Orofacial Myology

Old female who developed severe tongue thrusting

I am a 63yr. old female who developed severe tongue thrusting & resulting malocclusopn problems. A restorative DDS has corrected my bite with extensive work, but the tongue thrusting has continued…WHY?! What can I do to stop this?

It is rather odd to develop severe tongue thrusting suddenly.  Something had to have occurred to have brought it on at this age.  When did your first notice it? and, what type of work did he/she do restoratively?

Tongue thrusting is merely a symptom of something else.  Sometimes a chewing or biting or sucking habit contributes; sometimes allergies or other congestion is a culprit; sometimes the actual bone structure/growth causes one to “thrust”….
Have you checked out www.iaom.com?  There are various articles and info that might help you pinpoint the cause or causes.  Are you lisping also?  If so, did that also recently start?  How are your eating habits?  Picky? Slow? messy? noisy?  It is difficult to advise you without more specifics regarding other symptoms.  Are your tonsils enlarged?  That would be very unusual for an adult, but thought I’d ask.
   One last thing to consider:  looking into a mirror, open your mouth as widely as you can; while keeping your mouth wide open, see how far upward you can raise your tongue.  Can you reach all the way up behind your upper teeth without closing your mouth very much?  What does that tissue (frenum) underneath the tongue look like?  Is it attached close to the tip of your tongue?  Is it very short?  Does it attach at the other end to the floor of your mouth or forward on the bone just beneath your lower teeth?

Answer me these questions and include our full email so I can see our whole discussion…I will try to help if I can possibly do so.

Myo patient that chronically licked his lips

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There are some tori that are large enough and situated within the arch in such a way that they certainly would be expected to inhibit suctioning and correct lingual placement.

Orofacial Myology

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Lat Thrust

Hello Sandra; I attended one of your workshops in Pittsburgh a few years back. I am wondering if you might be able to provide some information/references on correcting a lateral tongue thrust. Many thanks! So nice to hear from you.  I wish there were references or studies that could help SLPs with lateral lisps & ...Read more.

Open bite relapse, numb tongue, complicated symptoms

I have been using your Myo Manual for the exercises. I am just not sure my client can trap with mouthwash, but not the water.  I am afraid that I am missing something (which is why I need to come to your intensive course).  She is an adult with a relapse, open bite.  She said ...Read more.

Surgery vs Orthodontic + Orofacial Myology Treatment Background

 A SLP reports that a local oral-maxillofacial surgery claims that a tongue thrust is a rare occurrence, and that when seen with an anterior open bite, an oral-maxillofacial surgeon should treat the problem surgically rather than having the patient undergo orthodontic treatment. The surgeon’s claim is that thrusting is related to a small oral cavity ...Read more.