Bumblebee78
Well-Known Member
My daughter (8 and a thumb sucker) has just shown me that a bit of the base of her thumb nail, is missing!!! Please please please tell me it will grow back!!!!
Help - daughter's nail missing!!
- Thread starter Bumblebee78
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geeg
Judge Gigi-Honorary Geek
Yes it will. She must be wearing it away with her teeth. She could cause permanent damage to the matrix if she doesnot stop.
Bumblebee78
Well-Known Member
Oh thank you so much Gigi! I've put a plaster on it to try and stop her sucking it. Is this the right thing to do?
geeg
Judge Gigi-Honorary Geek
it won't hurt. Lol. Don't worry. X
unas escarlata
Well-Known Member
I hate dummies but there's one thing to be said for them - you can take them away, you can't remove a thumb from a sucker.
It will do her teeth no favours either, prolonged sucking can cause front teeth to protrude.
Stop Thumb Sucking - Thumbguard UK - prevent thumbsucking - stop finger sucking try this xx
It will do her teeth no favours either, prolonged sucking can cause front teeth to protrude.
Stop Thumb Sucking - Thumbguard UK - prevent thumbsucking - stop finger sucking try this xx
cheznails
Well-Known Member
I sucked my thumb till I was 10 lol, my mom tried EVERYTHING to try and get me to stop. Don't know why I stopped, it just happened.
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Bumblebee78
Well-Known Member
geeg
Judge Gigi-Honorary Geek
She has made quite a mess of it! Probably with her teeth rubbing it. Has seeing the damaged she,s caused had any affect on her thumb sucking? Has it made her realise she can do permanent damage and disfigure that thumb and nail for life?
Bumblebee78
Well-Known Member
Not sure she can associate the damage with being potentially permanent. She says the plaster helps her not suck it, but in the next minute she's pulled it off and thumbs back in the mouth!!! She's got zero will power. I've even had the dentist try talking to her, but it's not having an effect :-(
Evaperk
Well-Known Member
It's so difficult to get children to understand 'permanent damage' as they just KNOW they're indestructable and will live forever lol! My 16 year old son broke some bones in his hand and just wouldn't understand the importance of getting them set properly! Kids huh?
As for stopping thumb sucking it's a tough one.
Nails<3
Well-Known Member
Aww I sucked my thumb up till about 14 and still do apparently when I'm asleep lol it's a comfort thing.
My little girl sucks her thumb constantly she would be lost without it.
She gets to sleep sucking her thumb and playing with her ear so if I tried to stop her sucking she would be so upset she is only 4 though.my son had a dummy and it was taken off him at an early age and he got used to it but as your thumb is apart of you,you can't really take it away so it's her natural reaction to suck it.
The only prob I had when I sucked my thumb was a little bump on my thumb but my teeth are perfectly straight so no pushing forward.
Must be hard for her not to suck her thumb.
My post was no help atall haha x
My little girl sucks her thumb constantly she would be lost without it.
She gets to sleep sucking her thumb and playing with her ear so if I tried to stop her sucking she would be so upset she is only 4 though.my son had a dummy and it was taken off him at an early age and he got used to it but as your thumb is apart of you,you can't really take it away so it's her natural reaction to suck it.
The only prob I had when I sucked my thumb was a little bump on my thumb but my teeth are perfectly straight so no pushing forward.
Must be hard for her not to suck her thumb.
My post was no help atall haha x
Bumblebee78
Well-Known Member
She went to bed whimpering last night coz she couldn't suck her thumb! She can't seem to figure out that she can control her thumb sucking! It's not an automatic thing!!! I wish there was an easier way. Maybe hypnotherapy? Does it work on children??
Wooshka
Well-Known Member
Sadly, I have to disagree, thumb sucking is automatic to a thumb sucker, most times it's in there before we know it.
Trust me, I'm a former thumb sucker, I did it from birth till I was 15 and no matter what you try you will not be able to make her stop, she will stop all in her own good time.
It is a comfort thing, some say it's an insecurity thing, I really don't know either way but what I do know is you will cause her more heartache and stress by trying to force her to stop. I remember as if it was yesterday how upset my mum used to make me with all the horrible things she tried to force me to stop, it only made my suck more cause I got so upset and then needed the comfort.
