63yr. old female who developed severe tongue thrusting & resulting malocclusion 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?
I’ll make comments within your original email, below: I am a 63yr. old female who developed severe tongue thrusting & resulting malocclusion problems.
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?
A restorative DDS has corrected my bite with extensive work, what type of work did he/she do restoratively? but the tongue thrusting has continued…WHY?! What can I do to stop this?
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 https://orofacialmyology.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. My best,
