Tips for removing the pacifier
The pacifier in the first years of life has many advantages: it reduces the incidence of sudden infant death, it is a very effective analgesic in painful processes and calms the anxiety of children. However, it is important to withdraw it at around three years to avoid the harmful effects it exerts on the correct teeth alignment, mainly crossbite.
Although there are many misconceptions surrounding the use of the pacifier, little by little almost all of them have been losing strength, except for the belief that it deforms the teeth of the small. According to Patricia Zubeldia, dentist of the Sanitas Dental Care Directorate, it is estimated that in order for malformations be appreciable, it is necessary to exercise constant pressure for several hours in a row. The time factor, together with that of energy that the child applies in the suction, will also mark the difference in this aspect.
The expert explains that, although it is not a fixed rule, the dental pieces will return to your site if the pacifier disappears towards the three or four years old, although there are other conditions that can make these terms flexible, such as maturity level of the small or certain medical or psychosocial circumstances.
Tips to get the pacifier removed
Although the ideal age to remove the pacifier is at three or four yearsBeforehand, children must be accustomed to limit their use to sleep time or to situations of great emotional stress.
Patricia Zubeldia, dentist of the Sanitas Dental Care Directorate, recommends following a series of guidelines to facilitate, both parents and children, the withdrawal of the pacifier:
1. The interruption of its use can be gradual or sudden, but it should not be punished or make the process traumatic for the little ones.
2. Impregnate the pacifier nipple with substances from strong flavors like vinegar, pepper or lemon, it makes it easier for children to get rid of it naturally.
3. Invent a story or a personalized story in which a fictional character takes the child's pacifier.
4. Explain to the little ones that the pacifier he has accidentally forgotten somewhere, like for example, in the vacation home.
5. Cut the nipple or prick it so that the sensation of sucking it is not pleasant dissuades many small children from using it.
6. To the elderly, their pediatrician can explain why they should do without the pacifier and the negative consequences for their oral health.
Isabel Martínez
