Thumb or finger sucking can be a habit that seems impossible to break in many children and can cause severe damage to their teeth, creating a need for braces, tooth extractions, etc. Continued thumb or finger sucking can not only damage your child’s teeth, but their speech, health, self esteem, social development, and appearance as well. Parents often spend a lot of time and money trying to find a way to get their child to stop to no avail. That’s exactly what was happening with my six-year-old niece, Sarah. No matter what my sister-in-law tried, the thumb sucking wouldn’t stop and her teeth were getting damaged. Then her mom found and tried a product called a ThumbGuard or T-Guard (FingerGuard also available).
The ThumbGuard (and FingerGuard) is listed by the FDA as a medical device. It consists of a medical-grade flexible plastic guard that fits over the thumb (or fingers) with slotted straps that go down the hand to the wrist and colorful, adjustable bracelets used to secure the ThumbGuard (or FingerGuard) in place. It is very easy to put on and is extremely difficult to be removed by the child.
ThumbGuard and FingerGuard prevents a seal from being created by thumbsucking. Without a seal, there is no suction, which is the source of pleasure in thumb or finger sucking. Without the source of pleasure, the desire to suck the thumb or fingers ends.
We made a big production of Sarah getting her ThumbGuard and wearing it. We told her how cool her ThumbGuard was and what a big girl she was and how excited we were that she was going to stop sucking her thumb. She really liked the different colored bracelets and got to pick the color each time the bracelet needed to be replaced.
ThumbGuard (and FingerGuard) is worn 24/7 for approximately four weeks, but can be used longer if needed (or again if the child has a relapse in thumb or finger sucking). It can be removed for bathing or other reasons, but needs to be put back on as soon as possible. Sarah wore her ThumbGuard for four weeks. After one week, she no longer had a desire to try to suck her thumb. After four weeks, she no longer needed to wear her ThumbGuard and was not tempted to suck her thumb after the ThumbGuard was removed. Her mom was ecstatic.
We think ThumbGuard (and FingerGuard) is a miraculous cure for thumbsucking (and fingersucking) and is a wonderful medical device for preventing damage from being done to your child’s teeth so they won’t need braces or have teeth removed in the future. In these hard, economic times, who wouldn’t appreciate saving the money that would be spent on braces or other major dental work? In some cases, it is even possible to receive compensation from your insurance company for the cost of the ThumbGuard or FingerGuard. We personally recommend the ThumbGuard and FingerGuard to any parent looking for a way to stop their child from sucking their thumb or finger.
ThumbGuard and FingerGuard both come in three sizes: small, medium and large. A ThumbGuard kit comes with two ThumbGuards, one for each hand for children who suck both thumbs. If your child only sucks one thumb, you can start out by only using one ThumbGuard for that hand, but children sometimes switch to the other thumb when the one they suck is covered, also requiring the use of both ThumbGuards. A FingerGuard kit comes with one FingerGuard that goes on two fingers. All kits come with colorful bracelets for securing the guard, a How-to Video CD and an instruction booklet.
You can buy the ThumbGuard or FingerGuard kits at A Zeal for Living. There are product links on the site that give you more information about the kits, including information on choosing the size of ThumbGuard or FingerGuard you should buy for your child. Extra bracelets are also available if needed.
Sources:
A Zeal for Living