Every child sucks differently, the ones that get buck teeth are the ones who push the under side of the knuckle up against their teeth when they suck and there are others who just rest it on their tongue and suck with putting no force on the teeth (my doctor told me this years ago)....I was the non force kid and I have straight teeth:0
I tried to suck my thumb many years ago as a test to see if it gave me that same comfort feeling as when I was younger but it didn't and it felt horrible, so I know I'm over it as most kids do by mid teens usually, it's only the rare person who continues into adulthood like a girlfriend of mine who is now 41 and still sucks it like a baby would.
She might have caused a small trauma to her cuticle and then matrix and maybe got too much moisture in there and this trauma to the nail is the result, it looks like it will heal all in good time but she has to learn she can suck her thumb if she must but keep those teeth away from scraping/scratching/playing around her cuticle/matrix area.
I reckon she will be fine
don't stress too much, it should grow out ok
Bumblebee78
Well-Known Member
I haven't worried too much about it before she came and showed me her nail yesterday!!! She can't keep sucking it! What if the whole nail comes off and it never grows back?!
No habit can be broken overnight but they can be broken.
We used to have a little girl at the stables who was a thumb sucker, we made her wear gloves all day, every day. The gloves got filthy, she certainly didn't want to suck them and after 2 weeks of being busy it didn't really cross her mind.
Obviously not something you can do whilst she's at school every day, but all the family being consistant and making her stop when they see her doing it will help.
It looks more like she is chewing/scraping it with her front teeth though, I used to knaw on my thumb knuckle until I made it so sore I couldn't do it anymore.
We used to have a little girl at the stables who was a thumb sucker, we made her wear gloves all day, every day. The gloves got filthy, she certainly didn't want to suck them and after 2 weeks of being busy it didn't really cross her mind.
Obviously not something you can do whilst she's at school every day, but all the family being consistant and making her stop when they see her doing it will help.
It looks more like she is chewing/scraping it with her front teeth though, I used to knaw on my thumb knuckle until I made it so sore I couldn't do it anymore.
Victoriabar
Well-Known Member
My sister is a thumb sucker still, she is 36. I showed her the pic and asked her if her teeth touch her nails, her reply was what I was thinking.
It looks as though the nail has been worn away by constant flicking of the tongue tip along the eponychium, a bit like a habit tick .. It is a comfort thing tho and only she can stop herself doing it, my sister also remember all the horrible ways family tried stopping her, from painting with the nasty tasting stuff to bring smacked each time her thumb went near her mouth, she took to sucking in secret and still does. She is less lenient with her own thumb sucking daughter so not to traumatise her and make her feel bad for something she knows is out of her mental control. My sis also does not have buck teeth but beautiful straight ones untouched by a dentists brace lol.
It looks as though the nail has been worn away by constant flicking of the tongue tip along the eponychium, a bit like a habit tick .. It is a comfort thing tho and only she can stop herself doing it, my sister also remember all the horrible ways family tried stopping her, from painting with the nasty tasting stuff to bring smacked each time her thumb went near her mouth, she took to sucking in secret and still does. She is less lenient with her own thumb sucking daughter so not to traumatise her and make her feel bad for something she knows is out of her mental control. My sis also does not have buck teeth but beautiful straight ones untouched by a dentists brace lol.
Bumblebee78
Well-Known Member
My sister also sucks her thumb and is 31 soon!!!! But nothing like this happened to her thumb!! She had braces as she has pushed her teeth out and I've tried the braces threat with my daughter, but it hasn't worked. I can honestly say I've never seen anything like her thumb nail and tbh it freaks me out seeing her nail like that!!! There must be some way of getting her to stop sucking!!!
unas escarlata
Well-Known Member
try the splint I posted a link to!
Speak to her. At 8 she is ols enough to have a conversation with.
Nothing confrontational, or telling her it's wrong or naughty. She has obviously had a bit of a shock hence coming to you and showing your her nail.
Pick an opportunity when you are both relaxed, not rushing anywhere, and on your own, ask her if she is worried about her nail. The ask her why she thinks she sucks her thumb, when she does it the most, would she like to stop doing it.
Does she do it in her sleep? That can be the hardest to stop.
Nothing confrontational, or telling her it's wrong or naughty. She has obviously had a bit of a shock hence coming to you and showing your her nail.
Pick an opportunity when you are both relaxed, not rushing anywhere, and on your own, ask her if she is worried about her nail. The ask her why she thinks she sucks her thumb, when she does it the most, would she like to stop doing it.
Does she do it in her sleep? That can be the hardest to stop.
Bumblebee78
Well-Known Member
Thanks Una escarlata! I will give it a go!
