What is tongue thrust?

Tongue thrust may be referred to as lisping, but lisping is not tongue thrust. A common misconception is that all people with a tongue thrust suffer from a speech disorder. This is most certainly not true and it is considered derogatory to suggest as much. What are some of the consequences (or benefits) of speaking with a tongue thrust?

what is tongue thrust?

Tongue thrust is a common sign in infants, but it can be a sign of a more serious disorder such as cerebral palsy.

Tongue thrust is when an infant pushes his tongue forward when swallowing. It can also occur when the infant is crying or nursing.

The problem usually resolves by itself within a few months and doesn’t need treatment. However, if your child still has a tongue thrust at age 2 — or if it persists despite your best efforts — you should check with your doctor.

What Causes Tongue Thrust?

Tongue thrusting may be a sign of either:

Cerebral palsy (CP) and other conditions that affect movement and muscle tone (muscle stiffness). Some babies with CP have tongue thrusting — which can be difficult to distinguish from normal behavior. Other babies have normal muscle tone but develop tongue thrusting later on due to another condition, such as gastroesophageal reflux (GER), which causes frequent spitting up and drooling.

A swallowing disorder that affects the function of muscles involved in swallowing food or liquid. This can include GER, Bell’s palsy (a temporary facial paralysis caused by irritation of the seventh cranial nerve), Down syndrome or some types of muscular dystrophy.

signs of tongue thrust

Tongue thrust is a medical condition that occurs when the tongue thrusts forward past the teeth during swallowing. The tip of the tongue can touch or even push back against the upper front teeth. Tongue thrust is usually associated with some type of neurological problem, such as cerebral palsy, intellectual disability, Down syndrome or stroke.

Regardless of the cause, tongue thrust may cause problems with eating and speech development due to altered oral motor function. In infants and young children, it can interfere with feeding and result in an abnormal jaw position.

In adults, tongue thrust may be associated with tooth decay or gum disease because food gets trapped between the teeth and cannot be fully cleaned by brushing or flossing. If you have signs of tongue thrust, talk to your dentist about treatment options for restoring oral health and preventing future problems from developing.

Tongue thrust is a common problem that affects many babies and toddlers. It can cause problems with feeding and speech development, as well as dental alignment issues.

Tongue thrust occurs when the tongue pushes against the upper teeth during swallowing or speaking, pushing them out of place. If the tongue doesn’t push forward enough (hypotonic), it may not reach the front of the mouth, causing drooling and possible difficulties swallowing. If your child has a tongue thrust, you’ll notice their lower jaw jutting forward during eating or talking, which will cause their upper teeth to be pushed out of place.

The tongue can be either pushed forward (hypertonic) or pulled back (hypotonics). If your child’s tongue is hypertonic, they’ll have difficulty breathing; if hypotonics, they’ll have difficulty swallowing and may drool excessively.

why do people thrust their tongues?

Why do people thrust their tongues?

The reason people thrust their tongues is because it’s a reflexive action. It’s an involuntary response to something that stimulates your tongue, like the taste of something sweet or spicy. This is why babies often stick out their tongues when they’re teething — it’s a way to soothe themselves.

It’s also common for people to stick out their tongues when they’re concentrating on something. For example, if you’re trying to write something down and you can’t remember what you’re writing, then you might stick out your tongue or scratch your head or do some other habitual movement as part of the process of remembering what you’re doing.

Many people thrust their tongues to express a variety of emotions. The most common ones are surprise and disgust. But people also thrust their tongues to express anger, excitement, happiness, love and more.

So why do we do this?

The answer lies in the fact that we use our tongue in many ways when we speak. We use it to form sounds like “th” (the letter “T” sound) and “sh” (the letter “S” sound). We also use our tongue to stick out and make other facial expressions such as smiling, frowning or sticking out our tongues in surprise or disgust.

When we see someone else doing these things with their tongue, it makes us want to do them as well. This is because we’re wired to mimic each other’s behavior so that we can better communicate with one another. In fact, studies have shown that even newborn babies imitate adults’ facial expressions!

causes of tongue thrust

The main cause of tongue thrust is an oral motor weakness in the tongue. Tongue thrusting can be seen in infants with Down syndrome, autism, cerebral palsy, or severe speech and language delays.

A child with poor oral motor control may have difficulty keeping their tongue from pushing forward when they eat, drink or talk. This causes the tongue to push against the front teeth and push against the roof of the mouth. The child may have difficulty producing sounds correctly because their tongue is in front of their teeth instead of behind them.

Tongue thrusting is not limited to children with Down syndrome or autism. It can also be seen in children who have had a cleft palate repair or palatal expansion surgery (expanding the roof of the mouth). If you are concerned that your child has tongue thrusting, consider contacting a speech-language pathologist (SLP) for a formal evaluation.

what are the consequences of tongue thrust swallowing?

Tongue thrust swallowing is a condition that results in the tongue pushing against the palate during swallowing. This can cause food to go down the wrong tube and result in aspiration pneumonia.

In addition, this abnormal movement of the tongue can make it difficult to swallow. This can lead to choking episodes and delayed gastric emptying, which can contribute to poor nutrition and weight loss.

The consequences of tongue thrust swallowing include:

Aspiration of stomach contents (food) into the lungs. This can cause respiratory problems such as pneumonia or bronchitis.

Choking on food because it’s not being swallowed correctly.

Difficulty eating because you can’t swallow properly. This may result in malnutrition and weight loss over time if you’re unable to eat enough calories or nutrients from your diet.