Should I give my baby a teething dummy?

There are arguments for and against using a dummy. The main problem is that sucking on a dummy for long periods of time affects the position of the teeth which leads to an 'overbite'.

An overbite is the dental term for a situation in which the upper teeth protrude over the lower teeth. This requires corrective treatment with a brace.

The commonly held view is that continuous use of dummy results in misaligned teeth which affects the baby's breathing and speech patterns. Both the British Dental Foundation and the British Dental Association advise parents to wean their child off their dummy as soon as possible to avoid these problems.

But if you want to use a dummy then one option is an orthodontic dummy. This is a specially designed dummy which soothes a tearful baby but is kinder to their teeth. Do not coat the end of the dummy in sugar or honey as this increases the risk of tooth decay and gum disease when they are older.

The dummy debate is on ongoing issue.

If you want to know more then visit our teething dummies article.