Featured Image Credit: Getty Stock Images
Topics: Health, Mental Health, World News
Jen Thomas
Have you ever seen an adult using a pacifier?
It's the latest trend to be taking over on social media, with fans of a pacifier, or dummy, saying it helps to relax and soothe them. They also claim it can help them to regulate with ADHD and autism or anxiety.
Doctors and dentists have also spoken out against the practice, advising it can cause damage as an adult. In China, it has been reported that many adults are turning to pacifier use to help with anxiety.
Although the trend is growing in popularity especially in the US, it is still regarded as unconventional and users face criticism because of associations of fetish or kink. One Redditor, who says it helps with his autism, has hit out at those who use them for what he calls 'inappropriate' reasons.
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They confessed: "Pacifier user here. Autistic and pacifiers are my favourite way to stim, it’s just not 'age-appropriate' for a vast majority of people. Weird is weird. An adult sucking on a pacifier is weird, even for an adult who loves pacifiers and uses them whenever he is alone."
He added: "Luckily the definition of weird can change over time if society begins to accept it.... I personally believe men who use pacifiers have it 10000000% harder than women."
The poster talked about several fetish scenes where people roleplay as younger than they are, including using pacifiers: "Women using pacifiers is seen as cute and attractive, whereas men who use them are instantly labelled a creep (believe me, I’ve gotten that plenty of times). Pacifier use is generally accepted among all genders in kink-space, but we have a looooooong way to go before we even hope to accept adult pacifier use for mental health, stimming, and coping mechanisms."
He added: "I would really like to see more psychological research into pacifier use among adults who aren’t necessarily kinky. I would like to see adult pacifiers accepted as a stim for those who need or prefer it."
The South China Morning Post interviewed several fans of pacifiers who say it helps them: "When I am under pressure at work, I suck on the dummy. I feel I am indulged in a sense of safety from childhood,” one said.
“It gives me psychological comfort and makes me not so fidgety during my smoke cessation periods,” added another.
One expert has warned against the long-term use of them as an adult, saying it can ruin your teeth.
Dr. Ben Winters is an orthodontist, and he told the New York Post: “There is a reason we don’t drink out of baby bottles or suck on pacifiers as adults, it wreaks havoc on swallow and bite patterns.”
“If we keep sucking on pacifiers and baby bottles into adulthood, you get what is called an open bite,” Winters explained.
“This will then need braces to fix,” he warned. “However, it’s still not the smartest cause you don’t want to go into a tongue thrust pattern."
This, according to him, can even cause speech problems in adults.
“These issues are exactly why we don’t use these as adults. I would not make it a habit to keep something like this in your mouth at all times.”
Another expert, Allen Zhang from ProDENT advised: “They might help with stress for a little while, but using them too much can cause problems. It’s better to try other ways to manage stress and see your dentist regularly to keep your teeth healthy.”