When our little ones discover the magic of touch, taste, and the comfort of their thumbs, the habit can be hard to break. While thumb or finger sucking is a natural behavior for babies and young children, it can become a concern when it continues beyond the age of four or five. Prolonged thumb sucking can lead to dental problems, speech issues, and social challenges if not addressed.
As parents, we want to gently guide our children towards healthier habits without causing harm or distress. We explore some gentle strategies for breaking the habit.
Thumb sucking is a natural self-soothing behavior in infants and young kids. Babies often suck their thumbs or fingers as a way to feel comforted, secure, or relaxed. It’s a common reflex that usually fades away as children grow older and find other ways to self-soothe.
However, for some children, this habit persists beyond infancy and can become a coping mechanism during stress or boredom. It can also become a habit during sleep, as children often suck their thumbs to help them fall asleep.
While thumb sucking is generally harmless in early childhood, prolonged and aggressive sucking has the potential to negatively impact your child’s dental development. Here’s why:
Addressing this habit gently and at the right time is essential to prevent these potential dental issues.
If you have a thumb sucker at home, here are some gentle strategies that can help break the habit:
It’s crucial to approach breaking the thumb-sucking habit gently and with love. Remember that every child is different, and what works for one may not work for another. It’s a gradual process, but with patience and consistency, your little one will learn to self-soothe without sucking their thumb.
Believe it or not, there are some potential benefits to thumb sucking when it doesn’t persist too long. A thumb sucker can learn how to self-soothe and find comfort in stressful situations. It can also serve as a signal for when they need extra attention or reassurance from their caregivers.
Additionally, a pediatrics study suggests that children who suck their thumbs or bite their nails might develop a lower risk of allergies later in life. The exposure of young immune systems to various bacteria helps build immunity and reduce allergy risks. Similar to having pets at home, thumb sucking can expose kids to different microorganisms and help strengthen the body’s defenses.
Breaking the thumb-sucking habit is a journey that requires patience and understanding. With the right strategies, your child can transition to healthier oral habits and a beautiful smile.
If you’re concerned about your child’s thumb-sucking habit or its impact on their dental health, our expert board-certified pediatric dentists at Bay Area Kids Dentist are here to help. We specialize in pediatric dental care and can provide tailored guidance on kids’ teeth and support for breaking the habit.
Contact us today for a consultation, and let us help your child achieve a healthy, happy smile.
I am a board-certified anesthesiologist who specializes in sedating children at the offices of my dentist partners. Using ultra-compact anesthesia and monitoring equipment, I have sedated at least 15,000 children over the past 20 years, providing safe and convenient care in a comfortable and familiar setting.
Being a father to my three daughters and caring for my young patients each day are the greatest honors of my life – children are the future of our world. All children deserve safe, effective, and compassionate medical care which allows them to grow up in good health and accomplish their goals, and I take my role in this very seriously. I am happy to work with my colleagues at Bay Area Kids Dentist to achieve our shared vision of providing the highest quality, compassionate care to the children in our communities.
Born and raised in the Bay Area, I graduated from Stanford University with a degree in Biophysics and Biochemistry. I received my medical training from the University of California at San Francisco (UCSF) which included medical school, anesthesia residency, research fellowship, and faculty appointments to the UCSF Anesthesia Department. I then held a similar faculty position at the Stanford Anesthesia Department. Since 1999, I have continuously been a member of the Anesthesiology Department at O’Connor Hospital in San Jose.
My scientific publications include over 30 peer-reviewed anesthesiology articles, book chapters, and abstracts. I am certified in advanced cardiac life support (ACLS/PALS) and have a current California Dental Board General Anesthesia Permit.
My hobby includes windsurfing. I have windsurfed San Francisco Bay for more than 1,000 days, and racing a squadron of pelicans 3 miles offshore is my “happy place.”
FYI: If you look at my front yard, you will see two steel life-size velociraptor dinosaur sculptures and a 15-foot tall windmill powered by three windsurf sails. I drive an exact replica of Buzz Lightyear’s spaceship from Toy Story/Lightyear (Tesla Model X wrapped outside and inside), and I make it a point to wear my purple hood whenever I head to work at Bay Area Kids Dentist.
