What is Tongue Thrust?

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      Tongue thrust is when an individual develops a habit of thrusting their tongue forward against their teeth while swallowing and at rest.  It is considered an infantile pattern of swallowing that under normal circumstances becomes extinct as the individual grows.   The average person swallows 2000 to 4000 times per day and exerts pressure with each swallow taken. Tongue Thrust can have many adverse affects. Such affects include causing the teeth to be out of alignment, which may cause, distorted speech sounds. The applied pressure on the teeth may also cause distortions of the face.  This condition is common among individuals with severe thumb sucking habits. During tongue thrust, the anterior or lateral portions of the tongue contact more than half the surface area of either the upper or lower incisors, cuspids, or bicuspids, or protrude between them, or when, during the swallow of any two of three media (liquids, solids, saliva), there is a visible increase by the tongue of (a) force against the teeth, (b) degree of protrusion between the teeth, or (c) contact of surface area of the teeth.(Speech pathology of Atlanta, n.d.)


What are some Causes of Tongue Thrust?
There are many possible causes of Tongue thrust. One such cause is tongue weakness. Weakness can be related to leukemia or a brain tumor. It may also be caused by one of the following:

-Thumb sucking and/or nail biting

-Mouth breathing
-Premature loss of "baby" teeth
-Lack of muscle coordination
-Hereditary factors

-Enlarged tonsils & adenoids (Eisenhuth, J. 2009)

The causes of tongue thrust have been categorized as being due to four different types of factors.

 Hereditary factors:  One study revealed that heredity (traits passed from parents to their children) may be a factor. Heredity can affect the size of a child's mouth; the number of teeth a child has and how they are arranged; and the strength of lip, tongue, mouth, and facial muscles.(Hanson and Barret, Initials. 1988)

Allergies:  Allergies can cause some problems with the way the mouth and face muscles work. Allergies can block nasal airways making it hard for children to breathe through their noses. These children often breathe with their mouths open. Their tongues lie flat on the bottom of their mouths. Over time, lip muscles may lose their strength and tone due to the excessive mouth opening.

Larged tonsils and adenoids may also block airways leading to an open-mouth breathing pattern. If a child breathes through his mouth all the time, it could become a habit that may continue even after the airway blockage has been treated successfully. 

Behaviors A tongue thrust may also result from bad habits such as frequent thumb or finger sucking, lip and fingernail biting, lip licking, and teeth clenching or grinding. If a child sucks his thumb a lot, it can change the shape of his upper and lower jaw and teeth. Later, these changes might cause the child to need speech therapy, dental work, and even orthodontics. The effect of the problem depends on how often the child takes part in the oral habit and how long the child keeps up the habit.(The Tongue Thrust Controversy :2005)
 

 Tongue thrust may be caused by several other factors including:

 -Finger sucking, or extended pacifier use. Since the object in the mouth causes the tongue to go down and forward during rest and swallowing its unclear as to whether or not this causes a tongue thrust.  It also depends on how long this habit has persisted and the strength of the suck.

      Furthermore, when teeth do not come together in the front or sides of the dental arch, this can contribute to a tongue thrust as well. Cyclically, a tongue thrust can actually cause this type of dentition as well. When there is low muscle strength or tone, this can cause the jaw to drop, mouth to open, and tongue to move forward. A family history of oral and facial structures that promote a forward tongue position can contribute to the same problem in the child. (Muscle Function Problems & Myofunctional Therapy, n.d)













Project Created by :Jennifer Caballero ([email protected]), Taher Abdelhadi ([email protected] ), Cheryl Hall ( [email protected]) , Marie Nogais( [email protected])  and Sheila Gauthier-Francois ([email protected])
CD - 514-710 Dysphagia
Spring 2010