible “screams” began again. Then I just started going to every pharmacy and asking for the best, most effective product, no matter what the price. And one of the pharmacists suggested these napkins to me; they were even cheaper than the products I had bought before, around 250 rubles. When I read about them on the Internet, I learned that wipes not only help relieve and relieve pain from teething, but also instill daily hygiene habits and disinfect the oral cavity in general. According to the instructions, I wiped my daughter’s entire oral cavity, her gums, her cheeks, her tongue, everything. With these napkins, my daughter became much calmer; of course, I noticed that my daughter was experiencing discomfort in her mouth, but not that much. Now I often take them on the road for myself and my children, when I can’t brush my teeth; for me, this is another plus for these napkins).”

Vasilisa about ASEPTA BABY napkins (market.yandex.ru)

“My teenage son brushes his teeth with this paste. His teeth and gums are very sensitive, so the dentist recommended this paste from Asepta, because... it is low-abrasion, for gentle care. Its appearance is cool, we like it - such an interesting animal is depicted. The paste foams well. It has the taste and aroma of either peach or apricot; sometimes I really want to change my boring mint paste to my son’s. The texture is gel-like, but not transparent - it is used sparingly.”

Does a pacifier prevent your tongue from sticking in your sleep?

Adults have a disease - rhonopathy or snoring. It also happens in children with lesions of the central nervous system - while falling asleep, the muscles of the soft palate relax, it begins to hang over and block the upper respiratory tract. In this case, the tongue may retract and breathing may stop during sleep. Can a person suffocate this way? It’s unlikely, because during breathing disorders, nerves are activated and the brain centers are irritated by carbon dioxide, and the person either goes into a state of superficial sleep or wakes up.

In children, this condition occurs only in cases where the nervous system has not formed. Then, of course, the pacifier will be the restraining factor that will prevent the tongue from sinking. But this will in no way save the baby from drooping and overhanging of the soft palate, so such children should be observed by neurologists. We cannot say that a pacifier is their only salvation from sleep apnea.

This condition can also occur in children with an overly large tongue - for example, when there is a pathology of the thyroid gland. In this case, the pacifier will also help prevent tongue retraction.

Is a pacifier a substitute for breastfeeding?

When sucking on mother's breast, the baby makes much more effort to eat than when sucking formula from a bottle with a nipple. This is good for training the chewing muscles, which is important for the prevention of certain dentofacial anomalies. However, even prolonged breastfeeding (over two years) can become an aggravating factor and affect the formation of malocclusion.

Natalia Gorodulina (@gorodulina_psy)

Child psychologist, play therapist

When it comes to the question of whether to give a child a pacifier or not, I always advocate comfort for mother and child. You need to be guided by the situation and needs - there are children who categorically do not take a pacifier, and this is normal. And there are those who really need a pacifier - and this is also considered the norm. A tired, anxious mother who does not have the strength to smile at her baby is what is really harmful for the child. Therefore, the main advice to mothers of babies is to worry less. Trust yourself and your intuition more and, if possible, avoid sleep deprivation.

NEW LEVEL

The expectant mother, along with the “children’s dowry,” usually receives a pacifier as a gift, often more than one. The pacifier in the popular consciousness is strongly associated with the image of a baby; Parenting magazines are filled with advertisements for pacifiers, where the question of their necessity is not questioned at all, the mother is only asked to choose between different “orthodontic” forms and striking designs. Unfortunately, some child health specialists also consider it their duty to advise a new mother to “get a good pacifier to make it better for everyone.” However, when lactation consultants see a baby with a pacifier, they mentally raise a red flag...

Why, where many experts assure: “No harm done!”, are lactation consultants wary? There are a number of very serious reasons for this, supported by many scientific studies that are being conducted around the world, and consulting practice: after all, it is consultants who have to deal with the visible negative consequences of using pacifiers, and not, for example, a nurse in a maternity hospital. All this will be discussed in the article, so that a mother who is thinking about whether to give her child a pacifier does not simply rely on someone’s opinion “this is good” or “this is bad,” but on specific data about the risks.

