RETRAINING TONGUE EXERCISES FOR ANTERIOR OPEN BITES AND TONGUE THRUSTS
An “anterior open bite” is when your upper and lower front teeth are unable to touch when you try to bite them together. This can cause problems when eating, such as biting into a sandwich and not being able to tear into lettuce. In patients with anterior open bites, often the tongue is “thrusted” forward between the front teeth when swallowing, which can further maintain or even worsen the bite issue. Exercises to improve the tongue’s resting position and the pattern of these muscles being used may help with allowing the open bite to close.
Some sample exercises follow:
With lips sealed, and breathing through your nose, do one of the following:
- Click your tongue against the roof of your mouth for one minute
- Hold a Cheerio against the roof of you mouth, with the tip of your tongue for one minute
- Starting with 5 minutes a day and work your way up to 20 minutes a day:
- Chew sugarless gum OR
- Hold a chip between your lips while continuously touching your tongue to the roof of your mouth