Particle.news

Download on the App Store

Adult Pacifier Craze Jumps From China to U.S., Dentists Raise Alarms

Sweeping Chinese social platforms before landing on U.S. TikTok, the oversized pacifier trend draws criticism for causing open bites with no clinical validation.

Adult Pacifiers
Image

Overview

  • Online sellers in China report moving thousands of oversized pacifiers each month at prices ranging from about ¥10 ($1.40) to ¥500 ($70).
  • Users share TikTok clips claiming stress relief, better sleep, enhanced focus, smoking-cessation support and ADHD management despite the lack of clinical studies.
  • Orthodontists and dentists warn prolonged pacifier use can trigger open bite, altered swallow patterns, tongue thrust and jaw strain that often require orthodontic treatment.
  • A Sichuan dentist cautioned that sleeping with an adult pacifier risks airway obstruction with more than three hours of daily use leading to noticeable tooth shifts within a year.
  • Psychologists characterize the practice as a regressive self-soothing habit that masks anxiety and recommend therapy, gum or fidget tools as safer alternatives.