Tongue Thrust Therapy
A Quick Guide to Tongue Thrust Therapy
Tongue thrust therapy is not a topic of which most people have any knowledge at all. That’s because it is a treatment that affects very few people. Tongue thrust is thought to be a hereditary condition, a learned behavior, and some think, a medical condition.
Tongue thrust is what is known as an “orofacial muscular imbalance.” It affects the way a person swallows. When we are infants, we swallow by pushing our tongue forward against our teeth. After we reach the age of six, we automatically modify swallowing by pressing on the roof of our mouth with our tongue.
People who have the condition of tongue thrust never make this change and modify their swallowing to the adult method. Tongue thrust therapy is a form of speech therapy because when your tongue is in position where it pushes off your teeth, you generally have trouble making certain sounds and saying some words.
If you have tongue thrust disorder, you will have some or all of the following symptoms:
* A pursing of the lips or grimacing when swallowing.
* The teeth will have an open bite.
* Breathing through the mouth due to allergies or other causes.
* When resting, the mouth is usually open with the tongue forward on the teeth.
* speech problems, with trouble saying “z” and “s.”
Many times tongue thrust is first noticed by a dentist because pushing into the teeth with the tongue can cause the teeth to grow out of place. The dentist would normally suggest tongue thrust therapy because this unusual position of the teeth prevents a person from pronouncing certain syllables and words. Very often with young people braces are needed to reposition the teeth.
Tongue thrust therapy involves exercises for the tongue, jaw, and lips that are meant to help reverse the swallowing disorder. The goal is to change the incorrect position of the tongue when swallowing to one which is considered correct, switching from the front teeth to the roof of the mouth. The condition is usually corrected in a three to six month period.
Tongue thrust is a condition that cannot be ignored because of the pressure it places on the front teeth. The truth is, we swallow around two thousand times every day. With each of these swallows, the tongue puts up to six pounds of pressure either properly on the roof of the mouth or improperly against the teeth.
All of this pressure will push the teeth too far forward, causing them to be in an abnormal position and this can cause distortion to facial features. Sometimes the teeth cannot even meet one another if tongue thrust therapy is not performed. Even the use of braces will not keep teeth straight if not combined with tongue thrust therapy.
One of the sure giveaways of tongue thrust is the licking of the lips before swallowing. Tongue thrusters often make ugly facial expressions without knowing it. For those who do not respond to normal tongue thrust therapy, a device can be used to keep the tongue in what should be its normal position. This dental-type device cannot do anything to correct damage which has already been done
Tongue thrust therapy is the most successful treatment of this condition. It takes a lot of dedication and perseverance to get through this type of therapy because it means changing habits which have become automatic. No one is aware of every time he or she swallows and how they are doing it. Many of the people with tongue thrust also have other bad habits, such as thumb or finger sucking.
If you suspect that you are experiencing tongue thrust, it is a condition you need to resolve or your teeth will eventually become unusable and your face will start to show some deformity. You can develop an overbite and your teeth may never touch. It is best with children to get the condition treated early as well.