Apple Valley, Minnesota Orthodontics Expert Teams Up With Speech Specialist to Correct Impediments
Tuesday, March 3, 2009- ST. PAUL AND MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA – Orthodontists have made the case for years about the importance of early orthodontic evaluations for children. 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. The tongue also may protrude between the upper and lower teeth. Another sign of tongue thrust is when, while swallowing, the tongue pushes against the teeth and applies force, which can push the teeth and bone forward or apart if done consistently over time, according to the Center for Speech and Language Pathology.
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.
“Infants are messy eaters because they bring their tongues forward,” she said. “As we grow teeth in our mouth, our tongue should naturally drop back, allowing the teeth to create the seal.”
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. The condition usually can be corrected in three to six months.
The exercises are designed to strengthen and retrain the muscles associated with swallowing by changing the swallowing pattern, said Tara Gallagher, a speech language pathologist in Gainesville, Fla.
Although it is difficult to know how long it will take for orthodontic treatment to correct the effects of tongue thrust, the younger the patient, the easier the process, Eisenhuth said.
“If you catch this and correct it when the child is 7, some of the open bite will self-correct during growth spurts,” she said. “If the patient is 14, much of the growth has been completed, and there will be little to no self-correction.”
Symptoms of Tongue Thrust
According to the HSDC, the following symptoms may indicate that a child has tongue thrust:
·Purses lips together or grimaces when swallowing.
·Mouth breathing due to allergies or enlarged tonsils and adenoids.
·Difficulty with making s and z sounds.
·An open mouth posture with a forward tongue position when at rest, such as while watching television or reading a book.
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 University of Minnesota and earned a certificate in orthodontics and a Master of Science degree.
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.
© 2009 Sinai Dental Marketing and Dr. Jennifer Eisenhuth. Authorization to post is granted, with the stipulation that Sinai Marketing is credited as sole source. Linking to other sites from this article is strictly prohibited, with the exception of herein imbedded links.
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