Pure Dentistry recommend Thumbsie®

Dr. Dan Shaffer from Pure Dentistry had been recommending Thumbsie® for some time so invited me into his clinic in Harpenden, Hertfordshire to meet the team.

Pure Dentistry is passionate about Children’s dental health. They are very child-friendly and I was amazed to find that they even have a screen on the ceiling so the children can watch their favourite film whilst in the dentist chair! Pure Dentistry is quite unique in that is offers dentistry as well as on-site technology allowing them to offer many great services. They can provide up to the minute, quality care for their patients in a modern purpose built dental practice just on the outskirts of Harpenden.

We thought you might like to hear more from Dan on the subject of dentistry and thumb sucking, so we asked him a few questions.

Dr. Dan Shaffer from Pure Dentistry

Did you want to be a dentist when you were at school and growing up?

No, I wanted to be a car mechanic or a paramedic. However, dentistry allowed me to combine the two!

What percentage of children you see suck their thumb or finger?

Probably about 5 %

We’ve read that 12% of adults admit to sucking their thumbs – do you think this is true?

I think that’s quite high. People confide in me and I only know a couple of adults that still suck their thumbs.

Why do you think the Thumbsie® thumb guard works so well?

They are fun with funky designs and kids love them. The cloth acts as a reminder. The children can get involved in the process when they choose their own designs and feel that they are in control and take ownership of their Thumbsies®. We have had a lot of successes with our patients, we have about 4 children at the moment that are using Thumbsie®. It’s a positive way to help and it’s our “go to” solution.

Do you have anything else to add to parents who are looking for a solution for their thumb-sucking child?

It’s worth finding out the reason behind your child’s digit sucking and make sure that you are doing the right thing for your child and not taking away their comfort too early.