When a child develops crooked or misaligned teeth, it’s easy to assume that the reason is genetic or spontaneous (that’s just how the teeth grew). In fact, the culprit is often the tongue!

You know how a couch cushion can warp over time to fit the body that sits in it the most often? Teeth are the same way. The tongue – one of the strongest muscles in the body -- exerts constant pressure on the teeth. This pressure serves to gradually shape the teeth over time. If the pressure or posture of the tongue is abnormal, children can develop an overbite, open bites, big spaces between teeth, and even crossbites.

Abnormal tongue posture can be corrected in a variety of ways. Sometimes, a child just needs to be encouraged to stop thrusting their tongue. In other cases, oral myofunctional therapy is necessary. A dentist can also help by constructing a special oral device that prevents the abnormal tongue posture.

At SML (Space Maintainers Laboratories), the dental labs in our network manufacture a variety of tongue-habit breaking appliances, e.g. the Fixed Tongue Loops, Spinning Bead Tongue Retrainer, and Lower Tongue Thrust Inhibitor L. Contact us today to learn more.