Mouth prop vs bite block

Q:   In the past, I have used bite blocks to address jaw sliding in speech.  Where does that fit in with your program? Are they unnecessary or would I still use them?

A:   That brings up a few questions before I can answer you.   

• Are you referring to our 2- and 3-way Mouth Props or some other type of tool?
• How did you use them? 
• Was it during actual speech? 

The Mouth Props that we use are certainly part of a program that addresses lingual-mandibular differentiation.  I believe that is what you are referring to with the jaw slide.  Commonly with myo patients, the mandible shifts in one or more ways to “carry the tongue” to a position since the tongue is not moving independently. 

Offhand, I know people use them with special needs clients.to “strengthen the jaw” but that would not fit into our myo objectives.  For some oral motor issues, as with adults post trauma with stroke, etc., the Mouth Props also serve good purpose, but not associated with speech directly or used during actual speech.

If you can tell me more details about the usage, I’ll be able to give you more input.