Unlocking clear speech: how tongue posture shapes communication

Imagine you’re sitting in a grand concert hall listening to a philharmonic orchestra play a famous piece of classical music. It’s an incredibly uplifting experience, almost transcendent in its impact. 

After a while, you begin to watch individual musicians, admiring their skill. And then your eye is drawn to the conductor whose movements, signals and timing coordinate the whole performance.  

But imagine what would happen if the conductor’s posture changed. What if they stood off to the side where half the musicians couldn’t see their baton waving? The beautiful music would turn into discordant chaos.

Just as a conductor keeps the music in time and harmony, your tongue coordinates breathing, speaking and swallowing. And, just as the conductor needs to stand where they can be seen, your tongue needs to be in the right posture to do its job well. 

 

What is tongue posture?

Tongue posture refers to the position of your tongue when your mouth is at rest. 

Ideally, your tongue should gently press against the roof of your mouth, with the tip just behind your upper front teeth and your lips closed. This resting position isn’t just a quirk of anatomy — it plays a crucial role in guiding oral development, supporting nasal breathing and enabling clear speech.

 

Understanding correct tongue posture

By now, you’re probably wondering if your tongue is in the right place!

Try this: close your mouth and breathe through your nose. Where is your tongue resting? If it sits low in your mouth or presses against your teeth, you may be experiencing poor tongue posture.

Correct tongue posture feels natural once developed. The entire tongue — not just the tip — should make light contact with the roof of your mouth, with your lips closed and teeth slightly apart.

 

What contributes to poor tongue posture?

Poor tongue posture can be the result of several factors, including:

Mouth breathing: Breathing through the mouth often pulls the tongue downward and forward.

Tongue-tie (ankyloglossia): A restricted lingual frenulum can limit the tongue’s ability to rest properly.

Chronic nasal congestion: When your nose is blocked, you have to breathe through your mouth, keeping your tongue low so it’s out of the way.

Thumb sucking or dummy use: Prolonged habits in childhood can promote a low-lying tongue and an open mouth.

Neurological or muscular issues: These can impair the coordination or strength needed for proper tongue placement.

 

Impacts of poor tongue posture

As you can see, many factors can contribute to poor tongue posture. But does it matter? 

Yes, it does. 

In growing children, proper tongue posture helps shape the dental arch and supports optimal jaw alignment. Chronic low tongue posture can contribute to dental issues (crowding, gaps or an open bite), a longer face or a recessed jaw.

In some cases poor tongue posture can result in things like anterior open bite or other dental malocclusions, this in turn makes it difficult to pronounce letters.

Then there’s breathing – an essential activity if ever there was one! Poor posture often pairs with mouth breathing, which reduces oxygen efficiency and can cause dry mouth, bad breath and sleep issues like snoring and sleep apnoea. In contrast, proper tongue posture promotes nasal breathing, which in turn boosts nitric oxide production — a molecule essential for cardiovascular health and oxygen delivery.

 

Tips for improving your tongue posture

Your tongue is a muscle – and like other muscles, it can be trained. You might do squats to tone your glutes or hamstrings or bicep curls to strengthen your arms. 

The tongue requires slightly different training to keep it mildly active all the time, but with consistent effort, you can strengthen your tongue and retrain your brain into a new habit of good tongue posture.

The Myospots Nasal Breathing range is designed to help you improve your tongue posture and kick the mouth-breathing habit. The range includes: 

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• Tongue exercise spots, which help your tongue learn to rest on the roof of your mouth
  
• Lip tape to help you keep your mouth closed so you breathe through your nose during sleep
  
• Nasal strips to gently widen your nostrils for easier nasal breathing at night

 

Disclaimer

All information is general and not intended as a substitute for professional advice. Always read the label and follow directions for use. 

 

References

• Healthline, What you need to know about proper tongue posture, https://www.healthline.com/health/tongue-posture, [Accessed 24 March 2025]
• Healthline, What to know about mouth breathing, https://www.healthline.com/health/mouth-breathing, [Accessed 24 March 2025]
• Deshkar M, Thosar NR, Kabra SP, Yeluri R, Rathi NV. The Influence of the Tongue on the Development of Dental Malocclusion. Cureus. 2024 May 29;16(5):e61281. doi: 10.7759/cureus.61281. PMID: 38947580; PMCID: PMC11211712. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11211712/, [Accessed 24 March 2025]  
  
• Hear and Say, Understanding the Tongue Thrust Affect on Speech: Causes and Solutions, https://www.hearandsay.org.au/understanding-the-tongue-thrust-affect-on-speech-causes-and-solutions/, [Accessed 24 March 2025]