I will try to herein address a number of LACTNETTER questions raised
regarding my posts on pacifiers.

Yes, current use of the pacifier presents a viscious circle of doing both
good and harm. And this will continue until the pacifier is redesigned to be
a progressive set in size (to better be progressively like mom in all 3
dimensions during suckle and during rest),  with proper lip-shielding inside
the lips (to protect from dental arch collapse and subsequent airway
collapse), with better palatal spread (to move the ridge segments outward and
help force a high palate to drop), and be flexible to provide width and depth
expansion and elongation as well as provide muscle training with both
positive and negative forces.  SOUND RATHER IMPOSSIBLE TO BE LIKE MOM....but
there is nothing I am familiar with that is currently....though I still have
a lot to learn.

What has been well documented, might I say by outside the U.S. studies, is
the impact on the maxilla of "rubber" item.  Because the bottle and pacifier
are usually narrow compared to breast and because they do not lengthen to the
S spot nor do they expand across the palate beyond what we would call the
incisor region, they cause pre-maxilla raising  which also affects a decrease
in nasal airway by increasing nasal resistance.  Also well documented in
addition to the premaxilla raising and lower jaw retrusion and depression is
the very massive effects on narrowing of the palate particularly in what call
the canine region which is due to the fact it doesn't spread over it like
even the smallest breast.

What is well documented is that rates of introduction of the bottle and/or
pacifier are directly related to rates of failed BF or rates of shortening BF.

Bottom line...is that until a few great minds in dentistry get together with
a few great minds in BF world, the protocols that some of you have mention
regarding limiting the use of the pacifier to minimum should be
followed....that is until they can be replaced by MOM or redesigned.

I do disagree that sucking a thumb or finger is a survival technique vs. a
habit.  Take some virgin primitive cultures that still use mom for dry
suckling, i.e. mom is the pacifier....you won't see a finger or rubber
"dumby" in those baby mouths.  What you will see is well developed dental
arches and NICE SMILES. In the U.S. and many nations that have been
modernized, you see very severe dental crowding and malocclusion.  PREVENTIVE
DENTISTRY in the orthodontic field should be to encourage BF......but they
haven't a clue to the importance at this point either.

I'll keep preaching....how BF isn't just a cause, IT IS PREVENTIVE MEDICINE!

Smile-On,
DCPage, DDS

PS: to those posters wanting answers, if you didn't get them, please email me
directly with those you need at [log in to unmask]  I forsee with the
volume of news on lactnet, I'll miss some info. and/or be late reading it in
the future.

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