Testing the efficiency of the swallow and bite.
What can your smile do for you?
Testing the efficiency of the swallow and bite.
About The SWITCH Test
The POWER of connection
The SWITCH Assessment is an acronym for Strength With Integration of Trigeminal and Cranial Harmony.
Neurological signals originating from the swallow and the bite affect the postural control of the body's musculoskeletal system through simple, yet sophisticated neural circuits
The SWITCH Assessment has been designed to not only educate the on the level of function and resilience of the patient, but also to guide treatment sequencing and decisions.
For Patients
The SWITCH Test allows the patient's own body to show whether or not their swallow and/or bite are supporting them through everyday function.
For Providers
Simple clinical assessments allow the provider team to assess the patient's level of function and resilience in their efforts to support comprehensive and efficient treatment options for thier patients.
The power of the smile
Understanding and optimizing the brain-body connection
The SWITCH Test allows healthcare providers to perform reliable and repeatable assessments for their patients.
What if you could perform a simple test to assess a complex
Is the power off or on?
Anyone who has ever had an electrical outage knows the inconvenience of not having enough power to turn the lights on.
A similar concept applies to the human body.
Without an apppreciation for or understanding of the neural circuits that support swallowing, chewing and sleep, the healthcare profession is "in the dark".
Comprehensive Connections
The Cranial Nerve System
Imagine the 12 cranial nerves of the brainstem as the breaker box that regulates electricity to your home.
If there is a problem with the breaker, you will not have power to the lightbulbs or appliances that need electicity to work.
If the patient has a problem with their cranial nerves (especially the nerves that supply the tongue), the patient will have swallowing and breathing challenges.
Therapies designed to tuen the power back on are called Oral Neuromyofunctional Therapies and are an important part of the Neurofunctional Dental Medicine approach to care.
The Autonomic Nervous System
There is much more to understand related to human function than what can be easily measured or seen. Tongue and breathing function are controlled by the brain and the patient's ability to regulate the balance between rest and digest and flight or fight.
The Terrific Trigeminal Nerve
DId you know that the emerging literature points to the functino of the trigeminal nerve is sleep dysfunction and neurodegenerative diseases (Alzheimers) as well as physical/athletic performance?
The Primitive Reflex System
Assessment is importat to understand not only oral function, but also behavioural challenges and compensations.
Retained Primitive Reflexes
The influence of the retained startle reflex (Moro) on fascial restrictions affecting tongue mobility (often misdiagnosed as a tongue tie)
The brain-body connection
Vestibulospinal Pathways
The details
The Switch Test is a clinical diagnostic tool that assesses the relationship between oral function, neuromuscular patterns, and nervous system responses — providing real-time functional intelligence to guide treatment planning.
1. A Neuromuscular Diagnostic Tool Evaluates how shifts in tongue posture, jaw position, and dental contacts influence nervous system function and muscle performance throughout the body.
2. Rooted in Functional Neurology Uses muscle response testing as a biofeedback mechanism, revealing patterns of neurological facilitation or inhibition directly tied to oral conditions and position changes.
3. A Functional Snapshot Captures a moment-to-moment picture of the patient's neurofunctional status — not just anatomy, but how the entire system is actually performing at rest and under load.
The Switch Test: Clinical Application
How It's Performed
- Baseline responses to a leg raise resistance test establishes the patient's neurological starting point
- The neurological and cranial implications of tongue/swallow function is systematically assessed
- TMJ loading and occlusal relationships are tested
- Functional changes are observed and documented
- Findings are correlated with symptoms to create an individualized treatment roadmap
Who Benefits from Testing
- Patients with swallow or speech dysfunction, malocclusion, TMJ disorders and craniofacial pain
- Children showing signs of airway compromise or sleep disturbance
- Individuals with poor orthodontic response or relapse
- Adults with chronic postural or myofascial issues
- Any patient beginning ALF Therapy, airway dentistry, laser therapies, evaluation for tongue tie surgeries or oral myofunctional therapies
What the Switch Test Reveals
The Switch Test transforms invisible neurofunctional patterns into clear, actionable clinical data.
Tongue Dysfunction Reveals whether the tongue is contributing to neurological modulation, inadequate cranial structural support, or compromised airway dynamics — including dysfunctional resting posture patterns.
Occlusal Imbalances Identifies occlusal relationships that switch the nervous system into compensation patterns, stress modulation (low tongue posture) or facilitation states, informing bite equilibration and appliance design.
Airway Involvement Uncovers compensatory patterns related to stress (vagal tone modulation), which can result in low tongue posture impacting oropharyngeal airflow — how the patient's system has adapted, and which postural corrections unlock better neurological function.
Treatment Progress Tracking Used before and after each intervention (laser therapies, ALF, Oral NeuroMyoFunctional Therapies), the Switch Test objectively quantifies functional improvement over time.
Literature References
Brainstem Balance
Trigeminal, Visceral and Vestibular Inputs May Improve Cognitive Functions by Acting through the Locus Coeruleus and the Ascending Reticular Activating System: A New Hypothesis
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnana.2017.00130/full
Downstream Implications
Descending Influences on Vestibulospinal and Vestibulosympathetic Reflexes
http://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fneur.2017.00112/full
Evidence-Based Medicine: The Realities
Evidence Based Medicine – New Approaches and Challenges
Want to learn more?
There are many more references in support of the neurofunctional approach to care. Please visit our website using the following link