The title of this entry might startle you a bit as you are thinking this is an entry about dentures. Actually, it is not. This is about how we tend to forget that we can manipulate the shape of our teeth and mouth without knowing it. While we may know that braces and mouth guards can create a "perfect" smile if we want, we forget that until we have inherited a smile from someone, one that is "flawed" in some way, for example a gap, we must stop to ask ourselves how we did in fact get this crooked tooth or gap. All signs for any smile with a gap in a youngster point to thumbsucking. If a child is still growing out of breast feeding or is struggling with sleeping on their own, a parent might allow them to suck their thumb as it is harmless, most would agree. However, if you are looking at it from a dentist’s point of view, you must let yourself see the truth behind it. Eventually, after around five years of age, you must try to get your child to quit sucking their thumb as it can lead to dental deformities and eventually speech issues if it is prolongued. The roof of the mouth could be pushed upwards while the teeth become misaligned. While this is not a terribly huge problem at the young age of 5, the permanent teeth come in at around 6 or so. When these teeth come in, a child who sucks their thumb may be creating damage to their teeth while racking up a major cosmetic dentistry bill for the future. NOt to mention that the constant sucking of their thumb can later lead to possible infections and an opening to oral bacterias. While it may seem harmless when they are young, be aware that once the adult teeth come in, the damage is not something that you simply put under a pillow and give a little bit of money for. Enjoy the childlike smile but don’t let them rearrange it.