CORRECT IMPROPER SWALLOWING
Do you have a noisy swallow?
Easy to recognize, tongue thrust is when the tongue pushes forward or laterally during the swallow. It may be associated with an “open bite”, a space between the opposing teeth where the tongue slides through, or even a lisp.
Going through a lot of hypotheses during the years is generally accepted now that the dysfunctional swallow is more like an adaptation to underlying improper orofacial muscle function patterns.
When this is identified becomes a clear indication of an ongoing myofunctional disorder that needs to be addressed.
Normally a correct swallow would be with the tongue up, on the roof of the mouth, with the tip just behind the front upper teeth.
Identifying the thrusting pattern is an indicator that the tongue resting position is altered, with the tongue resting on the floor of the mouth or in between the front teeth.
Most of the time the tongue thrust can be recognized when mouth breathing is present, sucking habits were persistent, speech is altered or in a presence of a tongue tie.
If you think that you might have a tongue thrust swallow, messy and noisy eating, please reach out and let us work with you identifying the cause while retraining you for a lifelong lasting healthy function.