Exercises for self-correction of bite

We correctly pronounce various sounds thanks to good mobility of the organs of articulation. These include the lower jaw, lips, tongue, and soft palate. The accuracy and strength of movements of these organs develop in the child in the process of speech activity.

When speech articulation is impaired, speech therapists at the Yusupov Hospital use gymnastic exercises and innovative voice correction technologies. The goal of articulatory gymnastics is to develop full-fledged movements and certain positions of the organs of the articulatory apparatus, which are necessary for the correct pronunciation of sounds.

Articulation exercises for lips

Speech therapists conduct articulation gymnastics daily so that the skills developed are reinforced. Each exercise is performed 5-7 times. The articulatory pose should be held in one position for 10-15 seconds.

When selecting exercises for articulatory gymnastics, a certain sequence is followed, first simple exercises, and then complex ones. They are carried out emotionally, in a playful way. Articulation gymnasts are performed while sitting, since in this position the child’s body is not tense, the back is straight, and the arms and legs are in a calm position.

The patient must clearly see the speech therapist’s face, as well as his own face, in order to independently control the correctness of the exercises. A child and an adult should be in front of a wall mirror during articulation gymnastics. Children can use a small hand mirror. Then the speech therapist is located opposite the child, facing him.

Articulation gymnastics begins with exercises for the lips. The speech therapist talks about the upcoming exercise, using game techniques, and demonstrates its implementation. Then the child does the exercise, and the adult controls the execution.

The speech therapist monitors the quality of the movements performed by the little patient:

• accuracy;
• smoothness;
• pace;
• sustainability;
• transition from one movement to another.

He pays attention to the fact that the movements of each organ of articulation are performed symmetrically in relation to the right and left sides of the face. Otherwise, articulatory gymnastics does not achieve its goal. If the baby is unable to move, help him with a spatula.

The system of exercises for the development of articulatory motor skills includes both static exercises and exercises aimed at developing dynamic coordination of speech movements.

Children are asked to do the following lip exercises:

• smile - holding the lips in a smile, teeth are not visible;
• tube - stretching the lips forward with a long tube;
• rabbit - lips are closed, the upper lip is raised and exposes the upper incisors.

Next, perform exercises to develop lip mobility:

• tube smile - stretch the lips forward in a tube, then stretch them into a smile;
• the fish talk - clap their lips against each other (a dull sound is pronounced);
• snout - lips, elongated in a tube, move left and right and rotate in a circle.

The “dissatisfied horse” exercise is performed by speech therapists in the following way: the child easily and actively sends a stream of exhaled air to his lips until they begin to vibrate. The result is a sound similar to the snorting of a horse.

The “Fence” exercise develops the ability to hold your lips in a smile, exposing the lower and upper front teeth. The procedure for performing the exercise is as follows: smile, show your upper and lower teeth, hold your lips in this position for a count of five.

Records

Vestibular plates are removable orthodontic devices. This means that they can be removed for a while, for example, to eat or brush your teeth. The plate for correcting pathologies is made individually for each patient using personal casts of the jaws.

The base of the plate is a plastic base that is adjacent to the palate. Arcs, clasps and screws are integrated into it. The base color can be neutral or colored.

These devices are mainly used in childhood and adolescence, when the dental system is not yet fully formed and therefore the dental elements are able to move relatively easily under the influence of directed force. The plates are also used to correct pathologies in adult patients, but only in mild cases.

Tongue exercises

Children perform a set of static exercises for the tongue:

• spatula - the mouth is open, a wide, relaxed tongue lies on the lower lip;
• chicks - the mouth is wide open, the tongue lies quietly in the oral cavity;
• tube - the mouth is open, the lateral edges of the tongue are curved upward.

Then they move on to dynamic exercises for the tongue. During the “clock” exercise, the mouth is slightly open, the lips are stretched into a smile. With the tip of a narrow tongue, the child reaches alternately, at the teacher’s count, to the corners of his mouth. The “swing” exercise in speech therapy is performed as follows: the mouth is open, the child stretches his tense tongue to the nose and chin or to the upper and lower incisors. During the exercise called "football" the mouth is kept closed. With a tense tongue they rest on one or the other cheek.

With the help of the “sail” exercise, the upper rise of the tongue is prepared for the sounds [r], [l]. The child raises his wide tongue to the upper incisors and rests on the alveoli. The speech therapist makes sure that the tongue does not sag, but is tense and wide.

The purpose of the machine gun exercise is to strengthen the vibration of the tip of the tongue for sound. From the “sail” position, the child performs the “woodpecker” exercise and adds an air stream, like a push of air: “D-ddd” + push of a strong air stream. A vibration of the tongue occurs - “drr”. The exercise should be performed intensively 5 times.

