Most parents pay close attention to their children’s teeth from the moment the first one appears. Brushing routines get established, sugary snacks get limited, and dentist visits get booked with good intentions. What gets less attention, though, is how certain everyday habits, many of them completely normal-looking from the outside, can quietly shape the way a child’s teeth and jaw develop over time. Some of these habits are so common that parents don’t think twice about them, which is exactly why understanding their impact is worth a few minutes of anyone’s time.
Catching developmental concerns early makes a significant difference to treatment outcomes. An orthodontist in Mississauga will often tell you that the children who respond best to treatment are the ones brought in before problems have had years to become established. Getting familiar with the habits below is a genuinely useful starting point for any parent wondering whether their child’s smile development is on track.
1. Thumb Sucking Beyond Age Four
Thumb sucking is a completely natural self-soothing behaviour in infants and toddlers. The problem arises when it continues past the age when permanent teeth are beginning to form and erupt. Persistent thumb sucking can push the upper front teeth forward, create an open bite where the upper and lower teeth don’t meet properly, and affect the shape of the palate. Children who stop by age three or four rarely experience lasting effects. Those who continue beyond that window are worth monitoring more closely.
2. Prolonged Pacifier Use
The same principle applies to pacifier use. A pacifier beyond the toddler years can influence jaw development and tooth positioning in ways that are similar to thumb sucking. Weaning from a pacifier before age three is the general recommendation, and doing it gradually tends to work better than an abrupt removal for everyone involved.
3. Mouth Breathing
Children who breathe through their mouths rather than their noses during sleep, or throughout the day, often do so because of nasal congestion, enlarged adenoids, or allergies. The problem is that chronic mouth breathing affects how the tongue rests in the mouth, which in turn affects how the palate develops and how teeth come through. Narrow palates, crowded teeth, and long facial growth patterns have all been associated with prolonged mouth breathing in children. If your child regularly sleeps with their mouth open or snores, it’s worth raising with both a dentist and a doctor.
4. Tongue Thrusting
Tongue thrusting happens when a child pushes their tongue forward against the teeth when swallowing rather than pressing it to the roof of the mouth. It’s more common than most people realise and can contribute to an open bite over time. A speech therapist or orthodontist can assess whether tongue posture is affecting dental development.
5. Nail Biting
Nail biting is one of those habits that tends to get written off as a nervous tick rather than a dental concern. Over time, however, it can put uneven pressure on the front teeth, contribute to chipping, and affect how teeth align. It also introduces bacteria from the hands into the mouth regularly, which is its own concern. Finding the trigger for the habit and addressing that directly tends to be more effective than simply telling a child to stop.
6. Chewing on Pencils, Straws, and Other Objects
Children who habitually chew on non-food objects are placing repeated pressure on developing teeth. The teeth can shift gradually in the direction of the pressure, and in younger children whose bone structure is still forming, this kind of repeated force has more effect than it would on an adult. It’s a habit worth discouraging early, and replacing the chewing behaviour with something appropriate like sugar-free gum for older children can help redirect the impulse.
7. Skipping the Orthodontic Assessment
This one catches parents off guard when it’s framed as a habit, but delaying or skipping an orthodontic assessment is itself a pattern of behaviour with consequences. The Canadian Association of Orthodontists recommends that children have an initial orthodontic assessment by age seven, even if nothing looks obviously wrong. At that age, the mix of primary and permanent teeth gives an orthodontist a clear picture of how development is progressing and whether early intervention would prevent more complex treatment later.
Modern options like Pitts21 braces are designed to work with the biology of a growing mouth, making early treatment more comfortable and effective than many parents expect. The assessment itself is straightforward, and knowing where things stand is always more useful than wondering.
The habits above don’t guarantee orthodontic problems, and having one or two of them doesn’t mean a child is heading for a complicated treatment journey. What they do is create conditions where problems are more likely to develop, and recognising them early gives families the best possible chance of addressing them before they become something more involved.