Friday, January 9, 2015

I Corrected my Tongue Thrust - Without Speech Therapy

A tongue thrust is basically poor tongue posture which causes you to push your tongue against the inside of your teeth instead of up on the roof of your mouth. Everyone is born with a tongue thrust and almost everyone learned proper tongue posture on their own, without any assistance. Tongue thrusters do not. A common result of this is an anterior open bite where none of the anterior teeth meet and an opened appears.


This was my anterior open bite prior to double jaw surgery and prior to decompensation. It wasn't nearly as bad as I had braces at a younger age to attempt to fix the bite. With no attempt to fix the tongue thrust I just kept tongue thrusting and ended up relapsing to the point I was developing sleep apnea and TMJ disorder. I also had speech issues, chewing issues, mouth breathing, and other things that were out of the norm.

I believe two things fixed my tongue thrust.

  1. Persistence to fix my tongue posture: I didn't go to speech therapy during this process, but I researched tongue thrust correction and used many youtube videos to help learn ways to correct my tongue thrust. It was very annoying, and at first you will start thrusting the second you stop thinking about it. Be persistent. It is a very difficult habit to break. 
  2. Jaw surgery: When I had my jaw surgery I had both jaws moved and my chin moved. It was a big surgery to go through with a very tough recovery. I also had cysts removed from my nasal airway. Being able to breathe properly through my nose was a huge factor in correcting my tongue posture as it allowed me to keep my tongue at the top of my mouth while using my nose to breathe. 

I know a lot of people have relapsed after having jaw surgery for an anterior open bite. I had my surgery over two years ago and so far my bite as remained the same as it was post op. I will always try to be aware of my tongue posture and one day I will see a speech therapist to assure I am doing everything I can to avoid a relapse.

This is my bite post op:



Terra



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6 comments:

  1. KcMarch 14, 2015 at 3:02 AM

    Hi,

    Thank you for posting your story! Can you please elaborate and share your experience with tongue thrust correction and how you went about it? How do you feel now that you have been actively reducing the habit.

    Like you, I currently have braces and will be undergoing going jaw surgery on both my upper and lower jaws later in the year. I feel this is a more permanent solution compared to the other options available out there. However, I think that the root of the problem (tongue thrusting) whether the cause of open bites or a reflex action to it will also needed to be corrected to avoid a relapse.

    Kc

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    Replies
    1. Incognita March 14, 2015 at 3:08 AM

      I used youtube videos, there are many of them. They sort of teach you exercises. I also found this a lot easier after I had jaw surgery since I could breathe normally through my nose. I'm not sure if it's 100% corrected but I can tell you I don't push on my teeth like I use to at all. I used to feel it in my teeth if I paid attention to it but now my tongue is usually at the roof of my mouth without thinking about it. I also noticed that the muscle seemed to be weak. I couldn't point it at all. Doing exercises improved this a great deal. If you can see a speech therapist then definitely do so. I know a few people who relapsed post jaw surgery but it's been over 2 years now and my bite is still the same as when I got my braces off. It will be extremely annoying for a long time trying to force yourself to change your tongue posture but it gets easier over time.

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    2. UnknownFebruary 26, 2017 at 3:49 PM

      Can you get the surgery done without getting braces first?

      I too have an open bite but cannot afford brace at the moment.

      Delete
  2. KcMarch 15, 2015 at 8:47 AM

    Thank you for your response. I will look into everything your wrote.

    I just want to say that your smile post op looks amazing! It makes me very excited to get my surgery.

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  3. UnknownJune 13, 2016 at 12:00 AM

    Hi, is there any way I can find out who your surgeon was? I also live in Toronto. Thanks!

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  4. UnknownMarch 23, 2018 at 1:39 PM

    I'm glad that you still have a great bite!
    I've had jaw surgery five years ago, however I didn't realize the importance of practicing your tongue exercises. Now I have an open bite again, and may need surgery.
    It sucks, but now I'm consistently practicing my tongue exercises and hopefully I can adapt to it. How long did it take you to correct your tongue position? For me, the first time I've practiced, my jaw and tongue felt tired. Is that normal?
    Also, is it common to have a second jaw surgery? I would like to get it fixed, but I'm not sure about the safety of second jaw surgery. W

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