Age for correcting malocclusion in children

You should think about visiting an orthodontist after teething. If necessary, the specialist will prescribe a comprehensive examination and radiography to identify the causes of dental anomalies. Then you should get advice from doctors in related fields. Specialists will determine contraindications, the likelihood of complications and assess the condition of the baby’s entire body. Based on the data obtained, the orthodontist will draw up a treatment plan for approximately 2 years with monthly clinic visits.

Exercises to develop mobility of the lower jaw

In speech therapy, to develop speech articulation, exercises are used that promote the development of the lower jaw. These include the “Cowardly Little Chick” exercise:

• open and close your mouth wide so that the corners of your lips extend;
• lower your jaw approximately the width of two fingers;
• The “chick” tongue sits in the nest and does not protrude.

The exercise should be performed rhythmically. Then they simulate chewing with the mouth closed and open.

To perform the “angry lion” exercise, you need to lower your jaw down, extend your tongue as far as possible towards your chin and mentally pronounce the sounds “a” or “e” on a firm attack. It is more difficult to perform the exercise with whispered pronunciation of these sounds.

The child is asked to pronounce proverbs, sayings, tongue twisters, which are full of vowel sounds that require a wide opening of the mouth:

• small but daring;
• I found a scythe on a stone;
• like the fisherman, like the fish;
• the snake has a bite, the hedgehog has a hedgehog;
• a rolling stone gathers no moss.

During the exercises, the speech therapist ensures that the lower jaw drops freely downwards, and vowel sounds are first pronounced a little emphatically.

How much does it cost to correct malocclusion in children?

Correcting a bite in young children cannot be called expensive. Doctors use simple and inexpensive orthodontic appliances or recommend exercises. But an older child requires more serious treatment, and accordingly, the cost will be slightly higher. The cost of treatment depends on the severity of the pathology and the age of your child. The price of correcting defects with a plate or trainers for a 5-year-old child will vary from 3,000 to 6,000 rubles. Installing braces for children over 12 years of age will cost 100,000 - 300,000 rubles. Treatment with aligners, costing from 169,000 rubles, is available to adolescents aged 16–17 years.

Any dental correction in children should begin with a thorough examination. Correct and timely identification of problems makes it possible to eliminate dental anomalies in almost all patients. The success of treatment depends mainly on its timeliness. The sooner parents show their child to a professional, the greater the chance of eliminating the defect.

Training the muscles of the pharynx and soft palate

Speech articulation is improved by exercises that strengthen the muscles of the soft palate and pharynx:

• yawning with open and closed mouth;
• yawning with a wide opening of the mouth, noisy intake of air;
• voluntary coughing;
• imitating gargling with your head thrown back.

The child can be asked to gargle with a heavy liquid (kefir, jelly, juice with pulp), swallow water in small portions (20 - 30 sips), and puff out his cheeks with his nose pinched. You can imitate whistling, moaning, mooing.

Speech therapy exercises for distinguishing sounds by ear

The purpose of the games and exercises below is to develop auditory attention and phonemic awareness. They help teach children to hear sounds in words, to differentiate certain pairs of sounds by ear and in pronunciation (s - z, s - c, c - ch, sh - zh, ch - shch, s - shch, z - zh, l - r ), correctly highlight the necessary words in phrases.

Games for children from two to four years old are based on onomatopoeia:

• how does a child cry? – AAA;
• How does the water flow? - SSS";
• how does a wolf howl? - UUH.

Another game for the little ones is “Song”. The speech therapist shows cards symbolizing vowel sounds - A, U, O, I in different orders, and the children sing a song.

The game of identifying the sound against the background of the word “Catch the sound” is carried out as a physical education minute. Children should jump up and clap their hands if a given sound is heard in the named word (for example [k]).

The goal of the game "Hunters" is to develop phonemic awareness. The speech therapist invites children to learn to catch sounds. He asks the children to pretend that they are sleeping (so as not to be startled by the sound): put their heads in their hands, close their eyes. Having heard the desired sound among other sounds, you need to “wake up” (sit up straight).

To set sounds in speech therapy, the “Window” exercise is used. The child is taught to keep his mouth wide open. The exercise activates the orbicularis oris muscle and the mobility of the upper lip. The child learns to lower the root of the tongue and move the tongue close to the teeth. The baby is asked to smile, open his mouth wide and move his relaxed tongue close to his teeth. You should hold the position for a count of five. During the exercise, the speech therapist makes sure that the baby’s lips are stretched, the teeth are visible, the root of the tongue is lowered, and the tongue is located symmetrically in the oral cavity.

