Causes and Concerns of a Tongue Thrust

The term tongue thrust is becoming more commonly used, but did you know some underlying causes of an abnormal anterior motion of the tongue? Behaviors that can cause an abnormal anterior motion of the tongue include prolonged bottle use, prolonged pacifier use, prolonged sippy cup use, and oral habits such as tongue or thumb sucking.

You may also be wondering about the risks and complications associated with a tongue thrust. These can include chewing and swallowing deficits, articulation distortions, malocclusions, incorrect resting tongue posture, mouth breathing, and oro-facial changes over time.

If you recognize some of these deficits in someone you know, they may have a tongue thrust. Additionally, if you know a child who is currently participating in any of the aforementioned negative oral habits, it is important to educate them and attempt to break these oral habits. The Spot Pal is an excellent appliance to help eliminate these noxious oral habits.

The Spot Pal appliance has precisely placed pokes to help discourage the tongue from resting against the teeth or thrusting forward (which occurs during sucking), and instead encourages the tongue to rest at the incisive papilla. Additionally, its dot, which is located at the incisive papilla, encourages the tongue to rest in the correct position, rather than low or forward in the oral cavity. When treating a tongue thrust, it is important to understand and treat the underlying causes as well.

The Spot Pal appliance not only deters the oral habits, but corrects the tongue resting position and pattern caused by the oral habits. This appliance is great for breaking the negative oral habits to either treat or prevent a tongue thrust, as well as treat the complications associated with a tongue thrust, such as improper tongue placement at rest, articulation errors, and mouth breathing.