Dental Problems in Children: Tongue Thrusting

[Brent Cornelius D.D.S.]

If your child’s presses up against his teeth or behind them while swallowing, he may have a condition known as orofacial myofunctional disorder (OMD), colloquially called tongue thrust.

 

Some cases of tongue thrust see the child moving his tongue to the side of his mouth, instead of forward toward his teeth. In addition, your child could position his tongue improperly while at rest. If so, it may lie too far forward in your child’s mouth.

 

You also might notice that your child tends to keep his lips open and may even stick his tongue out enough that you can see it.

 

One indication of tongue thrusting is when a child tends to keep his or her tongue a bit exposed outside the mouth.

 

A tongue thrust may not seem like such a big deal, but it can adversely affect how your child’s teeth align. It also could affect his speech, possibly eventually resulting in a lisp.

 

Also, just as when a child’s sucks his thumb, tongue thrusting can bring pressure against the front teeth, possible pushing them out of alignment. This can lead the teeth protruding, causing an overbite.

 

Additional signs of tongue thrust are chapped lips or sores on your child’s lips. You also may notice that your child tends to breathe through his mouth most of the time, rather than through his nose.

 

Many parents have never heard of tongue thrusting, so don’t be surprised if your child’s dentist, orthodontist, pediatrician, or even someone at school mentions or diagnoses the condition.

 

A good percentage of tongue thrusting actually is diagnosed when a child starts displaying a speech impediment, such as a lisp.

 

Treatment may be handled in two different ways:

• The first involves placing a device in the child’s mouth (a dentist performs this procedure) that helps prevent your child from thrusting his tongue forward.
• The second is retraining this habit. Your child will be given exercises that will help him retrain the muscles that are associated with swallowing. A trained speech therapist oversees this type of retraining.

 

The oral therapy method/retraining tends to have the highest percentage of successful results.

 

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