When your mouth is relaxed, where does your tongue sit? Does it rest behind your top front teeth? Or does it sit against the bottom of your mouth? Believe it or not, the position of your resting tongue can reveal a lot about your health. Let’s take a closer look at tongue placement and what it means for your body.
The Tip of the Tongue Behind Top Teeth
If the tip of your tongue rests against the ridge right behind your top front teeth, this is considered a “normal” tongue position. With the tongue in this spot, it allows the jaw to relax and the teeth to sit properly in place. This tongue placement indicates proper oral rest posture and is the healthiest position for your tongue to rest in. Benefits include:
- Keeps teeth aligned and prevents overbite or underbite
- Allows proper jaw growth and development
- Prevents tongue thrusting when swallowing
- Encourages proper breathing through the nose
As you can see, having the tip of the tongue resting behind the top teeth promotes proper oral functions like chewing, swallowing, and breathing. It also prevents tooth and jaw problems down the road. This is the ideal tongue position that dentists and orthodontists like to see.
The Tongue Pressed Against the Bottom Teeth/Mouth
If your tongue sits pressed against or between your bottom teeth, this is considered an abnormal tongue position. Reasons your tongue may rest too low include:
- Thumb sucking or pacifier use as a child
- Mouth breathing habits
- Tongue tie (restricted tongue movement)
- Swallowing dysfunction
While this tongue placement may feel comfortable or normal to you, it can lead to some unfavorable consequences over time. Potential effects include:
- Tooth crowding or crooked teeth
- Gum problems
- Speech impediments like lisping
- Jaw misalignment causing TMJ/TMD disorders
- Sleep disordered breathing like snoring or sleep apnea
As you can see, an improper low tongue posture negatively impacts development of the teeth, jaws, and airway. It requires extra work by the tongue to keep it resting down instead of up where it belongs.
Tongue Pressed Against the Roof of Mouth
Some people habitually hold their tongue against the hard palate or roof of the mouth. This tongue thrusting causes constant pressure on the upper teeth and excessive force when swallowing. Like a low tongue posture, it can contribute to crooked teeth, speech problems, and TMJ/TMD disorder over time. An upper pressed tongue position may result from:
- Enlarged tonsils or adenoids
- Allergies and nasal congestion leading to mouth breathing
- Habitually holding tongue in wrong spot
If your tongue rests firmly on the roof of your mouth, try to retrain it to rest in the proper position. Ask your dentist or orthodontist for helpful tongue exercises and techniques.
Tongue Resting Posture Differs on Each Side
Do you notice your tongue favoring one side more than the other when it’s at rest? Having an uneven tongue posture is problematic because it applies uneven pressure on the teeth. This can cause an asymmetry in your bite and jaw alignment. Possible reasons include:
- Missing teeth on one side
- Tongue muscle imbalance
- Habitually holding tongue to one side
- Nerve damage on one side of tongue
If your tongue leans or rests more on one side, bring this up to your dentist. Determining the cause will help correct this uneven pressure and prevent bite problems.
Conclusion
The ideal tongue posture at rest is with the tip resting right behind the front top teeth. This allows for proper oral functions and development. Abnormal tongue positions can affect the teeth, jaws, airway, and speech. Being aware of your tongue placement is key, especially if it’s causing asymmetry in your bite. With effort and consistency, resting your tongue properly can become a healthy lifelong habit.