Simply put, proper tongue positioning occurs when someone gently rests their tongue on the roof of the mouth and away from the teeth. During rest, the lips should also be closed, and the teeth slightly parted.
This involves placing the tongue lightly on the top/roof of your mouth wherever it is most comfortable while allowing the teeth to come apart, and relaxing the jaw muscles. Often putting your tongue gently on the roof of your mouth like when you softly say “n” or “no”, “never”, “nothing” is a comfortable position.
Correct Tongue Posture Explained
Having the tongue sit on the roof of the mouth is important because it ensures the lips are sealed, the jaws together, the maxilla widened and that the face will be more likely to grow forwards (which is better than the face growing down).
Practicing proper tongue positioning can help protect teeth from shifting and can improve sleep, decrease neck and jaw pain, and reduce the number or intensity of headaches.
The Wrong Way – A common, yet wrong, way to hold your tongue in your mouth is to rest it on the bottom teeth or the at the bottom of the mouth. This can cause the tongue to put constant pressure on the teeth and make them shift, become crowded, or create a bad, sometimes painful, bite.
Incorrect tongue rest posture can be associated with poor facial growth and development, inadequate airway space, mouth breathing, snoring, tongue tie, sleep apnea, TMJ pain, sleep issues, crowded teeth, headaches, neck/shoulder tension, and more.
If your tongue is not in proper position, it can lead to bite issues. It can lead to teeth grinding. It can cause jaw damage and possibly even lead to TMJ. In extreme cases, it may require surgery.
Sleep disorders, such as sleep apnea, bruxism, and teeth clenching and grinding may cause pressure on the tongue. For example, sleep apnea may cause you to press your tongue down against your teeth to open up the airways.
The mandibles are strong bones that can generate a lot of power when they open and close. This power is the exact reason why your teeth should only touch when you're eating. In fact, the continued unnecessary impact that happens can take a toll on your teeth, gums, and jaw over time.
The tongue is one factor that can cause obstruction and it does this by falling back into the throat during sleep.
Actually, your tongue should be resting entirely on the palate. Not just the tip of the tongue, but the middle and posterior sections should be resting up. Your lips should be together, and your breathing should be through the nose 95-100% of the time.
A healthy (or normal) tongue is pink and covered with small bumps known as papillae. The shade of pink can vary (provided it's not red), and the bumps should cover a good majority of the upper surface. These bumps are also on the underside of a tongue, but maybe less easy to spot.
Rubbing and thrusting of the tongue against the teeth occurs as a manifestation of anxiety in the tense, apprehensive, pent-up individual; it occurs par ticularly when the person is subject to emo tional stress.
Normal jaw resting position. place your tongue on the roof of your mouth so the tip of your tongue is placed behind your front teeth (as if your were saying the letter 'N') with your tongue in this position your teeth should be slightly apart.
Stretch Your Tongue Out
One simple way to remove tension from your tongue is to simply grab it and stick it out as much as you can straight forward with your hands.
Proper oral posture means that at rest the tongue is to the roof of the mouth, the teeth are touching or slightly apart, and the lips are together without strain. When a child grows up with proper oral posture the face develops in appropriate balance according to its genetic plan.
Sleeping with the mouth open is incredibly bad for patients' health. It negatively impacts both oral health and overall physical health. The adverse effects of mouth breathing can lead to everything from cavities to heart disease. When patients breathe through their mouths, it dries up the saliva in the mouth.
PROPER JAW POSTURE
The teeth should not touch ever – except when swallowing. This comes as a big surprise to most people. When not chewing or swallowing, the tip of the tongue should rest gently on the tip and back of the lower incisors.
However, this habit can also have negative consequences, as constant tongue rubbing against the teeth can lead to oral health issues, such as tooth enamel erosion, gum irritation, and even temporomandibular joint (TMJ) problems.
So how do you break this bad habit of rubbing your tongue against your teeth? Hodges Orthodontics can use tongue trainer orthodontics appliances to help you break the habit. Sometimes called tongue tamers or tongue spikes, they teach your tongue to sit further back in your mouth and off your teeth.
Each time you swallow your tongue presses against the back of your front teeth, gently moving them slightly forward. Some people develop the habit of putting too much pressure on their teeth when they swallow. Overtime, this is continued pressure toward the back of your teeth can cause the front teeth to move forward.
Where is the tongue located? Your tongue runs from your hyoid bone (located in the middle of your neck) to the floor of your mouth.
A pink tongue is healthy and normal. A red tongue may indicate heat in the body like a fever or a hormonal imbalance. A reddish purple tongue is a sign that there may be inflammation or an infection in the body. A pale pink tongue may be a sign of a vitamin deficiency, a weak immune system or a lack of energy.
A healthy tongue is pink in color. If your tongue color is white, yellow, orange, red, black, purple, gray, green or blue, it could mean you have an underlying health condition. If you have tongue discoloration that doesn't go away, tell your healthcare provider. They can help determine the best course of action.