How Tongue Posture Shapes Your Child’s Face, Teeth, and Health

Did you know your child’s tongue has a “home”? It’s the roof of the mouth—and not just the tip, but the entire tongue, all the way to the back.

When the tongue rests in that position, it does something really important:
It helps your child’s face and jaw grow properly, keeps the teeth in better alignment, and encourages nose breathing (which is the healthiest way to breathe).

But when the tongue can’t reach or stay at the top of the mouth, things can start to go off track. Your child might:

• Breathe through their mouth

• Snore or sleep poorly

• Grind or clench their teeth at night

• Have trouble focusing

• Develop crowded teeth

• Or even show signs of jaw tension or discomfort

Why Can’t the Tongue Stay Up?
Sometimes, the tongue is tied down by a tight string underneath (called a tongue-tie). But other times, the tongue is just tight, weak, or has limited space to move—even if the string looks normal.

This is called functional tongue-tie, and it can still affect how your child breathes, sleeps, eats, and grows.

The Latest Research
Dr. Soroush Zaghi and his team have been studying this carefully. They’ve found that restricted tongue movement—even if it’s not from a classic tongue-tie—can affect your child’s:

• Breathing (especially at night)

• Jaw development

• Facial growth

• Muscle tension

• TMJ problems

• And yes—even grinding and clenching, as the body makes sure it gets proper oxygen by moving the jaw forward, causing you to clench or grind

They’ve developed tools to measure tongue movement and strength in both the front and the back of the tongue—because both matter. This helps airway dentists like me understand what’s really going on and offer the right support early on.

How Can We Help?
If your child struggles with keeping their tongue up, mouth breathes, snores, grinds their teeth, or just doesn’t sleep well, we can help.

We may suggest:

• A full airway and tongue evaluation

• Myofunctional therapy (which helps retrain tongue and facial muscles)

• Functional tongue-tie release if needed

• And tips to encourage nasal breathing

The goal is to guide your child’s growth naturally, support better breathing, and give them the healthiest start possible.

📚 Source: Zaghi S, et al. Assessment of posterior tongue mobility using lingual-palatal suction: Progress towards a functional definition of ankyloglossia.

Dr. Cortez