When to be concerned?

Children (4-5yrs)who suck their thumbs often or with great intensity or those who are still sucking their thumbs at age 6

What could happen?

improperly aligned teeth (malocclusion)

teeth start to push outward. **This usually corrects itself when the child stops thumb-sucking. But the longer thumb-sucking continues, the more likely it is that treatment will be needed.

Speech problems caused by thumb-sucking can include not being able to say Ts and Ds, lisping, and thrusting out the tongue when talking.