Learn more about Dr. Targ at https://drtarg.com/
Dr. Gopal received her undergraduate degree in Dental surgery in 1992. She then came over to the United states and received her graduate degree in Oral Biology and did her residency in Pediatric Dentistry from UCSF (University of California, San Francisco) in 1999. While at UCSF she received the “Eric B. Bystrom DDS Memorial Pediatric Dentistry Award” for excellence in treatment of special need patients. Upon graduating from UCSF she was the proprietor of Serramonte Dental practice in Daly City until 2004 when she returned back to India to start her own private practice in Bangalore, India.
While in Bangalore she started her own practice Bright Smiles Pediatric Dentistry to provide specialized pediatric dental care for children. She also chaired and initiated dental work shops and camps for the under privileged children at multiple schools and was public speaker at many villages and small cities promoting the concept and awareness of preventive dentistry to the low income families and children.
In 2014 Dr. Gopal moved back to the bay area to provide specialized dentistry for children at Children’s Hospital Oakland, Gentle Dental, San Jose. She is affiliated to the American Dental Association, American Association of Pediatric Dentists and California Society of Pediatric Dentistry.
Outside of work Dr. Gopal enjoys classical Indian dancing, classical violin and cooking. She trained in Indian classical Bharathanatyam dancing from the age of five and has won many awards for her performances world-wide. She now offers Bharathanatyam dance classes for children at her home during her free time in addition to spending time with her husband, daughter, son and her pet Labrador retriever.
Dr. Shilpa Avula knew from high school that she wanted to be a dentist. Entering the University of the Pacific in 1996, she was enrolled in an honors program that accelerated her through both undergraduate and graduate studies to receive her D.D.S. degree in just five years from Arthur
A. Dugoni School of Dentistry(UOP). After graduating from dental school in 2001, Dr. Avula continued her education by attending a one year general practice residency program at Montefiore Medical Center in New York City. She then completed a two year specialty training program in Pediatric Dentistry at St. Barnabas Hospital in Bronx, New York in 2004.
Although Dr. Avula was initially drawn to dentistry for its ability to help people, she most appreciates the joys of working with children and the uniqueness of each day. Providing a great dental experience to all children is her passion. Dr. Avula also serves as a faculty member for Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry and UCSF School of Dentistry.
In her spare time, she loves to spend time with her family, travel and read. She is proficient in Spanish and Telegu.
Dr. Avula is Board Certified in Pediatric Dentistry and is an active member of the following organizations:
I finished High School in Minnesota and started college there at the University of Minnesota. I did a year- abroad in Egypt and finished my college career with an engineering degree from SJSU. Afterwards, I took a great position as a semiconductor engineer at Texas Instruments here in the Bay Area; I didn’t like being an engineer and in retrospect, it never fit my personality well. As an engineer, I met some fantastic mentors and great people, but I decided to change and started studying for the dental school entrance exam.
I started Dental school at NYU with a US Army Scholarship in 1998. I really enjoyed living in New York and I graduated in 2002.
During Dental School my love of Pediatrics had not been established yet, so I began my Army service as a general dentist in the summer of 2002 and was assigned to a dental unit in Germany. My Son was born in Germany shortly after I arrived and 3 months later I was on a military plane in 2003 as part of the first dental unit to enter Iraq.
My time in Iraq was a mixed blessing. The positive was that I had the opportunity to treat US Army personnel: soldiers and civilian contractors. I was also part of the Army Civilian Affairs program in which we treated Iraqi men women and children. Ironically, in the middle of a war, I became interested in treating children only.
Learn more about Dr. Radwan’s time in Iraq in this article:
Morgan Hill Life | Work with Iraqi children helped determine career path
After leaving the Army in 2005, I began my Pediatric Dentistry residency at the Women’s and Children’s Hospital of Buffalo, NY. My daughter was born during residency which I completed in 2007 and decided to move to California to start our new life.
In 2008, I started the Sunnyvale office with the goal that I wanted a dental office where I would feel comfortable taking my children. In 2010 I started the Morgan Hill Office because we had so many good friends and patients from the South County area. In August of 2014, we opened the office in Santa Clara, which allows us to accommodate more patients. Since then the offices have been run based on my vision, mission and core values with the goal of having the best Pediatric Dental office in the Bay Area.
Story of how Dr. Radwan discovered his passion for working with children on the battlefield in Iraq.
We hope you find we’ve lived up to that lofty ambition.