Pacifier shortens breastfeeding

Theoretically, this is quite logical and understandable: milk production depends on how correctly, well and often the baby sucks at the mother’s breast. Precisely the mother's breast, and not anything else. If the baby is supposed to suckle at the mother's breast, but he sucks the pacifier, this will quickly lead to a decrease in milk production due to decreased stimulation of the breast. And then the nipple and breast can begin to smoothly “change roles”: in some cases, it will seem easier for the mother to give a pacifier, and the baby will prefer the pacifier - and the mother will wonder why she has less milk. Although, perhaps, it won’t even happen if the relatives who initially gave the pacifier later say that “we just have a non-dairy breed”...

This is why it turns out in dozens of studies around the world that where a pacifier is present, breastfeeding ends much earlier than it could have continued without the pacifier. In its “Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding,” the WHO formulated the ninth step as “ do not give artificial breast substitutes and pacifiers to breastfed children ” (English original, Russian version on the WHO website and in the National Guidelines for Neonatology 2009) For many, it is not obvious : WHO makes its recommendations for a reason, but only based on reliable scientific research data, and any recommendation has a scientific basis. In particular, you can find out why WHO suggests not giving infants a pacifier in chapter nine of the voluminous document Evidence for the ten steps to successful breastfeeding." Unfortunately, in Russia such studies are practically not conducted - this is not a topic that interests our research medicine , and the bulk of the data comes from abroad. You can get acquainted with some of them under the spoiler; If you're not interested in scientific evidence, just read on.

There have been a lot of studies on how the use of a pacifier affects breastfeeding and there will probably be more; but the main thing is that they give very similar results. Here is a selection of the most revealing ones (in fact, this is only a small part of the available data, which, alas, few people in Russia are familiar with...)

Evidence

I will take away from the spoiler only one study conducted by meticulous Australian scientists (Mauch CE et al 2012), who wanted to find out everything about why, when and with what consequences nursing mothers give pacifiers to their first children. Of the 670 mothers in the study, 79% gave a pacifier, with one in four doing so at the insistence of the child's grandmother, and one in five at the recommendation of a nurse or midwife. The majority of women believed the arguments that this would help the baby sleep better and make him more calm; every fifth person believed that sucking a pacifier was natural and necessary for a child. The result was that most women who began regularly giving their baby a pacifier in the first weeks of life ended their breastfeeding before the baby was one month old . Here is a visual picture showing how, according to the study, the duration of breastfeeding depended on the use of a pacifier (the horizontal axis is the duration of feeding in weeks, the bottom line of the graph is those who started giving a pacifier in the first month of life; the middle line is those who offered a pacifier only after when the child is one month old; and the top one - those who have never given a pacifier to their child).

What can you say - a big “thank you” for prematurely ending breastfeeding to those health workers who convince mothers to give their baby a pacifier, because it is healthy, safe and will not affect breastfeeding in any way!..

The pacifier spoils the attachment to the breast and contributes to nipple injuries

This is precisely one of the reasons why some mothers stop feeding much earlier than expected. With proper sucking, the baby extracts milk by creating a vacuum and at the same time actively working with the lower jaw. In order to take the mother’s breast well, the baby needs to open his mouth wide, and when applied correctly, the nipple ends up deep inside, far from the moving parts of the mouth (the lower jaw and the tip of the tongue). And to give a baby a pacifier, you don’t need to open your mouth wide at all. If an adult wishes, the pacifier can even be put into the child’s closed mouth. When sucking a pacifier, other muscle groups work to a greater extent, and their coordination occurs in different ways. Often, just by the way the baby prepares to eat, it is clear whether he is feeding from the breast or through a pacifier: the baby opens his mouth wide so that the mother’s breast fits comfortably into it, and the “artificial baby” stretches his lips with a tube towards the pacifier. If a pacifier is given to a baby who has not yet learned how to interact with his mother's breast, he may try to suck on his mother's breast in the same way as a bottle pacifier or pacifier, this phenomenon is known as "nipple confusion." In this case, the baby will either not receive milk at all, or will receive very little (hence the complaints “my baby hangs on my chest for hours, but calms down only after he gets a bottle”).

Another unpleasant effect of using a pacifier: it is an inanimate object that cannot react in any way to its “torment.” A baby, especially during teething, may enjoy biting and chewing on a pacifier. He will try to do the same with his mother’s breasts when feeding, because for him both are objects of sucking. And his mother’s dissatisfaction will be completely incomprehensible to him, serving as another reason to choose a more predictable and “reliable” subject...

