Tongue Thrust
"The tongue is a small thing, but what enormous damage it can do."
What is Tongue Thrust?
A tongue thrust, or a reverse swallowing pattern, is a probable sign your child will benefit from a myofunctional therapy program. A tongue thrust occurs when the tongue pushes between or against the teeth during a swallow. It can be an anterior tongue thrust where the tongue pushes forward or a posterior lateral tongue thrust where the tongue pushes against or between the back teeth. This is a signal to myofunctional therapists to start investigating where the tongue is resting in the mouth. Usually, the overall rest posture of the tongue in these cases will be found to be in the floor of the mouth. We want the entire tongue to rest in the top of our mouth with the tip of the tongue serving as an anchor when we swallow.
Tongue thrust can be compensation due to an airway or breathing issue. It is therefore a symptom and finding the root cause is a must!
What to look out for in your child or yourself:
- mouth breathing
- visible tongue at rest
- speech issues
- prolonged sucking habits
At MyoAir our Myofunctional therapy programs aim at correcting oral rest postures and optimizing swallowing patterns. Call us today for an evaluation!