Dr. Radwan is great. He is very sweet with my kids and is a kind person. He was the one who did the work for my daughter today. He made sure we understood what he would be doing and came out after the x-rays to assure us she was doing well.
Florence K. – Sunnyvale, CA
My son has been coming here for a few years, and today was my toddler’s first visit! Both did great. Dr. Radwan is so good w the children, he is humble and is also good at communicating w parents as he sets the expectation for the visit. The office staff is also amazing!!
Rita Z. – El Dorado Hills, CA
I was so nervous to take my daughter (age 6) to the dentist because she is a pretty hesitant kid. The staff does an amazing job to make kids feel comfortable. My daughter even had to have a dental procedure and it went so much better than I ever expected because they told her everything they were going to do in children’s terms. We saw both Dr. Radwan and Dr. Rosen. Both were exceptional. I highly recommend Bay Area Kids Dentist!
Nicole R. – Mountain View, CA
Dr. Irene is a native of San Francisco, CA. She left California for the east coast to complete her undergraduate studies at Georgetown University. During college, she discovered her passion for working with children while volunteering in the pediatric oncology unit, teaching English to immigrant children in Washington DC, and traveling to Vietnam on a dental mission trip to provide oral hygiene education at elementary schools. Dedicated to pursuing a profession where she could empower children through both education and prevention, she returned home to the Bay Area and earned her dental degree at UCSF. She went on to complete her specialty training in Pediatric Dentistry at USC and Long Beach Memorial/Miller Children’s Hospital where she focused on advanced behavior management, treatment of dental trauma, and caring for medically complex children.
Dr. Irene enjoys getting to know each family and is passionate about providing personalized care that meets each child’s individual needs. She strives to give every child a positive and fun dental experience. In her free time, she enjoys Peloton workouts, yoga, baking, creating latte art, and exploring new restaurants.
Dr. Saeed completed her undergraduate studies at the University of California Santa Cruz in human biology and earned her dental degree from UCSF. She completed her Pediatric Dentistry residency at USC and Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, focusing on medically complex children and special needs adults.
Dr. Saeed practices in Alameda, San Francisco in private practices and is a volunteer faculty at UCSF School of Dentistry. She is also a Board Director of the Alameda County Dental Society.
Dr. Saeed is a Marin County native and loves to run, hike and be outdoors in her free time.
Dear Friends and Colleagues,
I would like to introduce myself. My name is Ayman Metwally and I am a Pediatric Dentist at Bay Area Kids Dentist. I grew up in the South Bay and later attended both college and dental school in the Bay Area. I received a B.A. in Ethnic Studies from UC Berkeley and a Doctorate in Dental Surgery (D.D.S.) from UC San Francisco.
After completing Dental school, I worked as a general dentist in the Bay Area for four years before deciding to pursue my interest in Pediatrics.
I completed a specialty residency in Pediatric Dentistry at Staten Island University Hospital in New York City, where I was appointed Chief Resident during my final year. I was also awarded the Puglisi Award for top Dental resident when I graduated.
I stayed in New York City for three more years as an Attending and Clinical Instructor at the same hospital where I had received my training. I also worked in private practice as well as in clinics serving low-income populations. Being fluent in both Arabic and Spanish has been an invaluable tool in better serving diverse communities.
I have my Oral Conscious Sedation permit and I work closely with a Board Certified Pediatric Anesthesiologist for Dental restoration cases under full intubation general Anesthesia. In 2011 I became Board Certified in Pediatric Dentistry and a Diplomate of the American Board of Pediatric Dentistry.
We came back 5 months later when my daughter was complaining of tooth pain. Dr. Metwally saw us right away and even though my daughter needed extensive work he put my mind at ease. Yesterday we came in for her work to be done. She had to be sedated because she is so young. The staff made both her and I feel comfortable. Dr. Metwally and his staff updated me regularly throughout the procedure. Today my daughter is happy go lucky and says she loves her dentist. She doesn’t remember any of the work and was not traumatized at all. Thank you Dr. Metwally and bay area kids dentist for taking such good care of my daughter.
Alyssa H. – San Jose, CA
The doctors and staff at the office are amazing . . . Dr. Metwally is realistic and gave me great advice about what I should worry about and not worry about. The entire visit for both girls took about 30 minutes!!!! Super efficient! I just can’t say enough great things about this office! I feel so lucky to have them in Morgan Hill. Great job Bay Area Dentist! Don’t change a thing! You’re doing great work!
