Teeth, tongue, and other oral structures play a pivotal role in the pronunciation of the consonants f, v, s, z, etc. Typically, children can compensate for minor oral issues and not have a problem with speech. Some dental issues can be more extreme and may prevent or hinder pronunciation.nn1. Open Bite.nThis open bite is an oral malocclusion in which the front teeth do not close together. Many speech sounds require the front teeth to be closed to enunciate correctly.nn2. Short FrenumnnThis is the attachment under the tongue. The tongue will position itself in different areas to produce t,d,n,l,r sounds especially. This frenum issue can usually be relieved with a minor surgery with an Ear, nose, and throat physician.nn3. Lack of Teeth.nnThis can be due to early loss or lack of normal tooth development, front tooth loss can make it extremely difficult to produce speech well.nn4. Cleft lip or Palate.nnLack of complete closure of lip or Palate allows air to disrupt the proper formation of speech. Surgical closure of the palate or lip helps to fix the problem, but speech therapy is generally still needed.nn5. Thumb Sucking (Orofacial Myofunctional Disorder) After Effects.nnProlonged thumb sucking can push your child’s front teeth forward, causing an open bite, and deform the Palate as it develops. This combination can make proper speech development a challenge.nn6. Tongue Thrust.nnThis tongue thrust occurs during swallowing or speaking, pushes through the teeth. If a tongue thrust is not addressed with orthodontics, myofunctional therapy, or orthodontic appliances, the problem will cause movement of teeth and increased difficulty with speech. Tongue thrust needs to be diagnosed by your dentist along with a speech language pathologist.