Oral Habits You Didn’t Realize Were Problematic

What are Oral Habits

We’ve likely all engaged in oral habits at some point or another. There are some oral habits that are considered developmentally appropriate as long as they resolve before our mouth and jaw finish developing. Oral habits are repetitive, automatic actions or patterns of behavior surrounding the oral structure. These may include thumb sucking or lip biting. Oral habits often develop as soothing mechanisms during infancy and childhood, however prolonged use of oral habits can significantly alter how the teeth, mouth, face, and airway develop and lead to oral dysfunction, tongue thrusting, poor sleep, and more. 

Common Oral Habits & Possible Impacts

Biting Nails - Regularly biting your nails is not only unsanitary, but it can cause:

• Wearing, chipping, cracking of the teeth
  
• Tongue thrusting
  
• Teeth and jaw misalignment (malocclusion)
  
• Temporomandibular Joint dysfunction (TMJ)
  
• Abnormal jaw growth and position
  
• Periodontal disorders
  
• Orthodontic relapse
  

Lip sucking, cheek biting, and lip biting

• Malocclusion, such as an underbite or overbite
  
• Impacted swallowing due to abnormal position of the lips
  
• Possible tissue trauma, swelling, and irritation of the skin
  
• Intolerance of certain foods or dental products
  
• Tongue thrusting
  

Chewing on Straws 

• Increased digestive issues due to an intake of air leading to gas and bloating
  
• Frequent cavities
  
• Jaw instability
  
• Malocclusion
  

Thumb sucking - Although thumb sucking during infancy helps the infant become ready for feeding and can help soothe them, prolonged thumb sucking can cause:

• Altered bite and oral development
  
• Narrow, vaulted arch that can cause crowded or misaligned teeth
  
• Forward positioned teeth due to pressure from the thumb
  
• Tongue thrusting
  
• Skin issues on the affected thumb
  

Additional Problems that Can Arise

Aside from the significant impacts to the teeth, mouth, and face listed above, failure to address these can create additional problems. 

• Tongue Thrusting can lead to malocclusions (such as an open bite, or overbite), difficulty biting, chewing, and gathering food in the mouth. Tongue Thrusting can additionally result in difficulty with certain food textures or food aversions related to texture.
  

• Malocclusions can result in speech articulation errors and speech distortions, as well as difficulty chewing, especially meats and tougher foods. 
  

• Malocclusions resulting in misalignment can lead to poor sleep by increasing your risk of grinding and clenching your teeth while you sleep and sleep disordered breathing patterns (e.g., open mouth breathing and snoring). Disordered breathing means that we are no longer receiving optimal levels of oxygen throughout the night which can result in changes to muscle activity for speaking, chewing, and swallowing, reduced attention, increased fatigue, learning disabilities and a decline in health.
  

• Temporomandibular Joint (TMJ) dysfunction and jaw instability can lead to facial pain, jaw pain, and difficulty chewing, as well as possible tinnitus and/or vertigo. Misalignment of the temporomandibular joint can impact the tongue’s resting position during sleep. The tongue may block the airway and lead to snoring. 
  

• Early delays in feeding and swallowing.
  

• Chronic Peripheral Pain, such as teeth grinding or teeth clenching, neck and back pain, tinnitus, and/or vertigo.
  

• Decreased self-esteem due to appearance of the teeth, embarrassment related to continued use of non-age-appropriate soothing strategies, and possible resulting speech articulation errors or distortions. ​
  

How can we help?

We will help you or your child eliminate poor oral habits. The ideal time to start Orofacial Myofunctional Treatment is 7-8 years of age, but adults and children as young as 4 can benefit from support in oral motor development and elimination of poor oral habits. We don’t stop there though! It’s important to treat all resulting factors and therefore treatment targets may also include establishing correct resting tongue posture, establishing nasal breathing, learning to chew and swallow correctly without tongue thrusting, and correcting speech sound errors. 

Want to learn more about oral habits, oral dysfunction, tongue thrusting and/or poor sleep? Check out these accounts on Instagram: 
Cove Speech Language and Feeding Therapy https://www.instagram.com/covespeechtx/ 
Foodology Feeding Therapy https://www.instagram.com/foodology_feeding_therapy/ 
Thumb Sucking Professionals https://www.instagram.com/thumbsuckingprofessionals/
Eat Play Say https://www.instagram.com/eatplaysay/
Functional Face https://www.instagram.com/functionalface/
The Tongue Trainer https://www.instagram.com/thetonguetrainer/
Fame Speech and Myo https://www.instagram.com/famespeechandmyo/

What oral habits do you struggle with?
​Tell us in the comments below!