Pediatric Dentistry Information: How Long-Term Thumb-Sucking May Affect Permanent Teeth Development

Children who thumb-suck beyond four years old can suffer from misalignment of the teeth or malocclusion issues. The most common one is the open bite. In this problem, the bottom and upper teeth do not touch each other, even with a closed mouth. An overbite can also happen due to extended thumb-sucking. In this dental problem, the upper dental arch goes over the lower dental arch. This results in biting and chewing difficulties.

The child’s facial and jaw development also go through significant changes because of long-term thumb-sucking. Prolonged sucking on a pacifier or thumb affects the development of a child’s facial and mouth muscles. It also affects the positioning of the child’s teeth and jaws. The repetitive motion of sucking pushes the teeth toward an unnatural direction. In this case, the child will need pediatric dentistry correction techniques.

Long-term thumb-sucking can also affect the child’s speech development. The open bite or overbite makes the tongue push forward through the teeth. This poor control of the tongue often results in difficulties with saying R, Z, S, and L sounds. Seeing a pediatric dentist can help with this problem. Pediatric dentistry treatments can realign the child’s permanent teeth. Realignment of the teeth can correct the child’s speech.