Tongue-thrust and tongue posture

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Tongue thrust, a common orofacial myofunctional disorder, occurs when the tongue pushes forward against and between the front teeth at rest or during swallowing. Although a normal reflex in babies, it should disappear around six months of age to allow for solid food consumption. However, in some cases, tongue thrust persists, it can affect:

• speech development

• jaw development

• facial growth

• teeth alignment, leading to an open bite (this is when the front teeth don’t touch when the teeth are closed together).

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Signs of tongue thrust issues include:

• messy eating

• poor saliva control (drooling, spitting when speaking)

• a visible tongue between the teeth at rest, swallowing, or when speaking

• mouth breathing

• an open bite (if your child is having orthodontic treatment, the orthodontist may be struggling to correct the open bite as an ongoing tongue thrust pattern will complicate treatment and relapse is very common).

Orofacial myofunctional therapy aims to retrain the tongue muscles for optimal function, and early intervention during childhood can encourage ideal growth and development of the face, jaws, and teeth by teaching proper tongue rest posture and mature swallowing patterns.