What is tongue thrusting?
“Dr. Sun, I just don’t understand why I had braces twice and I still have all of these spaces in my teeth!” Frustrated new patient Lisa was at her wits end for the answer to her dental dilemma. Lisa did wear her retainer for a year, and even had braces twice, but her condition had relapsed. Two thoughts went through my mind – either bruxism (night grinding) or “tongue thrusting.” Checking the wear pattern of Lisa’s teeth as well as performing muscle palpitations revealed the true nature of her problem! Night grinding has gained professional and public awareness in recent years, but “tongue thrusting” is still a mostly unfamiliar word for most of both the professional dental world and the public. Let’s have a discussion about this interesting phenomenon! Tongue thrusting is an orofacial muscular imbalance during which the tongue protrudes through the teeth. Also called a reverse or immature swallow, this can lead to a misaligned bite, a lisp-orientated speech impediment or even reversed
The term “tongue thrusting” is outdated and not currently used by professionals such as dentists, orthodontists, oral surgeons and speech therapists. The current term used to describe a child who is considered to be a “tongue thruster” is oral myofunctional or orofacial mycology impaired. WOW, What a mouthful!!! These terms were chosen because they better describe the functional relationship of the muscles in the mouth, face and neck that assist with talking, chewing and swallowing. The old term suggests that the tongue moves forward in the mouth, thrusting against the teeth. The relationship among the structures is more complex than that. There are many reasons why children may have weakness in these structures. When children receive help in this area, the most current term used is oral myofunctional therapy or oral facial myology therapy. These are fancy words for describing treatment of the structures in the face, head and neck involved in improving speech and eating. Call us today
Tongue thrusting is an immature way of swallowing; the tongue pushes against the front teeth or between the upper and lower teeth. Almost all infants swallow this way, but by age four most children have automatically switched to a normal swallow. During a normal, or mature swallow, the tongue pushes against the palate (roof of the mouth) and moves up and backward toward the throat. Tongue thrusting can be the result of thumb or finger sucking; enlarged tonsils and adenoids or allergies that make mouth-breathing necessary; poor muscle control; or a high, narrow palate. Children who tongue thrust usually keep their tongue in a low and forward position in the mouth when not speaking, rather than up on the palate. Children with tongue thrust usually have dental malocclusions due to the repeated force of the tongue pushing forward on the front teeth. They may also have a lisp in which speech sounds like “s” and “z” are made with the tongue between or on the front teeth. These children requi
