Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Biting her mouth!

Poor Jorja has not mastered the art of chewing.

Don't get me wrong... Jorja is just like her Mama and loves to eat!

But every snack, every meal, every time something edible goes in her mouth ... she bites the sides of her mouth. Fortunately, she doesn't bite hard enough to draw blood. But it does hurt her.

She likes to chew with her front teeth - this is really not socially acceptable - I hate for her to get teased in school next year because of this habit.

Does anyone have any suggestions of how to teach a child to chew using her back teeth and not chewing the side of her mouth.

7 comments:

Heather BT said...

Talk to a speech therapist. They deal with mouth behavior issues too. Good luck!

Amy said...

try chewing gum

Amy said...

Did you say once that she has sensory issues? Landon's speech therapist starting observing him eating and he would never chew on the back. He said it was low muscle tone and that is why he prefers yogurt and oatmeal because it is too hard to chew. We are now switching over to an OT for him until he figures out his sensory issues and we are trained and then his ST will take over again. So maybe it is sensory?? I like Amy's idea of gum. That would cause her to use her jaw muscles more too.

MandL said...

Have you considered stimulating the parts of her mouth where she is avoiding chewing? You might try a soft-bristled baby toothbrush brush to gently massage those areas several times a day for a minute or so each time. This will provide sensory input to that part of her mouth and, hopefully, will create new neural connections in the brain so that she is more accepting of food in those areas of her mouth. Hope this is helpful!

Tena said...

Eli bites his tongue! I'm gonna have to pay attention to whether he chews with front teeth or back!
Poor Jorja!

NancyW said...

Does she like licorice? Get that stick licorice and stick it in the side of her mouth to chew. The other thing that is nasty for the teeth in terms of sugar, but good for chewing practice is Laffy Taffy.

Jodi said...

Thank you for your help girls!!!
The speech therapist doesn't think it is a Sensory Issue - as she only does it while eating...
Jorja loves to chew gum - and doesn't bite her mouth when she chews gum. :)
I will try the licorice.

I really think it is just a bad habit - like talking with your mouth full. :) but this one hurts!

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