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Big Solutions
for your little one's smile
Got a problem with a thumb sucking, finger sucking or pacifier habit at your house?
At Thumbsucking Professionals, we have BIG solutions for little smiles…
Thumb and finger sucking is a cute little habit… for a while. But as many parents know, prolonged habits can eventually lead to bigger and more expensive problems…. don’t worry! We got you!
Meet the Thumbsucking Professionals fearless leader!
I’ve been a Thumbsucking Professional since 2010, having helped hundreds of kids with oral habits at my dedicated Thumbsucking Clinic in Townsville, Queensland.
I’m a Registered Dental Hygienist of 20 plus years and the mother of 4 kids, two thumb suckers…..and my first child was the reason I got into this in the first place!
I wasn’t too worried about her sucking at first…but as she got older, I began to notice that when she closed her back teeth, her front teeth didn’t meet. Her speech sounds weren’t right…she would thrust her tongue into the open gap between her teeth to pronounce her “s” sound, lisping.
As her upper jaw was protruding, she began to mouth breath when her thumb wasn’t in, and she was a messy eater.
It was clear to me that this was a bigger issue than just “crooked teeth.”
We tried everything (and I mean everything!!) but nothing worked!! I asked dental and speech colleagues but they shrugged…besides the Dr Google stuff, hand cages or a spikey plate, they didn’t really know either….
All I could think of was, as a mother AND a health professional, I was helpless. What hope have other parents got?
In 2010, I did LOTS of training and began to develop my own programs at my Thumbsucking Clinic.
My daughter stopped sucking her thumb too! 10 years later I had my 3rd daughter who also was a thumb sucker – that’s another story! lol
Listen to Carla speaking about ORAL HABITS ON ABC RADIO
Got a problem with a thumb sucking, finger sucking or pacifier habit at your house?
Prolonged oral habits can cause damage to the teeth and oral structures - we can help!
All of this is reversable
As Thumbsucking Professionals, our goal is to help every child quit their habit the healthy way.
We’re the experts in thumb, finger and pacifier sucking habits.
By the time they get to us, most parents have tried every ‘solution’ for thumb or finger sucking habits. So don’t worry, you’re not alone.
Trying to stop thumb sucking doesn’t have to be a battlefield.
As Thumbsucking Professionals, our goal is to help every child quit their habit the healthy way.
We’re the experts in thumb, finger and pacifier sucking habits.
By the time they get to us, most parents have tried every ‘solution’ for thumb or finger sucking habits. So don’t worry, you’re not alone.
Trying to stop thumb sucking doesn’t have to be a battlefield.
I had the pleasure of meeting Carla when my daughter was younger and a chronic thumb sucker. Within about 1 or 2 weeks of starting the program Chloe had almost completely stopped sucking her thumb and by time the program was finished she was no longer a thumb sucker and has never gone back. It was amazing. We had tried lots of different things already to make her stop but nothing worked. Carla is the loveliest person you'll have the pleasure of dealing with and has a wonderful way with children in particular. Chloe loved her sessions with Carla - it was always something she looked forward to. I would highly recommend Carla's strategies, they definitely worked for us.
Renae CaspaniParent
If I am honest, I was not expecting results, but I am thrilled to be proven wrong! Our daughter sucked fingers for 6 yrs, and we had 'tried it all'. Along came Carla...a straight forward, consistent and kind approach, you were the key we hadnt yet tried and you did it! Furthermore you did it from 900km away, via Zoom and Australia Post. I teared up Carla when you said at our first appointment "Mum I'm tapping you out, this is me and Charlie now", and again when Charlie went to asleep for the first time by herself without sucking, and AGAIN when the florist delivery arrived on our last day of the program. Well done and simply thank you for resolving a stress in our household. I could not recommend you and your program more.