Emma V. – Morgan Hill, CA
Dr. Metwally was awesome and went over what to expect with kids that age and forward. I was in and out of the office in 40mins.
Zahrah A. – San Jose, CA
We were recommended to go to BAKD from my sister-in-law and I have no regrets about taking my children here. Dr. Metwally and his team are great! Actually, I take that back they are more than great, they are the best! My boyfriend and I were so impressed by how Dr. Metwally and his team were. Everyone greets you and they are very friendly. I never felt so impressed by a practice until we came to BAKD.
Dr. Metwally and his team are very informative and they explain everything! They have a lot of patience when it comes to the children. You can tell they are very passionate with their work and the children.
We definitely will be taking our children back when needed!
Celeste B. – Sunnyvale, CA
I am a pediatric dentist who is passionate about helping children have positive dental experiences and healthy smiles. I embrace my profession with joy and happiness because I love working with children. I enjoy forming lifelong relationships with my patients based on trust, kindness and compassion. My goal is to be a positive influence in children’s lives and to empower them to take pride in their smiles and their oral health.
I obtained my Bachelor of Science degree in Nutritional Sciences at the University of Texas in Austin. I received my Doctor of Dental Surgery degree from the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). I completed 3 additional years of Pediatric Dental Residency and earned a MS in Oral and Craniofacial Sciences at UCSF.
Service to my community is very important to my life. As an Albert Schweitzer Fellow, I provided oral health education to over 400 foster and inner-city children at Camp Mendocino. I continue service to children in the community through the Boys and Girls clubs and other community organizations.
We have been going to Dr. Mullen she is Amazing so helpful with all questions and very knowledgeable. I’m happy my sons both love this place and are completely comfortable!
Kayla B. – San Jose, CA
My daughter came in for her first cleaning and check-up today and Dr. Mullen and her team made it a great first visit! The front staff is super welcoming and friendly and the Halloween decorations are soooo cute! I can tell Dr. Mullen and the whole staff really care about the patients and Jennifer S. made it an easy first visit for my little one
Crystal L. Santa Clara, CA
My daughters (ages 6 and 2) look forward to visiting the dentist and brushing their teeth. Dr. Mullen was extremely helpful with helping my older daughter stop thumb-sucking without suggesting any negative approaches involving fear/discomfort or shame. She partners with parents instead of blaming or shaming, and is wonderfully friendly and kind. Can’t say enough good things about the office. We love it!
Erika Y. – Cupertino, CA
I have always wanted to go into a profession where I can work with children. As a pediatric dentist, I have the privilege to help children cultivate a lifetime of outstanding oral health. I am grateful to have the training and knowledge to tailor to each child’s needs to create a positive dental experience for him or her. The best part of my day is when a child enjoys coming to their dental appointment and leaves with a smile. I am a proponent of preventive dental care and leading a lifestyle that promotes oral health. I am passionate about providing dental services to children locally and abroad. I have traveled to Fiji and Jamaica to provide dental services to underserved populations.
I grew up in Fremont, California. I attended college at the University of the Pacific in Stockton, CA and graduated magna cum laude with my Bachelor of Science in Biology. I studied abroad for a semester in Perugia, Italy. I then graduated with High Honors from the University of the Pacific- Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry in San Francisco, CA to obtain my Doctor of Dental Surgery (D.D.S.). I earned a Certificate in Pediatric Dentistry from the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, which is ranked the third best children’s hospital in the country in 2016 from the U.S. News and World Report.
Our dentist, Dr. Amanda Tsoi, was wonderful too! Dr. Tsoi is very friendly and took time to answer all my questions. I couldn’t have asked for a better experience.
San Jose, CA
Our son’s dentist, Dr. Amanda, was able to quickly check his teeth, even though his resisting. She was very knowledgeable and was more than happy to answer all of our questions.
Melissa R. – Sunnyvale, CA
I had to take my son to the dentist to have two fillings done and sealants put on some of his adult teeth. We both walked in with a bit of anxiety and walked out with huge smiles – all due to the sincere kindness shown by Dr. Amanda, Safa, and the front office staff. Everyone in this dental office is very sweet and went above and beyond to make sure my son was comfortable through the entire process. I am so thankful that I found this place and would recommend them to all my family and friends! Thanks for all you do Bay Area Kids Dentist!!!
Michelle S. – Morgan Hill, CA
