These are the basic exercises that we use in teaching the child to swallow properly.

Some of these lessons are very difficult and must be repeated. Instead of terminating with sixteen lessons, some children may have many additional lessons before they learn to swallow correctly. Some of our most difficult cases have had lessons for a year before mastering the problem. Do not overdo this. In other words, if the child seems to respond acceptably, continue until you have taught him to swallow correctly. If after the sixteenth lesson the child lacks interest and fails to absorb the lesson material, give him a rest. Then pick him up at a later date and start over again.

If this re-education of swallowing is carried through, most of our orthodontic problems will be solved as far as the treatment of open-bite cases is concerned. The slight relapses of overbite and overjet will not occur if these conditions are due to the tongue habit.

One should continue to work with the child until he can do all these exercises properly. When he does them unconsciously in swallowing, he will have learned to swallow properly. The acid test is to ask the child to swallow the way he used to. If he cannot do it, then you know that you have taught him to swallow correctly.

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Walter J. Straub

This article originally appeared in American Journal of Orthodontics