The tongue and facial muscles can cause teeth to shift in an improper way. Myofunctional Therapy can help address this by teaching you how to properly use your tongue and where it is supposed to be during rest. It can also help with training the face muscles to strengthen and help with mastication and swallowing. The proper learned way of tongue resting posture and mastication can help prevent relapse.
A tongue thrust occurs when the muscles for swallowing have learned to work together the wrong way. The tongue is very strong. When it constantly rests against the teeth and pushes forward during a swallow, it can cause the teeth to move.

If you have braces, a tongue thrust can be a problem because:
- A tongue thrust can slow down your orthodontic treatment, keeping your braces on for a longer time.
- A tongue thrust can make your teeth move again, after your braces are taken off.
- A tongue thrust can make moving your teeth and closing spaces much more difficult for your orthodontist.
When the muscles of your mouth and face are not in balance, solving orthodontic problems is much more challenging.

Do I Have A Tongue Thrust?

You may have never noticed if you have a tongue thrust. A good way to see for yourself is to pay attention where your tongue is when you swallow. If your tongue is pushing forward on your front teeth or possibly past your front teeth while swallowing, this is a clear indication. Having an open bite is another indicator that you have a tongue thrust. Many patients that have a tongue thrust are also recommended to get orthodontics. This can be due to having and open bite, cross bite or crowding. You will never get the results you and your orthodontist are wanting if you do not fix the root cause, tongue thrust. Orthodontics will take a lot longer to correct, and possibly won’t be able to fully correct if you don’t address the tongue thrust. After getting braces off, you will most likely have a orthodontic relapse and teeth will move back to where they were prior to braces if you do not fix the original problem.
There are many characteristics to look for in order to determine if you, or your child, have a tongue thrust. Below are 4 of the most common signs to recognize:
Mouth breathing is the most common sign. The mouth is open at rest, and the tongue is often forward or sticking out.

Speech Concerns, especially lisping, can be a sign of a tongue thrust. If there is difficulty pronouncing “T, D, N, S CH and L” sounds, this is another indicator. General problems with articulation, rate of speech, and voice quality and clarity may also be present.

Sucking habits, past or present, can cause a tongue thrust to develop. The formation of the mouth and position of the tongue are changed by the continually sucking on thumbs, fingers, hands or pacifiers. Even if the child quits the habit, the damage caused to the function of the tongue, facial musculature, and other structures often still remains. This also can create a high vaulted palate which is hard for the tongue to rest in the correct position.

Open Bite having front or side teeth unable to bite together is an excellent sign of a swallowing dysfunction.
Using Face Muscles. In a normal swallowing pattern the tongue does all the ‘work.’ In a dysfunctional swallowing pattern, the lips and cheek muscles contract to create a vacuum effect to get the food, water, or saliva down the throat.

TMJ or Facial Pain. One symptom of a tongue thrust swallow is pain in the cheek muscles or pain in the jaw joint from frequent over use of these body parts.

This is what a normal swallow looks like:

Normal swallow
https://youtu.be/j9RfQPC1IlY

Tongue thrust swallows
https://youtu.be/loXCfn7m41k


How To Fix A Tongue Thrust

Myofunctional Therapy is an essential part of the missing puzzle piece. It is very important with myofucntinal therapy to have a good network of providers helping to get you back to health. Going forward with a personalized therapy program will help you understand what you need to do to correct the tongue thrust.
Some patients need to get a frenectomy- removal of lingual (under the tongue), or buccal tissue (lips and cheeks) to help any restriction that is causing their tongue not rest in the proper position.
Orthodontics can provide an appliance that is glued to the maxillary teeth and is like a cage that will stop your tongue from pushing against the front teeth.

Conclusion:

None of these modalities alone will stop a tongue thrust. The best results are seen when therapy in combination with a frenectomy (when needed) are done. A team approach is the best approach to getting proper, lasting results.

Below are peer reviewed research studies, systemic reviews, meta studies/analysis, medical reviews, case reports, and research papers pertaining to Orofacial Myofuntional Therapy (OMT) and treatment/relation to the following:

The efficacy of myofunctional therapy in patients with atypical swallowing
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32367149/

Impact of Oral Myofunctional Therapy on Orofacial Myofunctional Status and Tongue Strength in Patients with Tongue Thrust
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33113529/