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Questions and Answers by SUSAN J. MARGOLIN, M.D., M.P.H. If you have a question for the pediatrician, please e-mail it to ESALAMON@SBHCS.COM or mail it to Elizabeth Salamon, Public Relations, Saint Barnabas Medical Center, 95 Old Short Hills Road, West Orange, NJ 07052 Questions should be applicable to children in general, and not focused on the specific case of an individual child. Dear Dr. Margolin, Q. Our four-year-old sucks still sucks her thumb. She mainly does it at night, but also in the car, while watching TV and if she is upset. She gets mad when we tell her to stop. Any thoughts? A. Thumb sucking is not cured by telling a child to stop. We also know that applying noxious agents to the thumb does not decrease the likelihood of sucking the thumb. What works best is time. Many young children suck their thumbs when going to sleep or when activity is markedly decreased as it is when riding in a car or watching TV. We know that almost all children will stop sucking fingers during their elementary school years, with a few continuing into middle school. So be patient, the habit will self-destruct and nagging will not make it self-destruct any sooner. Dear Dr. Margolin, Q. At what age do adolescents begin to have trouble with acne, and when do you know if a dermatologist be consulted? A. Teenagers begin to develop acne when puberty (and the outpouring of adolescent hormones) begins. In each child this occurs at a different age. In the female puberty may begin any time over the age of 8 and in males it may begin at any time over the age of 9 years. Most acne can be treated by your pediatrician who will refer you to a dermatologist if the acne is not responding to the treatment he institutes or if the acne is very severe and may need specialized drugs which can only be prescribed by a dermatologist. Dear Dr. Margolin, Q. Should you wait until all of a child’s permanent teeth have come in before considering braces? A. According to pediatric dentist, Richard Eytel, D.M.D. braces can be applied before a full complement of secondary (adult) teeth have erupted. The earliest age at which appliances can be applied is 8 or 9, when four permanent molars and four permanent upper and lower incisors have erupted. As Dr. Eytel explained, there are no “cookbook” indicators for the application of braces or other appliances. The decision is made by the dentist and the orthodontist by assessing the needs of the individual child. [ top ] |
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