What Causes Tongue Thrust Disorders?
Research studies suggest hereditary factors, learned behavior such as thumb sucking and/or medical conditions as possible causes for tongue thrust. For what ever reason, a person experiences a delay or interruption in the oral maturational process and fails to progress to an adult swallow pattern. Symptoms A person with tongue thrust may demonstrate one or more of the following symptoms: • facial grimace and/or pursing of the lips when swallowing • mouth breathing due to allergies or enlarged tonsils and adenoids • an open bite condition of the teeth • difficulty with speech, especially the /s/ and /z/ sounds • when at rest, (for example, while watching television or reading a book) an open mouth posture with a forward tongue position is noted. When Is Therapy Indicated? Tongue thrust may first be identified by the family dentist because of irregular positioning of the teeth. It may also be detected by a speech pathologist when a child has difficulty making certain sounds. Children and
