Dentists are warning about a strange habit showing up online where adults are using baby pacifiers. It is something that started popping up on social media and caught on fast with Gen Z.
Pacifiers are meant to comfort babies, but experts say kids should be weaned off pretty early. Usually, between six and 12 months is best, and definitely before four years old because it can cause dental or speech problems.
Now you scroll through social media and see grown adults with full teeth using them again. Some are saying it helps them sleep, some call it stress relief. The trend spread from China and sellers there have made a fortune, with prices that go from a couple dollars to much higher.
One person explained it this way: “When I am under pressure at work, I suck on the dummy. I feel I am indulged in a sense of safety from childhood.” Another said: “It gives me psychological comfort and makes me not so fidgety during my smoke cessation periods.” Others online are claiming it even helps with ADHD.
Not everyone is impressed though. Dr. Ben Winters said: “There is a reason we don’t drink out of baby bottles or suck on pacifiers as adults. It wreaks havoc on swallow and bite patterns.”
He explained that adults can end up with an open bite, where the top and bottom teeth don’t meet anymore.
This happens because the constant sucking puts pressure on the teeth, pushing the top ones forward or tilting the bottom back. For kids it can sometimes fix itself, but with adults the jaw is already set.
Winters warned that using them too much can cause a tongue thrust pattern and braces may be the only way to undo it. He added: “These issues are exactly why we don’t use these as adults. I would not make it a habit to keep something like this in your mouth at all times.”
Experts say there are safer options if someone feels the need to chew or fidget. Things like gum, stress balls, fidget toys, or even therapy if it feels out of control.
