Does my child need a pacifier?
Sucking is an innate, natural reflex that gives your child a safe and calming feeling. Soothers are often used in stressful situations, as a sleep aid or to relieve the pain of teething. When sucking, it is important that the soother is used in a targeted manner. However, we advise against using the soother for continuous sucking, as this increases the risk of malocclusion later on. The rule here is:
As much as necessary, but as little as possible!
A soother can make life easier for breastfeeding mothers as it is always available as an everyday helper and can also be given by other people. If your child wants to suckle, a tooth-friendly soother is more suitable than the thumb, as it can be used in a targeted manner, exerts less pressure on the jaw and teeth and is also easier to wean off.
Choosing the right pacifier
Misaligned teeth and jaws usually develop within the first 18 months. They are favored by too large soother teats and too long sucking times. During normal breastfeeding, eating or chewing, the jaw and teeth are usually only strained for a short time – so this generally has no effect on tooth alignment. With soothers or thumb sucking, however, the time of use is usually significantly longer.
However, if you don’t want to do without a soother completely, you can minimize the risk of misaligned teeth by choosing the right soother.
The most important factors to avoid misaligned teeth are:
- the shape of the teat
- the duration of pacifier use
Why the shape of the pacifier is important
“The shape of the teat is crucial!”
The teat is the part of the soother that the baby sucks on. The teat therefore has a direct influence on the child’s teeth, mouth and jaw.
Many conventional soothers have a rounded shape and large teats that are not ideal for the natural movement of the tongue. Cherry teats and conventional soothers in particular, which are known as orthodontic soothers, push the teeth, jaw and tongue out of their natural position.
The dentistar pacifier sets new standards for healthy tooth development with its unique teat shape and Dental-Step.
Cherry Soothers
Standard orthodontic
Dental-Step
These teat shapes are critical for jaw development
Teats that are too large and thick are a particular problem for the development of a child’s jaw. They usually fill the mouth almost completely for hours. The tongue and teeth are displaced from their natural position – malocclusions such as an open bite and speech disorders can be the result.
Thick teat shaft
A thick teat neck or shaft causes the teeth to be pushed apart and the lips cannot close completely. This particularly favors the frontal open bite, in which the front teeth no longer lie on top of each other or overlap.
Teat too big
A teat that is too large often fills the baby's mouth almost completely. Especially round teats (cherry teats) with a round tip displace the tongue from its natural position. In addition, the child has to exert more pressure on the soother when sucking in order to move the teat in the mouth.
Heavy soothers
The child must hold the soother with their mouth and lips. The heavier the soother is, the more force the child has to exert and cannot hold the jaw in its natural position.
This is what an orthodontic pacifier looks like
Tooth-friendly orthodontic soothers such as the dentistar soother minimize the impact on the teeth and tongue. In particular, the combination of the thin, narrow teat, angled teat part and the dental step lead to considerably less strain on the jaw.
Thin teat shaft
The shaft of the pacifier should be as narrow and thin as possible. This keeps the distance between the teeth small.
Angled tip
A teat that is angled flat at the top leaves more space for the tongue. The dentistar teat is also curved inwards - like a spoon - and thus creates even more space for the natural position of the tongue.
Dental-Step
The Dental-Step allows the teeth to grow into their natural position. In normal dentition, the step is present in the jaw, with the upper teeth slightly protruding and the lower teeth slightly receding. The Dental-Step in the dentistar pacifier therefore guides the teeth into their natural position right from the start.
Low weight
A tooth-friendly soother should weigh as little as possible. The child must hold the soother with their mouth and lips. The lighter the soother is, the less force the child has to exert and can hold the jaw in its natural position.
This is why the Dental-Step is particularly tooth-friendly
A comparison with conventional soothers
Large teats push the tongue out of its natural position and can therefore restrict its function. The teeth are also displaced from their natural position, which can result in malocclusions such as an open bite.
Normal and round teats
Large teats force the tongue out of its natural position. A wide shaft pushes the teeth apart, which can result in an open bite.
dentistar teat
The dentistar teat leaves more room for the tongue. The extra narrow shaft and the Dental-Step ensure that the teeth can grow into their natural position.
The teat should leave as much space as possible for the tongue. An upwardly angled teat is advantageous as it guides the tongue upwards in the oral cavity to its natural position on the palate. The dentistar teat also has an inwardly curved shape (similar to an upturned spoon) so that the tongue has enough space.
The risk of an open bite is reduced by more than 86% with the Dental-Step.
The shaft between the teat and the mouth plate is mainly responsible for the pressure on the front teeth and favors the frontal open bite. A wide shaft pushes the teeth out of their natural position. A tooth-friendly pacifier therefore has a narrow, flat shaft. The dentistar pacifier has an extra flat Dental-Step that traces the teeth and gums so that the teeth can remain in their optimum, straight position. The extra flat shaft minimizes the distance between the upper and lower incisors.
Sucking on a conventional soother creates a lot of pressure that is transferred to the jaw and teeth. The Dental-Step reduces the pressure on the jaw compared to conventional soothers.
The normal teat (left) pushes the teeth apart, increasing the pressure on the jaw and teeth when sucking. The dentistar teat with dental step (right) minimizes the distance between the teeth and reduces the pressure on the jaw and teeth.
The duration of pacifier use
Reduce the pacifier time
If possible, the soother should be used as often as necessary but as little as possible. This means that your baby should use the soother to calm down and fall asleep, but not when playing, for example.
You should also stop using the soother from the age of 2 at the latest to avoid permanent misaligned teeth.
Sucking is a natural reflex that calms babies and gives them security. A soother can be a valuable support here, but should be used with caution to avoid possible misaligned teeth. Choose a pacifier with a Dental-Step, as this optimally supports the natural growth of the jaw and teeth and make sure to limit the time your baby uses the pacifier.
Tooth-friendly sucking
With the Dental-Step
The Dental-Step traces the gums and teeth. The pressure on the jaw is reduced by up to 90%1. This has been proven to prevent misaligned teeth2.
Tooth-friendly weaning
With the STOPPi®
Weaning with the STOPPi® can prevent misaligned teeth and jaw anomalies and contribute to the self-healing of changes that have already occurred.
