Treatment for Tongue Thrust in Monroe, West Monroe, & Ruston, LA
Tongue thrust happens when the tongue pushes forward against or between the teeth during swallowing, speech, or at rest. While it is normal in babies, it can affect speech, swallowing, and dental development if it continues as a child gets older. Building Futures Pediatric Therapy offers speech and feeding therapy at clinics in Monroe, West Monroe, and Ruston, LA, to help children build proper oral motor control and speak with confidence.
When your baby is young, it’s normal for their tongue to thrust out because it helps them with nursing. But as they get older, this reflex should disappear to enable them to swallow solid foods and speak. When tongue thrust doesn’t go away, it can cause challenges for your child’s development. Keep reading to learn more about what tongue thrust is, how it can impact your child, and how our pediatric speech-language pathologists can help.
What Is Tongue Thrust?
In simple terms, tongue thrust refers to the habit of pushing the tongue forward in the mouth, against or between the front teeth. While this is fine for nursing babies because it helps them get milk from the breast or bottle, it’s a reflex that should disappear by the time they are about 6 months old.
When the reflex doesn’t disappear, it can impact the way a child swallows or speaks. This condition is also sometimes called reverse swallow or immature swallow because of how it affects a child’s ability to swallow food and liquids. In many cases, tongue thrust can lead to misalignment of the teeth or an open bite due to the constant pressure of the tongue against the backs of the front teeth.
What Causes Tongue Thrust?
Some potential causes of tongue thrust include:
- Allergies that lead to chronically swollen tonsils
- Tongue-tie
- Prolonged use of a bottle or pacifier
- Habits like thumb sucking
Signs and Symptoms of Tongue Thrust
The most common signs of tongue thrust in babies, toddlers, and young children include:
- Open mouth resting posture or mouth breathing
- Difficulty with certain speech sounds, especially “s,” “z,” and “sh”
- Frequent drooling beyond the toddler years
- Dental issues, such as an open bite or misalignment
- Messy or slow eating
- Frequent lip licking (chapped, sore, or cracked lips)
- Challenges closing the lips completely
- Tip of the tongue sticks out between the teeth
How Speech Therapy Treats Tongue Thrust
Our pediatric speech-language pathologists specialize in using proven, play-based therapy techniques to address tongue thrust. We can help your child strengthen their oral motor control and learn the proper resting posture for their tongue to prevent the side effects of tongue thrust. We also collaborate with pediatric dentists on any specific physical issues like tongue tie that may be impacting your child’s oral motor skills. Not only can we help your child learn to speak with confidence, but we can improve their ability to swallow food and drinks for improved overall health and happiness.
Free Developmental Screening
If you’re concerned about your child’s development, you can take advantage of our free online developmental screening. This tool is a convenient way for parents to know with certainty if your child is achieving their developmental milestones or if they need extra support to achieve their brightest future.
FreQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What is tongue thrust?
Tongue thrust happens when the tongue pushes forward against or between the teeth during rest, speech or swallowing. It is normal in babies, but if it continues as a child gets older, it can affect speech, swallowing and dental development.
What signs might parents notice with tongue thrust?
You may notice an open-mouth posture, mouth breathing, drooling, messy eating, trouble with sounds like s or sh, chapped lips or the tongue resting between the teeth.
Can tongue thrust affect my child’s teeth?
Yes. Over time, pressure from the tongue can contribute to an open bite or other alignment concerns. Speech therapy may be part of the plan, especially when swallowing or speech sounds are affected.
How does speech therapy help tongue thrust?
Speech therapy can help your child learn better tongue resting posture, oral motor control and safer swallowing patterns. Therapy may also work on speech sounds that are affected by tongue placement.
Do we need to see a dentist too?
Sometimes, yes. If there are dental changes, mouth breathing, tongue tie or other structural concerns, the speech therapist may suggest working with a pediatric dentist, orthodontist or medical provider.