Martha,
Thank you for clueing me in!  I have to agree with you, wholeheartedly!  I
too will use your story.
My personal opinion on pacifiers is that nature gave us fingers and thumbs to
suck on, not pacifiers.  You can't drop a finger or thumb on the floor, you
casn't lose them, and mom always knows where they've been.  Fingers and
thumbs don't fall apart and pose a choking risk either.  I know there are
people out there who believe that sucking on a finger or thumb can cause
dental probs, but I know from experience and talking with many orthodontists
that this happens very rarely.  Most overbites and such are caused by tongue
thrust, I had a horrible overbite caused by this and regardless of braces I
still have a slight overbite from it and I sucked my thumb for more years
than I care to admit!  My ortho told me at the time that thumb sucking has
nothing to do with overbites.  My older son needs braces because of an
overbite, yet he has never sucked on his thumb or fingers, and never took a
pacifier.  Overbites have more to do with genetics than sucking styles from
my information.  I have spoken with many orthos over the years regarding this
issue.  I will agree, however that there are some sucking styles that could
easily cause the teeth to move, such as the one mentioned where the child
sucked her finger with palm facing up.  That to me sounds like a not common
cause of an overbite.
Anyway, back to paci's.  I don't like them. Period.  I think it is ridiculous
to see a 3-5 yr old sucking on a paci.  I would much rather see them suck on
a thumb.  I think it is gross when a mom "cleans" the paci in her mouth then
gives it to baby, (my friend does this all the time and boy do I have to bite
my tongue!)  However, I am an advocate of CHOICE.  So I don't judge people if
they stick a plug in baby's mouth, but I do encourage them to make sure the
baby doesn't need something else first (like a meal!).
I encouraged my friend to use the paci as a last resort and, thank goodness,
she does.
Now if only others would use it as a last resort instead of a first resort.
Janet
Off her paci box!