Types of myofunctional Dysfunctions

Have you ever noticed what your tongue was doing while you eat/drink?! 

One of the many myofunctional disorder that I help client’s with is a Tongue Thrust. 

By definition, a tongue thrust is a forward resting posture of the tongue. This can occur when one is swallowing or when the mouth is at rest. 

What can cause a tongue thrust?

Some of the most common factors that can lead to a tongue thrust include, prolonged use of a pacifier, finger-sucking, enlarged tonsils/adenoids, allergies, and nasal obstructions. 

Why do we care about a tongue thrust?

A tongue thrust can lead to an open bite (where the teeth don’t contact) or misaligned teeth. We most commonly see this on little kids where their front teeth almost look like they protrude into a V-like shape. If there is always a chronic disruption between the natural relationship between the tongue and palate, then over-time the palate won’t have a chance to grow into a nice wide palate with adequate tongue space. Ultimately, this can limit the airway and negatively influence how the face/jaw develop. Also, this can affect speech. With a tongue thrust one might also notice that they are swallowing too much air, which can lead to digestive upset. Some of my clients are in their second round of braces and always wondered why they relapsed-sometimes, it can be due to an incorrect swallowing pattern. Ideally, we treat the myofunctional disorder before ortho treatment begins. 

The earlier we can intervene/disrupt the tongue thrust pattern, the better!