For Better or For Worse by Lynn Johnston for October 14, 2020

what kind of appliance was John proposing? orthodontic braces?

Having visions of dental torture can be horrible if your mind goes there!

And yet she’ll still suck her thumb

John says, “If we see a problem” but really he should talk to Elizabeth’s pediatric dentist and ask that person if there has been any indication of a problem. After all, Elizabeth is 11 years old and her dentist might have noticed something after all those years of thumb-sucking.

What’s that?

You say John is also Elizabeth’s dentist?

In that case, I guess Elizabeth has good reason to fear being chained to some dental torture device.

It’s OK, Liz. I’ll suggest to John that straps would be better than chains.

thats a wonderful last frame. It’s probably not as powerful as peer pressure as a motivator, but having your face wired up to straighten teeth probably feels like that last frame. :-E)

Perfect!!

The Girl in the Iron Mask

Somehow I can’t remember a cereal in 1990 called Fibre Offs being too popular. Wouldn’t get me to change from my Raisin Brams or Fruit Loots! (Names changed to protect from copyright lawsuits.)

I think most parents ease into the subject without using dark images unless necessary.

Lynn’s Comments:

This is a real problem. After living and working with a dentist, I could tell from a child’s dentition if he or she had been sucking their thumb for too long. I knew about these appliances to stop the habit…they were unpleasant, but they worked!

Why is Elizabeth worried about how she will look? She has a Boston Original T-shirt, so she will fit in with the other kids at school!

HOLY CRAP! What the heck. Though, …on second thought. One of those things for snoring might be just what the Dr ordered. Do you have one in basic black?

Use a wool glove or dip her thumb in cayenne pepper at bed time.

This is one problem I’ve never heard of. Older kids sucking their thumb? Really? My story: after 65 years of biting my fingernails, I quit last month. Don’t know how – I just quit. My nails look nice now, and I hope I can keep it that way.

Yesterday I made comment on my daughter on her thumb sucking, she was much older and getting ready for Big K, she listened as I told her she is a big girl to big to keep sucking her thumb, her friend continued she did when her mom and I was not around. That was back when she was small. That was my shaming.

In 1940 my parents put wood splints on my right arm so I couldn’t bend my arm to suck my thumb. Learned to left hand thumb suck. Then very bitter fluid painted on my thumbs. Hah! Sucked the bitter off.

It is images like that which made the Dentist in the Marathon Man and Little Shop of Horrors so impactful.

I’m perturbed by the way John phrased his suggestion. “If we see a problem, we might have to fit you…” instead of “You might have to try wearing an appliance that would help you…” It’s no wonder Liz is frightened!

I don’t think Liz knew that her parents knew!!

It’s called a thumb crib. It’s like metal chicken wire mesh that gets glued to the roof of your mouth so there is no place to put the thumb. My son had one—broke 3 of them still sucking until the dentist said he was going to make one that was unbreakable. Poor kid had it for 3 years. All the food goes up inside the mesh. Yuk. He was in braces from 8 until 19

Look at her mouth, it’s already changing shape!

How about this…buy her the biggest pacifier you can find, tie it onto a dirty string and hang it around her neck. (or maybe not…may scar her for life, and the psychiatrist bills will pile up)

Anyone suck four fingers backwards as a kid?

Her father is a dentist, right? She seems to have (let’s say ‘mixed’) feelings about him if this is what she thinks he does.