CASE REPORT By Lucy Sloan, DDS amilla presented to our office in 2002 seeking preventive and restorative dental care. Her medi-cal history included a history of anemia but no known allergies or hospitalizations. Her dental examination revealed dental caries, gingivitis and a severe open bite due to a tongue thrust. Tongue thrust-ing in its most simple form is the habit of thrusting the tongue forward against the teeth or in between while swallowing. A tongue thrust is very easy to identify, both during swallowing and during speech. In the past the belief was always that a tongue thrust was the cause of open bites but many studies 1, 2, 3, 4 have shown that the tongue will find an open space and occupy it preventing the teeth from properly erupting. 34 September/October 2013 JAOS J No one specific factor has been determined for the development of a tongue thrust problem, but the following causes have been reported: í Certain types of artificial nipples used in feeding infants í Thumb sucking í Allergies, nasal congestion or obstructions that can contribute to mouth breathing causing the posture of the tongue to be low in the mouth í Large tonsils, adenoids, or frequent occurrence of sore throats which can cause difficulty in swallowing
Journal of the American Orthodontic Society September-October 2013: Page 34