A clear illustration of this problem: according to a survey conducted in the LiveJournal communities lyalechka and malyshi, where 580 mothers took part, the use of a pacifier correlated with nipple pain in the first days of feeding:

(source: https://meridian-30.livejournal.com/119922.html)

Pacifier leads to breast refusal

Interacting with a mother's breast is more difficult than interacting with a pacifier. Not “more difficult”, but more complex and varied. Milk flows from the mother’s breast at different speeds - at high tide, the streams can literally splash into the baby’s mouth, and sometimes you have to work to get “hind” milk, which is rich in fats, but also leaves the breast more slowly. A baby who receives only his mother’s breast gets used to its characteristics after a while and knows, for example, that if he works on a seemingly empty breast, milk will soon begin to flow. And if the child is accustomed to a constant flow from a bottle nipple or to falling asleep with a pacifier, from which nothing flows at all, the “behavior” of the mother’s breast, unpredictable in comparison with the constancy of the nipple, makes the baby nervous. Therefore, it happens that the baby breaks away from the mother’s breast (where there is milk), and, to the mother’s bewilderment, begins to cry. Having received the pacifier, he calms down.

The other side of the same problem is that the mother’s breast performs two important functions in the baby’s life: satiation and calming. Both functions are equally important, because a small child enjoys not only delicious milk, but also the sucking process itself. Very often, a baby who has experience breastfeeding actively refuses his mother’s attempts to “provide a rubber replacement” by spitting out the pacifier. But if mom insists, the baby will have no choice but to agree. And after some time, the child will learn the lesson “it makes sense to suckle only to get milk” so well that he will begin to turn away from the breast when the flow of milk dries up. Just at the age of about 3-4 months of the baby’s life, many mothers stop feeling the flow of milk, or the milk does not begin to flow immediately, but only after the baby makes several sucking movements. But where a baby who does not know the pacifier will suck diligently, knowing that the milk now does not come immediately, a child accustomed to a pacifier refuses to suck without a rush - he abandons the breast. After all, from his point of view, you just need to suck on a rubber plug, and mother’s breast, from which streams of milk no longer immediately flow, is not suitable for “idle sucking”!..

Of course, there are always families where babies receive a pacifier and at the same time continue to safely feed on their mother’s breasts, avoiding all the problems already listed. Even if we look at the graphs above, we will see that there are a number of infants with a pacifier where “everything is fine.” But no one can predict in advance how a pacifier will turn out for a particular child, whether breastfeeding will continue or end, with the active help of a “cunning friend.” Moreover, the probability of losing breastfeeding, as we remember, is several times higher than maintaining it. And even if it persists, other complications for the child’s health are associated with the pacifier...

The pacifier spoils the bite

Incorrect sucking, which develops in a child as a result of using a pacifier, has a very long-term impact: experts who have deeply delved into this topic talk about problems not only during breastfeeding, but throughout their entire life. Movements practiced in infancy are retained forever, and the habit of sucking a pacifier makes itself felt in an adult. This happens due to the fact that the principle of sucking a breast and a rubber nipple is fundamentally different. And this does not depend on the appearance of the nipple, as pacifiers and breast-shaped bottles try to convince us, but, first of all, on the quality of what ends up in the child’s mouth. Mom's breasts are very soft and, when they enter the baby's mouth, they adapt to his shape. An artificial nipple, on the contrary, is relatively non-plastic, so the child’s oral cavity has to adapt to the foreign object introduced into it.

At a time when the oral apparatus of a newly born baby is actively growing and developing, any object other than the breast negatively affects the formation of the jaw, teeth, and the shape of the palate. The pacifier creates pressure in the mouth that is not intended by nature, which leads to tooth movement. Dr. John R. Neil, an Australian researcher, discovered that babies' tongues work differently when they suck on a breast or a pacifier. Infants made peristaltic (wave-like) movements with their tongue, which helped the milk extracted from the breast move to the pharynx. And the children who were given a pacifier made pushing movements of the tongue (the tongue moves like a piston). The results of the study showed that all infants who had never received a pacifier sucked at the breast with a physiological, wave-like movement of the tongue. Among those who sucked a pacifier together with the breast, 13 children had piston-like movements of the tongue, and 18 had wave-like movements of the tongue. Finally, it turned out that all children, without exception, whose tongue moved like a piston, received a pacifier.

