How can I tell if a tongue thrust is present?
- open mouth breathing
- chewing with an open mouth
- forward tongue movements during chewing and swallowing
- resting the tongue against the teeth, between the teeth or on the lower jaw
- misaligned teeth such as an overjet or an openbite
- persistent speech problems which do not improve with age or with speech therapy
- messy eating
- poor posture
- persistent sucking habits, most frequently sucking the thumb
How are we trained to help?
Our specialists have completed advanced training programs in orofacial myofunctional therapy (tongue thrust) and are members of the International Association of Orofacial Myology (IAOM).
What our patients and orthodontists say:
“I feel it is impossible to do great orthodontics without having natural and proper muscle coordination. Jodie K. Schuller and Associates have been essential in helping our patients attain correct breathing and swallowing habits, thereby allowing them to get excellent orthodontic results.”
-Gary Hirsh, D.D.S.
“For many of my patients, myofunctional therapy has been the key to the success and stability of their orthodontic treatment.”
-Melanie Parker, D.D.S.
“I was amazed to see the subtle, but wonderful changes in my son's face and smile following his tongue thrust therapy with Jodie Schuller.”
-Lesley Norris, Parent
“My daughter had speech, language and swallowing problems caused by chronic ear infections. Over the past four years, Jodie Schuller has successfully treated her for problems with speech, phonemic awareness and reading. Most recently, Jodie corrected my daughter's lisp by treating her tongue thrust. Jodie is a skilled professional. As the mother of three children, I appreciate that her appointments always ran on time. Jodie employed well-defined systematic programs for each of my daughter's speech, language and swallowing problems. Most importantly, Jodie's patient manner motivated my daughter to do follow-up homework.”
-Alison and John Lane, Parents