Q. How to correct tongue posture?

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Tongue posture is something that is very important for your jaw growth as well as one of the main factors causing malocclusion or malalignment. Tongue posture can be wrong in two aspects: forward than normal posture and lower than normal posture. If it is forward, you end up with a tongue thrust habit and an open bite between the front teeth. If it is lower than normal, you end up with lots of malocclusions, such as a receded lower jaw, vertical face, etc. Tongue posture is best altered during the growing stages, where it is comparatively easy to modify tongue habits. In adult stages such as yours, it might not be as beneficial or efficient and may take longer than usual to correct the posture. We have multiple options to correct a tongue posture. Tongue crib- It is a steel wire fixed at the upper part of the jaw in the front side, which holds the tongue and does not allow it to come forward beyond the normal position. Tongue tamers- Similar to the crib, except it is placed on the inner part of upper teeth rather than taking support from the palate as the crib did. Appliances - Nance palatal button- It takes support from behind teeth (molars) and is placed on the palate on the front part. It is made of acrylic, and you are advised to keep touching the acrylic part, which will teach the tongue to be in the correct position. It can have drawbacks, such as maintaining oral hygiene may be tricky. Blue Grass appliance- Similar to Nance palatal button, except this is an acrylic ball that will revolve around the wire holding it, and you are asked to keep playing with it with your tongue. Eventually, you will be keeping your tongue in the correct position. For any option you take, you need to give at least 4 to 6 months' time for the tongue to adjust to the new posture. These are some of the options you can discuss with your orthodontist for correcting the tongue posture. Do reach out for further information or clarifications. Thank you.

Same symptoms doesn’t mean you have the same problem. Consult a doctor now!

Dr. Mayank Khandelwal

Experience: 2 + Yrs

Orthodontist

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