Loose tongue treatment

The correct position of the tongue inside the mouth is important for correct diction but it also influences the posture of the jaw, head and consequently of the body, and when it is too 'loose' it can push the teeth out, causing the teeth to move away from the front.

The correct position of the tongue during rest, that is, when the person is not speaking or eating, is always with its tip in contact with the roof of the mouth, just behind the front teeth. This position is the correct and ideal position at all stages of life, but often the tongue seems flaccid and very loose inside the mouth and in this case, whenever the person remembers, they should be aware and place the tongue in this way.

In order to increase the tonus of the tongue and position the tongue in the correct way, one can also resort to exercises that can be indicated by the speech therapist. Some examples of exercises that help to position the tongue correctly inside the mouth are:

'Suck the roof of your mouth'

'Suck a bullet in the roof of the mouth'

Exercise 1

Place the tip of the tongue on the roof of the mouth, just behind the incisor teeth and detach, using some force. It is as if you are sucking the roof of your mouth with your tongue. Repeat 20 times, 3 times a day.

Exercise 2

Suck a bullet by placing it on the tip of the tongue and in the roof of the mouth, sucking the bullet against the roof of the mouth, without ever biting or placing the bullet between the teeth. You can keep your mouth ajar to create more resistance, increasing the benefits of this exercise. Repeat daily, preferring sugar-free candy to avoid damaging your teeth.

Exercise 3

Put a mouthful of water in your mouth and then keep your mouth slightly open and to swallow always position your tongue on the roof of your mouth.

Exercise 4

With your mouth ajar and keeping your tongue still inside your mouth, move your tongue in the following directions:

About; Up and down; In and out of the mouth; Drag the tip of the tongue across the roof of the mouth (towards the teeth towards the throat).

Repeat each of these exercises 5 times, daily.

Exercise 5

Glue the tip of the tongue to the roof of the mouth and open and close the mouth always keeping the tongue in that position, without putting too much pressure on the roof of the mouth.

Does loose tongue have a cure?

Yes. It is possible to cure the loose tongue, with treatment guided by the speech therapist, with daily exercises, which should be performed in a period of approximately 3 months. The results are progressive and you can see the best tongue position after about 1 month, which can give you enough motivation to continue with the exercises.

The practice of oral exercises can be started from a baby, where the correct stimuli are given for each phase. From 5 years of age, the child can become more collaborative, respecting the therapist's commands, facilitating the treatment, but there is no right age to start the treatment, and it should be started as soon as its need is realized.

In addition to the exercises mentioned above, others can be performed inside the speech therapist's office, with small devices that promote more resistance and better results. But eating also influences the tone and positioning of the tongue, which is why it is important to eat foods that require more chewing, such as dry or hard foods, such as bread without butter, meat and apples, for example it is also a good daily exercise for those who it needs to strengthen and position the language properly.

The loose tongue may be a characteristic of some condition, such as Down syndrome, but it can also affect apparently healthy children, due to factors such as not having been breastfed, very liquid or pasty food, requiring little chewing. In these cases it may seem that the tongue is larger than the mouth, which is not correct, it just does not have the correct tone, nor is it well positioned.