Orofacial Myology

[kanesa]

Many, many years ago when I was 13 and getting my braces, the Army orthodontist put an appliance in my mouth to stop my tongue thrusting. It was a wire barrier attached to my upper teeth and put behind my front teeth. I could not say my T's, L's, S's or D's. It was a horrible experience. Did it stop my tongue thrust? I really don't know but my upper teeth never shifted outward.

[Grace62]

kanesa wrote:
Many, many years ago when I was 13 and getting my braces, the Army orthodontist put an appliance in my mouth to stop my tongue thrusting. It was a wire barrier attached to my upper teeth and put behind my front teeth. I could not say my T's, L's, S's or D's. It was a horrible experience. Did it stop my tongue thrust? I really don't know but my upper teeth never shifted outward.

That does sound really unpleasant. I'm glad that wasn't the proposed treatment for my son! Like a lot of things, therapies have improved! If your teeth didn't move then it most likely did solve the problem.

If it prevents him from needing braces again as an adult, it's worth the investment.
His therapist was inspired to go into this due to her own experience: she had braces as a teen but also untreated tongue thrust, so her teeth moved and she had to have braces again. She wants to help teens prevent that. The treatments are pretty funny (M&M's, applesauce, etc.) but do seem to be working after 3 months. My son says he can tell that his tongue is resting in a different place in his mouth now. He had no speech issues before, which is why this went undetected until now.

I trust our orthodontist, who recommended the treatment and in fact said she wouldn't take the braces off until this was fixed.

[anonymouse1]

My mom has been doing this for nearly 30 years. It really works.

The problem it solves is that if a person uses their tongue improperly, it can put tons of cumulative pressure on the teeth over the course of a day. This therapy retrains the tongue, teaching the person how to use their tongue properly.

You do need a good therapist, like any other kind of medical treatment. It does work.

[Grace62]

anonymouse1 wrote:
My mom has been doing this for nearly 30 years. It really works.

The problem it solves is that if a person uses their tongue improperly, it can put tons of cumulative pressure on the teeth over the course of a day. This therapy retrains the tongue, teaching the person how to use their tongue properly.

You do need a good therapist, like any other kind of medical treatment. It does work.

That's good to know. Thanks anonymouse1.

[Jimmypoo]

My ex had braces before I met her (she was an innocent 16, 2 weeks shy of 17) - but I changed that last part.

:-)

Hmm Hmmm..... OH! The braces! Right!

Anyway -- even at age 34, the retainer would have to go back in for a few days every month whenever she
or I noticed a little spacing (her post brace teeth were 100% perfectly aligned). She had pain & headaches
for a day as the retainer forced everything back into place.

I can only hope that she has since lost the retainer, has had all her teeth pulled, and now has migraines.