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| Home / For you / speech, language & motor services / speech & language therapy / | ||
| tongue thrust (Oromyofunctional) Disorders | ||
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Tongue thrust is a common name used to describe orofacial muscular
imbalance. It has also been called reverse swallow or immature swallow.
Nearly all infants swallow by pushing the tongue forward. By the
time they reach the age of six, most children have automatically
changed to a normal swallowing pattern, which involves squeezing
the tongue against the roof of the mouth instead of pushing it forward
against the teeth.
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:
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 adults, before or during orthodontic treatment, are often referred to a speech pathologist for assessment. Therapy is recommended when a problem in speaking and/or irregular positioning of the teeth exists and can be related to tongue thrust. If the tongue thrust behavior is not corrected, orthodontic treatment may take longer and a person may experience a set-back when orthodontic treatment has ended and their braces are removed. How Does Therapy Work? Components of tongue thrust therapy include exercises for the lips, tongue and jaw that are designed to change an incorrect or immature swallow to an adult pattern that is beneficial to the positioning of teeth and to correct articulation of speech sounds. The condition can usually be corrected in three to six months. If you have questions about tongue thrust, talk with your family dentist and/or a speech pathologist. To schedule an evaluation with one of the therapists in our speech pathology department, please contact us at:
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