All this leads to improper functioning of the stomatognathic system (including the pharynx, dentition and oral cavity). A recent study by Brazilian scientists Silveira LM et al 2013, after studying the oral skills of 125 babies aged 9 months, concluded that breastfeeding has a positive effect on the functioning of the stomatognathic system, but sucking a pacifier, on the contrary, inhibits sucking and chewing skills and is associated with poor development of the corresponding muscles. But quite the opposite belief is often encountered!..

Brian Palmer, DDS, a renowned expert on the effects of breastfeeding on children's health, has spent nearly thirty years researching oral deformities. All these years, he defended the point of view that a child's sucking of a pacifier or bottle nipple is a critical factor for disorders in the development of the maxillofacial apparatus. You can view some of Dr. Palmer's presentations, translated into Russian, on the La Leche League Russia website. If you understand English text well, you can immediately go to Dr. Palmer’s website. Find the results of the latest dental studies showing the effect of pacifiers on bite formation under the spoiler.

Some data on the effect of pacifiers on bite

Using a pacifier increases the risk of infections

So, the movement of the tongue during swallowing is critical for the normal development of the mouth, airways, facial shape, proper bite and tooth alignment. In particular - this is just one of the details! – a pattern was tracked due to which “artificial babies” are four times more likely than infants to suffer from otitis media: the pressure of the nipple on the area near the border of the hard and soft palate leads to improper development and functioning of the eustachian tube apparatus. First of all, this applies to situations when a child eats from a bottle with a nipple; but infants who receive “just” a pacifier are noticeably more likely to suffer from attacks of acute otitis media (Salah M et al 2013 and other data below).

In addition to the incorrect formation of the maxillofacial apparatus due to pressure on the palate unforeseen by nature, various pathogenic organisms multiply very well on the nipples. Thus, a study by DJ Manning et al 1985 showed that 44% of laboratory-studied baby pacifiers were contaminated with candida fungus, which is the cause of thrush. This was confirmed by data from Sio et al, 1987 - in babies who sucked a pacifier, thrush in the mouth was twice as common as in those whose parents did not give a pacifier.

More Science on Pacifier-Related Infections

A study by Niemela, Uhari & Mottonen, 1995 found that children who sucked a pacifier between the ages of one and three years were 25% more likely to have an attack of acute otitis media. No associations with otitis media were found for breastfeeding.

The study Jackson JM, Mourino AP 1999 consisted of 200 children under the age of one year. The risk of developing otitis media was twice as high in children who sucked a pacifier, and five times higher if the child was bottle-fed or attended a nursery.

A study by Niemela M, Pihakari O, Pokka T, Uhari M. 2000 found that if parents of babies from 7 to 18 months were warned about the dangers of using pacifiers (medical staff talked about this in detail, with the issuance of special leaflets) and parents reduced the use of pacifiers, then the number cases of otitis decreased by 29% compared to the control group. If children did not suck a pacifier at all, then there were 33% fewer cases of otitis media.

An Italian group of scientists, Festini F et al 2012, looked at two groups of babies from one to three years old: 63 children who had at least one episode of diarrhea or enteral infection in the first year of life, and 78 without such episodes. In the first group, 61.9% of children began receiving a pacifier in the first month of life, and more than half as many - 29.4% - in the second.

A pacifier can cause injury

Most mothers don’t think about this at all. Until it affects someone... And various injuries due to the use of a pacifier are not so rare.

A mucocele is a cyst of the oral mucosa, a benign formation, which, however, may require removal by a surgeon or dentist. A study by Alves LA et al 2010 states that in children, mucocele of the lower lip often occurs due to inadequate pacifier use.

There are also “just injuries.” For example, in 2012, the United States conducted a retrospective analysis of all cases in which children were admitted to surgery due to the use of bottles, pacifiers and sippy cups over a 20-year period (from 1991 to 2010 inclusive). It turned out that during this time, 45,398 children under three years of age were treated for such injuries, on average in the USA alone more than 2,200 cases annually (who would have thought, right?..) Most of the problems are associated with the use of bottles (65.8%), Next came dummies (one in five of these injuries). One-year-old children were most often affected; the most common injury was a ruptured mouth caused by a child falling with a bottle or pacifier in the mouth. Details are in the study by Keim SA et al 2012.

