Thumb sucking or finger sucking is a tough habit to break, ultimately because it is soothing and brings great comfort to your child. Fingers and thumbs are attached to the body and readily available at all times complicating the cessation of the habit. The intensity, frequency and duration of the habit determines whether or not the development of the teeth and jaws will be affected. The time to really make sure your child stops this habit is when the permanent front teeth start to come in. This is usually around age 6 or 7. If the habit is not stopped during this time, several problems can result. The permanent teeth may not fully grow in resulting in an openbite, where the upper and low