Speech Therapy for Orthodontic Patients

Your child wears braces or is about to get them? The orthodontist suggested a speech therapy consultation? That’s good advice. Bite alignment and speech are closely connected, and speech therapy helps make orthodontic results last.

Why should a speech therapist and orthodontist work together?

Braces straighten teeth, but they don’t change habits. If your child swallows incorrectly (tongue pushes against teeth instead of the palate), breathes through the mouth, or has weak lip muscles, the teeth may return to their old position after braces come off. Why? Because the same forces that caused the malocclusion are still at work.

A single swallow generates about 500 grams of pressure. We swallow 600 to 1,000 times a day. If the tongue pushes the teeth every time, no braces can hold up against that long-term.

When to see a speech therapist?

• Before getting braces — to correct habits that may interfere with treatment (mouth breathing, infantile swallowing, thumb sucking).
• During orthodontic treatment — to work on muscles and habits in parallel.
• After braces are removed — to reinforce correct patterns and reduce the risk of relapse.
• When the orthodontist recommends it — more and more orthodontists refer patients for myofunctional therapy because they see that braces alone aren’t enough.

What we do in therapy

1. Assessment — I check how your child breathes, swallows, where the tongue rests, and whether the lips close properly. I talk to parents about habits (thumb sucking, nail biting, pen chewing).
2. Correct swallowing — transitioning from an infantile swallow pattern (tongue on teeth) to a mature one (tongue on palate). It takes time and patience, but gives lasting results.
3. Breathing exercises — if your child mouth-breathes, we work on restoring nasal breathing and resting lip closure.
4. Tongue resting position — learning the “spot,” the point on the palate where the tip of the tongue should rest.
5. Eliminating oral habits — stopping thumb sucking, pacifier use, and other habits that disrupt bite alignment.

I collaborate with orthodontists

If your orthodontist would like updates on therapy progress, I’m happy to provide a report. Good collaboration between speech therapist and orthodontist is the best path to lasting results.

📞 577 600 985
📧 neurologopeda.grzegrzolka@gmail.com