Tuesday, March 3, 2009-
The American Association of Orthodontists recommends that children receive an orthodontic evaluation by age 7, and the reasons are more than just cosmetic. Many problems children develop that may lead to speech impediments can be corrected through early orthodontic treatment.
Minnesota orthodontist Dr. Jennifer Eisenhuth has worked closely with speech therapists to correct speech impediments in young patients with tongue thrust.
Tongue thrust occurs when the tongue contacts more than half the surface area of either the upper or lower front teeth while in a resting position, according to the Center for Speech and Language Pathology’s Web site (http://www.speechtherapyct.com/glossary.htm).
All children are born with a tongue thrust swallow pattern, Eisenhuth said. This occurs when an infant with no teeth brings his/her tongue forward to create a seal between the gums to enable food and milk to go back in the mouth and be swallowed.
A natural transition typically occurs by the time a child reaches age 7 and the child begins placing the tongue on the roof of the mouth when swallowing. If this transition doesn’t occur and the child continues placing the tongue between the teeth while swallowing, the muscles around the teeth and lips continue to be used in the swallowing pattern instead of the throat muscles.
When children continue swallowing in the same manner as when they lacked teeth, it creates a block for the teeth to erupt and often causes them to develop an open bite. An open bite prevents the teeth from touching. If the condition is not caught early enough, the tongue thrust also can affect skeletal development, creating a dental and a skeletal open bite, which is even more difficult to correct, Eisenhuth said. Sometimes a combination of orthodontics and surgery is required to correct this particular form of open bite.
Even if they don’t require corrective surgery, open bites often still require a combination of treatment, typically from an orthodontist and a speech therapist to permanently correct the problem, Eisenhuth said.
“Open bites are difficult to correct, and if the tongue thrust pattern isn't caught and changed by working with a speech therapist, any orthodontic correction of the bite will likely return,” she said.
That is why the two professions must work together. Orthodontists fix the bite and speech therapists work to correct the swallow pattern.
Tongue thrust frequently is initially diagnosed by an orthodontist or the family dentist who notices that the teeth are positioned irregularly. Eisenhuth evaluates the swallow pattern of each patient she sees to determine whether tongue thrust exists. If she detects the abnormal swallow pattern, she refers them to a speech therapist.
“Along with that specialist, we improve the swallow and the occlusion,” she said. “Typically, if caught before age 8, together we can create a normal bite within one year of detection.”
A speech therapist works with the child by providing “exercises for the lips, tongue and jaw that are designed to change an incorrect or immature swallow to an adult pattern that is beneficial to the positioning of teeth and to correct articulation of speech sounds,” according to the Hearing, Speech and Deafness Center Web site, (http://www.hsdc.org/Child/Speech/tonguethrust.htm ). The condition usually can be corrected in three to six months.
Read the full article titled "Minnesota Orthodontics Expert Teams Up With Speech Specialist to Correct Impediments".Learn More
If you would like to learn more about how tongue thrust is treated at the Apple Valley orthodontics practice of Dr. Jennifer Eisenhuth or you would like to schedule a consultation with her, please call: (651) 406-8100 or visit her Web site: www.doctorjennifer.com.
About Dr. Jennifer Eisenhuth
Dr. Eisenhuth attended the University of Minnesota Dental School and graduated in the top of her class. She earned the Minnesota Association of Orthodontic Achievement Award and several academic achievement awards. She entered her orthodontic residency at the
Dr. Eisenhuth is a Diplomate of the American Board of Orthodontics.
She takes pride in caring for the orthodontic needs of residents in the Twin Cities- St. Paul and Minneapolis, and their surrounding regions, including Apple Valley and Eagan, Minnesota.
Her office is located at 3340 Sherman Court, Eagan, Minn., 55121.
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