Mouth guards

Mouthguards, or aligners, are removable plastic or silicone transparent covers on the teeth. Made individually for a specific patient. They are worn constantly and are removed only for eating and hygiene procedures.

They are practically invisible, so they do not cause moral discomfort. The therapeutic effect is determined by a soft force effect on the dental elements, causing them to move in a given direction. The main disadvantage is the inability to eliminate particularly complex defects.

Important: the effectiveness of mouth guards for correcting malocclusion depends not only on the severity of the clinical case, but also on strict self-discipline. Failure to comply with the orthodontist's instructions will negate all efforts made.

Breathing exercises in speech therapy

Training the articulatory organs and the development of speech breathing is one of the main points in the structure of speech correction classes with children who have defects in the pronunciation of sounds. Articulation and breathing exercises play a particularly important role in the correction of dysarthria. Speech therapists at the Yusupov Hospital consistently use various types of gymnastics. First, general motor exercises are performed, followed by breathing exercises, then vocal exercises, and only at the end articulation exercises.

Breathing exercises begin with general breathing exercises. Their goal is to increase breathing volume and normalize its rhythm. The patient is taught to breathe with his mouth closed. They train nasal exhalation by telling the baby: “Inhale deeply and exhale for a long time through the nose.” Then they practice mouth exhalation, while closing his nostrils. Exercises with resistance are used when the speech therapist places his hands on the chest, as if preventing inhalation for 1-2 seconds. They teach you to hold your breath, achieving a deep, quick inhalation and a slow, long exhalation.

Breathing exercises are performed using game techniques. “Bubbles” – use a straw and a glass of water. The speech therapist pays attention to the fact that the exhalation is long, that is, the bubbles should “come out” for a long time.

It is fashionable to use all kinds of whistles and pen caps for children's musical instruments.

“Focus” is an exercise with a piece of cotton wool that prepares you for pronouncing the sound [r]. The speech therapist places cotton wool on the tip of the nose. The patient is asked to stretch out his tongue, bend its tip up and blow on the cotton wool to blow it off the nose.

You can suggest blowing on the flame of a burning candle so as not to blow it out, but only slightly deflect the flame. You should blow carefully, slowly, for a long time. The same exercise is used when producing whistling and hissing sounds.

Useful tips

To soothe pain and alleviate the general condition of TMJ, you can use these useful tips:

• cold or hot compresses applied to the affected area;
• massage of the sore area, which helps relieve some symptoms and relieve pain.

Exercises performed to treat TMJ are a good alternative to medications and surgery, which often have the most unpleasant side effects. But we must not forget that gymnastics methods can only be used as prescribed by a doctor, that is, in the absence of serious pathologies (they are characteristic of an advanced stage and surgery is necessary here).

Medical technologies in speech therapy

Biofeedback is a unique medical technology of the 21st century. It is based on the use of modern electronic equipment. The technique allows anyone to learn how to control their body and allows them to treat the following speech disorders:

• stuttering;
• speech anxiety;
• violation of the tempo of speech;
• violation of sound pronunciation (at the stage of automation of sounds and their introduction into speech);
• reading disorders.

Speech therapists use the following types of art therapy in the treatment of speech disorders:

• music therapy;
• kinesiotherapy;
• fairytale therapy;
• mnemonics;
• creative play therapy (sand therapy).

Body-oriented medical technologies used in speech therapy include stretching, relaxation exercises, and breathing exercises. Rehabilitation specialists at the Yusupov Hospital perform massage of the muscles of the peripheral speech apparatus for speech disorders. It helps to normalize muscle tone and thereby prepare the muscles to perform complex movements that are necessary when articulating sounds.

Finger massage of the palmar surfaces with stone, metal or glass multi-colored balls, clothespin massage and others are included in the rehabilitation program for patients with speech disorders. If you have a speech disorder, call the Yusupov Hospital.

Trainers

Orthodontic trainers are removable silicone covers for the teeth. They are worn for several hours a day: at night and for 2–4 hours during the day. They are used to correct occlusion in children and in simple situations (for example, when there are gaps between dental elements) in adults.

There are several types of trainers:

• standard for the initial stage of treatment - made of soft pink silicone. This period lasts about six months. The main goal is to influence the position of the jaws and facial muscles;
• standard for the final stage - made from harder blue silicone. They directly influence the movement of teeth in the dental row;
• Lm-activators are trainers, the unique feature of which is that they can be used before all teeth erupt, when the process is just beginning. Their use allows the teeth to settle into place immediately after eruption;
• myobraises – allow for early correction in a natural way, from the age of 3 years. The system does not work on the consequence, but on the causes of the formation of malocclusion. Myobraises are worn for 1 hour during the day and worn throughout the night.