Megan WattersonParent
Our 5 year old is a terrible teeth grinder and is always tired, despite sleeping "great" during the night and still happily having a 2-3 hour day sleep!! We always thought he just liked his sleeps, but truth was that he was having really poor quality sleep and so was trying to compensate....by sleeping more! We took him to see Carla because we didnt know where to start in relation to the teeth grinding....Carla explained that teeth grinding was often a symptom of airway troubles and she was able to assess this, discovering that his adenoids were enlarged. Carla sent us off to our GP for a referral to an ENT with a report she had completed. The consult with the ENT confirmed what Carla had discovered and the ENT believes our son has likely never entered a deep sleep cycle due to his adenoids "suffocating" him in his sleep resulting in disturbed sleep patterns and one exhausted little boy! We are booked for surgery in one week to have his adenoids removed and we are looking forward to our little man feeling more energetic and well rested. Thank you Carla for everything you have done! We are so grateful
Stacey JacksonParent
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Meet the Thumbsucking Professionals fearless leader!
I’ve been a Thumbsucking Professional since 2010, having helped hundreds of kids with oral habits at my dedicated Thumbsucking Clinic in Townsville, Queensland.
I’m a Registered Dental Hygienist of 20 plus years and the mother of 4 kids, two thumb suckers…..and my first child was the reason I got into this in the first place!
I wasn’t too worried about her sucking at first…but as she got older, I began to notice that when she closed her back teeth, her front teeth didn’t meet. Her speech sounds weren’t right…she would thrust her tongue into the open gap between her teeth to pronounce her “s” sound, lisping.
As her upper jaw was protruding, she began to mouth breath when her thumb wasn’t in, and she was a messy eater.
It was clear to me that this was a bigger issue than just “crooked teeth.”
We tried everything (and I mean everything!!) but nothing worked!! I asked dental and speech colleagues but they shrugged…besides the Dr Google stuff, hand cages or a spikey plate, they didn’t really know either….
All I could think of was, as a mother AND a health professional, I was helpless. What hope have other parents got?
In 2010, I did LOTS of training and began to develop my own programs at my Thumbsucking Clinic. My daughter stopped sucking her thumb too! 10 years later I had my 3rd daughter who also was a thumb sucker – that’s another story! lol
Over the years, I developed different techniques and assessment tools to enhance my programs.
In 9 out of 10 kids, thumb and finger sucking is the symptom of a much bigger problem than anxiety or simple habit. Once I identified these problems, successful quitting of the habit was easy.
In 2015, my results were published in The International Dental Journal! They showed the efficacy of my programs in closing open bite and overjet!
Since 2018 I’ve been training other health professionals all over the world to become Thumbsucking Professionals just like me so they can help families in their area.
I’m looking forward to implementing this into my practice. You’ve done a great job with online training resources and you’ve developed an excellent program for helping these families.
Over the years, I developed different techniques and assessment tools to enhance my programs.
In 9 out of 10 kids, thumb and finger sucking is the symptom of a much bigger problem than anxiety or simple habit. Once I identified these problems, successful quitting of the habit was easy.
Click here to view the types of obstacles kids can face in giving up their habit.
In 2015, my results were published in The International Dental Journal! They showed the efficacy of my programs in closing open bite and overjet!
Since 2018 I’ve been training other health professionals all over the world to become Thumbsucking Professionals just like me so they can help families in their area.
Carla is a magician! We had tried everything, including the weird and wacky, to get our daughter to stop thumb sucking. It affected not only her sleep and teeth but also the shape of her face, haircuts, toys & teddies and ‘normal’ routine activities. Not to mention our sanity! Within weeks of meeting Carla, the thumb sucking and other associated habits stopped and we have never looked back. My daughter loved her sessions with Carla and was so inspired to achieve her goals, even though sometimes i think she didn’t want to. We are so thankful to have connected with Carla, who we consider part of our ‘village’ that has helped our daughter become the beautiful, confident young woman she is today.
“I personally can not thank Dr Carla enough for helping Miss 6 from sucking her thumb. I tried at home with the spray, then gloves but it wasn’t enough. She needed Dr Carla, the miracle therapist, who could coach her. It’s been a 4 month journey in the program but repetitive steps helped break the habit. To other parents, call her. Save your sanity and send wine like I did “
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This course is amazing!!! Carla is so passionate about helping patients quit these habits. The knowledge I have gained has made me confident to guide my thumb sucking patients with treatment options. And your not on your own with ongoing mentorship. I highly recommend this program
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