Bite blocks are an essential tool for speech therapy. They make it easier for speech therapists to help their clients strengthen the muscles in their faces, improving their ability to articulate words.
If you’re a speech pathologist, you’re probably familiar with the challenges that come with helping your clients improve their articulation, whether it be for clarity of speech or some other reason.
You may also have trouble keeping your clients focused, or find that they struggle to keep their mouths in the right position while they speak.
The solution to these problems is bite blocks. Bite blocks are an incredibly effective tool for speech pathologists. They can be used to help your clients focus and keep their mouths in the right position while they speak, which makes it easier for them to improve their articulation.
Bite blocks have been traditionally used in dentistry, but their application has expanded over the years. One of the most exciting fields for bite block use is speech therapy. Speech therapists have found that bite blocks—especially those made of softer materials like silicone—are beneficial for patients who have difficulty articulating words or may be more comfortable speaking with an object in their mouth.
Bite blocks are also beneficial for patients with conditions like Parkinson’s Disease or ALS which make it difficult to speak clearly and loudly enough to be heard by others. They help you focus the sound of your voice, so that people around you can hear you better.
Bite blocks are also helpful in cases of slobbering or excessive saliva production, as they serve as a barrier between your teeth and lips and keep your face nice and dry while you talk.
Bite blocks are tools that speech therapists can use when working with patients who are practicing their speech. Bite blocks are typically made of a soft, malleable material, such as foam or rubber, shaped like a tongue depressor and placed into the patient’s mouth to encourage the patient to keep their tongue from moving forward during speech and to keep the teeth from touching.
A bite block is used by a speech therapist when working with patients who have trouble speaking clearly or have a “lisp.” When a person speaks, the teeth should not be touching (unless they are biting down on something), and the tongue should not be pushing forward against the teeth. If either of these things is happening, it will make it difficult for the person to speak clearly. A bite block in the mouth helps prevent these movements from occurring so that the patient can practice saying words correctly.
Bite blocks are a great way to ease into speech therapy. While they can be an awkward experience at first, they quickly will become a technique that you look forward to using. Bite blocks work by simulating the feeling of chewing on something while still allowing you to use your mouth to form words. This can help keep both sides of your brain occupied so that you can focus on talking without getting distracted by the feeling of pressure on the inside of your mouth.
Bite blocks can be made from anything hard and sturdy, but it is recommended that you purchase them rather than make them at home. If you do not purchase bite blocks and instead decide to make them yourself, there are many different materials available including wood, metal, and plastic. You can also buy and use plastic toys such as Lego bricks or Interlocking Blocks for this purpose (just remember not to swallow!). If none of these options work for you then try using something else like Play-Doh or other chewable items from around the house such as rubber bands or pencil erasers!