The sucking reflex in babies is completely natural and is important for psychological development in the first years. However, the habit of thumb sucking or long-term pacifier use should be completely abandoned by the age of 3 to 4 at the latest. If the habit continues after this age limit, the finger constantly puts upward and forward pressure on the upper jawbone and teeth, resulting in the upper jaw projecting forward (class 2 malocclusion), narrowing of the palate, and “anterior open bite”, which is a condition in which the upper and lower front teeth do not touch each other while biting. In habits abandoned before the age of 3-4, slight deformations that occur tend to correct themselves because the jawbone is still in the growth phase and is very flexible; However, after this age, the damage becomes permanent and requires surgical/orthodontic treatments in the future.
