I looked in the mirror today while chewing on some carrots and noticed something interesting. I noticed that my tongue was actually shifting the food back and forth between my left and right molars with each chew. This made me wonder if my tongue should be staying centered and maybe pushing food on the roof of my mouth while chewing. I'm not sure. What is the correct tongue function while chewing?
Lateral movement of the tongue is normal, but I'm not sure about pushing the food on the roof of the mouth.
Here is a video of Dr. Mew teaching how to chew and swallow...
He indicates that the tongue can move around all it wants, but the rest of the facial muscles should remain relaxed.
I have been practicing this mealtime exercise lately and it really is a workout! I didn't think it would be, but I find that I have a tendency to use a lot of my facial muscles around my mouth to chew and swallow. When I try and not use them, the more appropriate muscles are then used and strengthened.
One thing I'm confused about is where to put the tip of my tongue when I am swallowing food. I'm thinking it should go at the normal mewing position just above the two front teeth, but I find it really difficult to swallow food like this. It is much more comfortable for me to push my tongue towards my teeth, but I think that can contribute to poor teeth alignment. Anyone else experience similar struggles with this?
Here is a video of Dr. Mew teaching how to chew and swallow...
He indicates that the tongue can move around all it wants, but the rest of the facial muscles should remain relaxed.
I have been practicing this mealtime exercise lately and it really is a workout! I didn't think it would be, but I find that I have a tendency to use a lot of my facial muscles around my mouth to chew and swallow. When I try and not use them, the more appropriate muscles are then used and strengthened.
One thing I'm confused about is where to put the tip of my tongue when I am swallowing food. I'm thinking it should go at the normal mewing position just above the two front teeth, but I find it really difficult to swallow food like this. It is much more comfortable for me to push my tongue towards my teeth, but I think that can contribute to poor teeth alignment. Anyone else experience similar struggles with this?
Proper swallowing is more about the posterior tongue than the tip. So when you don't have sufficient space on your anterior palate, it helps to slide the tip away from "the spot" towards the open space behind your incisors, so that the body of your tongue gets more anterior space to work with. As you swallow, try to slide the posterior tongue forward along the palate, but kep the tip away from the incisors. Molar contact is fine.
Proper swallowing is more about the posterior tongue than the tip. So when you don't have sufficient space on your anterior palate, it helps to slide the tip away from "the spot" towards the open space behind your incisors, so that the body of your tongue gets more anterior space to work with. As you swallow, try to slide the posterior tongue forward along the palate, but kep the tip away from the incisors. Molar contact is fine.
Thanks for the advice. I tried what you said and it works well.
Now I've got another issue pop up. My swallow structure has changed so much that it's taking some getting used to. The swallow strength is much better but food is not sliding down my throat that great. I may have some inflammation or something from practicing my swallowing so much. Feels a bit better today thankfully.
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