People come to us all the time feeling helpless and frustrated with their mouths. For some, their teeth keep shifting out of position. For others, their speech is slushy, and people frequently ask them to repeat.
Or maybe the situation has gotten worse! Maybe their jaws ache after eating something chewy, or there is a crunching sound in their temporal mandibular joints (TMJ). Maybe they are having trouble sleeping through the night. Their partner or parent complains that they snore, and they wake up feeling exhausted every morning with droopy circles under their eyes.
These Individuals are Probably Tongue Thrusters
This is a condition where the tongue rests in a low forward position, not suctioned up on the palate where it belongs. The tongue should not exert any pressure on the teeth–not at rest or during drinking/eating. If it does, it will move those teeth out of alignment. For those who already had braces, the old teeth posture is coming back and will continue to worsen over time.
What Causes a Tongue Thrust?
This varies from individual to individual. As infants, we all started out with a tongue thrust swallow, but most of us corrected it when we first learned to drink from a cup.
For some individuals, different structural issues prolonged their tongue thrusts. Nasal congestion is one of the big culprits. If your nose is blocked, you must open your lips to breathe. If your lips are open, your tongue is down and forward, not suctioned up to your palate where it belongs.
Structural problems can also set you up for disaster – high narrow palates are the worst! Your taut tongue must fit snuggly up into your palate. If your palate is too narrow, your tongue isn’t going to fit! For some people, the issues are exacerbated by the environment. Allergies and colds cause nasal congestion, which perpetuates open-mouth breathing.
How Can My Tongue do SO MUCH DAMAGE?
Your tongue is connected to your cervical column; so, if your tongue is attached to your jaw too tightly, it can lead to problems with forward head posture and neck/backaches. If you don’t have healthy chewing habits, you can have problems with your TMJ as well as digestion.
If your nose is blocked or your mouth is obstructed by your low, forward tongue, you can even have problems with sleep. Poor sleeping habits can cause bedwetting in children and sleep apnea in both children and adults. We are all becoming alarmingly aware of the life-threatening risks that go along with that!
Epigenetics determines HOW YOU AGE
The circumstances that surround your life cause genetic changes; some genes will be silenced while others will be expressed. These factors include what you eat, where you live, when you sleep and how you exercise. Over time these factors will cause chemical modifications around your genes that will affect how you look and feel. So…if you can keep the good modifications and eliminate the bad ones, you can slow the aging process, reverse obesity and even cure disease.
Life-Long Benefits of a Healthy Tongue Position
*Permanent Dental Alignment
*Natural Facelift
*Diminish Double Chins
*Counteract TMJ Problems
*Better Health
*Clear Speech
*Prominent Cheekbones
*Upright Body Posture
*Counteract Sleep Apnea
*Improved Appearance
JKS & Assoc. Therapies for Success–When Results Matter
We are driven to achieve permanent results with every one of our clients. We will identify the cause of your problems and then work with you and your medical/dental team to get rapid results for life-long benefits. We will meet with you regularly at first to make sure your results are rapid and then follow you for up to two years to ensure that your results are permanent.
The Difference Is Our Approach
* Coordinated: with dentists, orthodontists, osteopaths, ENTS, allergists and physical therapists for rapid, permanent results.
* Customized: each individual has a unique set of circumstances causing their problems and a unique environment where unhealthy habits must be broken and replaced by healthy ones; our programs are designed to identify the cause of the problems and then work with our clients to address their issues in their unique environments for rapid, permanent results.
* Comprehensive: tongue thrusts can affect dental alignment, speech, breathing, posture and sleep. They can also contribute to chronic jaw and neck/back pain. We comprehensively evaluate and then target the underlying foundational problems to help you get rapid, permanent results.
Give us 4 months, and we’ll give you a brighter future!
858.509.1131 www.therapiesforsuccess.com