"dejablues" wrote in
:

Look at some photos on orthodontists websites of kids
mouths with "open bites" cause by prolonged usage of
pacifiers. You could always give him a piece of tire tread
to gnaw on!

um, that's kind of rude. obviously *you* don't have a child
with oral sensory problems.
yes, pacifiers (or thumbs) may cause bite problems if the
child is sucking hard on them. however, *this* child is
chewing, which may be wearing on the teeth if he starts
chewing the metal ferrules on pencils, but isn't likely to
cause bite problems (i slept with my thumb in my mouth until i
was 14 & only stopped by tying a sock over my hand at night...
which became another sleep crutch that i had to break later.
sensory issues are very complicated... and i have a perfect
bite, thank you).
for the OP, take a look at these
http://tinyurl.com/3at7k

i think they're hard plastic & you'd want to loose that
string for a toddler, but they might work as a transition to
something else.
this site has chewy tubes & Ps&Qs
http://tinyurl.com/3bqaj
oh, & First Steps makes a vibrating teether. it's star shaped
with a handle. my 3.5 year old loves his. he says it's a good
calmer. he never took to pacifiers (our OT suggested we try
them when he started therapy for sensory integration disorder
at 25 months), but he likes the chewy star... and he also
chews clothing
lee