06/02/2026
Let’s talk about the tongue! 👅
The tongue:
😛 Provides sensory information to the brain about taste, texture, temperature, and size of food/liquid placed in the mouth
😛 Moves food side to side so the teeth can chew it
😛 Prevents food/liquid from going down the throat before the body is ready by raising the back of the tongue
😛 Collects food into a cohesive glom (bolus) so it is ready to be swallowed
😛 Pushes the bolus from the mouth to the throat
😛 Gathers any leftover crumbs from the lips or between the teeth or between the teeth and the lips
But wait, there’s more!
The tongue also:
👄 Changes the shape of the space in the mouth to create different vowel sounds during speech
👄 Makes contact with (or comes very close to) the hard palate and the teeth to create consonant sounds during speech
👄 Can be used in various facial expressions to convey different emotions and enhance communication
