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Most people have never heard of tongue thrust until a dentist, orthodontist, or speech therapist brings it up. Even then, it's often framed as a minor habit or a cosmetic concern affecting how teeth align. But what if tongue thrust is telling you something much bigger about how your airway is functioning?
At Myofunctional Therapy of Kansas in Wichita, Dalanna Hanson, BS, RDH, CSOM, CERT-BBM, has spent over a decade helping children and adults understand that tongue thrust is rarely an isolated problem. More often, it's a visible signal of something happening deeper in the airway, the breathing pattern, and the entire orofacial system.
What Is Tongue Thrust, Exactly?
Tongue thrust happens when the tongue pushes forward against or between the teeth during swallowing, speaking, or at rest. In a properly functioning orofacial system, the tongue should rest on the roof of the mouth (the palate) and pull back during a swallow. When it doesn't, that repetitive forward pressure creates a cascade of downstream effects.
The average person swallows roughly 500 to 1,000 times per day. When the tongue is thrusting forward with each one of those swallows, that's hundreds of pounds of pressure being applied in the wrong direction, day after day. Over time, that force reshapes the dental arch, pushes teeth out of alignment, and changes the structure of the palate itself.
Understanding the signs of tongue thrust matters because it rarely stays in its own lane. It tends to travel with a cluster of related issues that are all rooted in the same underlying pattern.
The Airway Connection Most People Miss
Here's where it gets important. The tongue and the airway share real estate. When the tongue rests low in the mouth instead of up on the palate, a few things happen simultaneously. First, the palate doesn't receive the upward pressure it needs to develop properly, which can lead to a high, narrow arch. A narrower upper arch means less space in the nasal cavity above it, which means reduced airflow through the nose. Second, a low tongue posture can contribute to the tongue falling back during sleep, partially obstructing the airway.
This is the airway dysfunction connection. It's not a leap. It's anatomy.
Dalanna's Buteyko certification (CERT-BBM) in functional breathing re-education reflects exactly this understanding: breathing pattern, tongue posture, and airway function are not separate issues. They form a loop, and tongue thrust is often one of the most visible entry points into that loop.
People who chronically mouth breathe are also significantly more likely to develop tongue thrust. Nasal obstruction forces the mouth open, which changes tongue posture, which reinforces the low forward resting position that drives the thrusting pattern. Once you understand the loop, it becomes clear why treating tongue thrust in isolation rarely produces lasting results.
Signs of Tongue Thrust in Adults and Children
Tongue thrust isn't only a childhood issue, though it's often identified earlier in kids. Signs of tongue thrust in adults include an open bite (where front teeth don't meet when the mouth is closed), a lisp or "slushy" speech pattern, teeth that have shifted after orthodontic treatment, mouth breathing during the day or at night, and a feeling that the tongue always seems to be pressing against the front teeth.
In children, the picture often includes crowded or crooked teeth despite young age, extended pacifier or thumb-sucking habits, difficulty chewing certain foods, and snoring or restless sleep. Parents sometimes notice their child's mouth is open most of the time, which is one of the more telling early signs.
What links these presentations in both age groups is the underlying pattern: the tongue isn't doing what it's supposed to do, and the airway, the teeth, and the sleep quality are all paying the price.
Why Tongue Thrust Doesn't Fix Itself
A common assumption is that children will "grow out" of tongue thrust, especially if it developed alongside normal infant reflexes. While the infant tongue thrust reflex does fade in the first months of life, a persisting pattern in older children and adults is a different matter. It's a learned neuromuscular habit that has been repeated thousands of times until it became automatic.
That's actually good news. Neuromuscular habits can be unlearned. Tongue thrust treatment that works doesn't rely on appliances or passive correction. It works by retraining the muscles through specific, consistent exercises that change how the tongue moves and rests. This is exactly what orofacial myofunctional therapy does.
Dalanna's year-long treatment program at Myofunctional Therapy of Kansas uses a neuroplasticity-based approach, recognizing that real change in muscle memory takes time and repetition. Monthly visits build on each other progressively, reinforcing new movement patterns until they become the default.
How Myofunctional Therapy Addresses the Root Cause
Tongue thrust therapy through myofunctional therapy targets the whole pattern, not just the symptom. That means addressing tongue resting posture, swallowing mechanics, lip tone, and nasal breathing habits together. When the tongue learns to rest correctly on the palate, it naturally supports a wider arch, reduces airway obstruction, and breaks the mouth-breathing loop.
For patients who are also working with orthodontists, oral surgeons, or sleep physicians, myofunctional therapy serves as the foundational piece that makes other treatments more effective and longer-lasting. There's a reason so many orthodontists and dentists refer patients for myofunctional evaluation before, during, and after treatment.
Dalanna works with patients throughout Wichita and the surrounding Kansas communities, as well as virtually with patients across the US. If you or your child are noticing the signs of tongue thrust, it's worth understanding what the pattern might be revealing about airway health.
You can learn more about tongue thrust therapy and how Myofunctional Therapy of Kansas approaches treatment at here, or reach out to schedule a consultation with Dalanna directly.