Objections to restrictions on pacifiers...

But how can you go for a walk without a pacifier? The child swallows cold air into his open mouth... Most babies do not walk with their mouths open. A child’s mouth may be open during a walk for several reasons:

- if he has a stuffy nose and it’s hard for him to breathe through his mouth - but is it necessary to take a child with a stuffy nose, that is, who has a cold, into the cold air?..

- if the baby fell asleep in the stroller so that his head was thrown back, in this case it is enough to place a pillow or something else so that the head moves from the thrown back position to its normal position;

- if the child cries - in this case, crying serves as a signal of the child’s stress; It is advisable to try to eliminate this stress, instead of just giving a pacifier. Stress can be associated, for example, with walking too long (many mothers walk for hours at a time because they have been told that it is good for the child’s health to walk for so many hours every day - but what will be the benefit if the child is nervous to the point of crying?! ); or because the baby doesn’t want to be in a stroller, but closer to his mother, and then it’s better to try walking with the baby in your arms or in a sling instead of a stroller.

There are hundreds of thousands of mothers in the world who have never given their children a pacifier, and this does not stop them from walking on the street. A pacifier is simply not a necessary item either on the street or in a child’s trousseau in general - unless the mother plans long absences, such as going to work or school, when it is impossible to avoid long periods of the baby being without the mother.

The mother should not allow the child to use herself as a pacifier. Still, active advertising of artificial feeding has a very strong influence on society, nursing mothers and their ideas about what is normal and what is not. “Using a mother instead of a pacifier” implies that bottle feeding is normal for the speaker, and breastfeeding is not perceived as a normal situation. Imagine someone telling you: “You shouldn’t let your husband use you instead of a rubber woman!” You will probably be shocked by the very formulation of the question, when someone, in principle, considers it normal to give preference to a rubber woman with a living wife; but when mothers are reproached for allowing their child to “use themselves instead of a pacifier,” the point is that giving a child a pacifier seems to be normal, but communicating with a warm, lively, beloved mother is not!..

If a child has a strong need to suck, then it is impossible to do without a pacifier: the mother simply will not have any life left, she will be forced to feed endlessly. Indeed, different babies have different sucking needs. And there are some babies who seem ready to suckle endlessly. They suck, spit up, grab the breast again... And very often in this situation the mother is advised: give her a pacifier, because you can’t feed around the clock. But this is the wrong path!.. If a child strives to suck all the time, and this desire is not satisfied with mother’s milk, it means that the child is worried about something, in addition to ordinary hunger. And we need to look for and eliminate the cause of this anxiety, and not shut up the child with a pacifier. When a nursing mother complains to the doctor that the child constantly wants to suck, and the doctor says: “That means he needs a pacifier” - in essence, this is absolutely the same as if the mother was worried that the child constantly has a high temperature, and the doctor, instead of looking for reasons and prescription of adequate treatment, I would advise constantly giving aspirin. In practice, when there is an increased need for sucking, a meeting with an osteopath is usually useful: often this is manifested by displacement of the vertebrae, pinched nerves, or some other characteristics of the child that the osteopath can correct. In a word, if you understand that there is a problem, then you need to solve the problem itself, and not give a pacifier, because with it the problem becomes less noticeable than when breastfeeding only...

Irina Ryukhova for “New Level”

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Bite correction with adult veneers

Sometimes bite defects in adults are very minor and purely cosmetic - for example, there are gaps between the front teeth, or some teeth are slightly shorter or longer than others. Such defects in the smile area are not dangerous to health, but seriously spoil aesthetics.

To eliminate them, it is not necessary to carry out full-fledged long-term orthodontic treatment. Defects can be masked with veneers - ceramic plates that are installed on the teeth and completely cover them. Veneers can be made slightly wider or longer than natural teeth, and thus cover all defects.

In addition, if you put veneers on all your front teeth, you can create the effect of a snow-white Hollywood smile - they will mask all the darkening and enamel defects, making your teeth perfect in every sense.