Medical Oncologist
CION Cancer Clinics
Speech therapy after tongue surgery | CION Cancer Clinics
Speech therapy after glossectomy teaches you to make clear sounds with the tongue you have left, using the lips, jaw and throat to do more of the work. It starts early, often before the operation, and most of it is practised at home. This page explains when it begins, what a session involves, what the notes mean and what the family can do to help. CION Cancer Clinics’ surgical oncologists in Hyderabad can talk this through with you.
MM
Medically reviewed by Dr. Muralidhar MuddusettyConsultant Surgical Oncologist · MBBS (AIIMS), MS (Surgery, AIIMS), DNB (Surgical Oncology), MRCS (Edinburgh) · last reviewed September 2026, next review due September 2027
17+specialists on panel
15,000+patients treated
35+centres across Telangana & AP
4.8★ / 800+Google rating
On this page
- What does speech therapy after tongue surgery actually do?
- When does speech therapy start, and how long does it go on?
- What will I actually be asked to practise?
- Words you will see on the therapist's notes
- Four things families say about speech, and what is true
- What this page cannot tell you
- Common questions about speech therapy after glossectomy
The short answer
What does speech therapy after tongue surgery actually do?
Speech therapy teaches you to make clear sounds with the tongue you have left, and with the lips, jaw and throat doing more of the work. It does not bring back the part of the tongue that was removed. It makes the most of what remains, and for most people that is enough to be understood again.
Why the tongue matters so much for speech
Almost every sound in Telugu, Hindi and English needs the tongue to touch or come close to a fixed point in the mouth. The letters t, d, n and l need the tip against the ridge behind the teeth. The letters k and g need the back of the tongue to lift. When part of the tongue is removed, or replaced with a flap of tissue that cannot move on its own, those points are harder to reach. The therapist finds a new way to reach them, or a nearby sound the listener will accept instead.
Who leads it
A speech and language therapist, sometimes called a speech pathologist on your discharge papers. The same person usually looks after swallowing too. Someone who has lost the whole tongue will still gain from therapy, but the goal is different: to be understood, not to sound as before.
Speech therapy is not optional extra care. It is part of the operation's plan, in the same way that physiotherapy is part of a hip replacement.The order of things
When does speech therapy start, and how long does it go on?
-
Before the operation
The therapist records how you speak now, explains what is likely to change, and teaches two or three exercises so that you already know them when your mouth is sore. Ask for this visit if it has not been offered.
-
The first days in hospital
Little or no talking. The mouth is swollen, there may be a breathing tube in the neck, and the stitch lines need rest. You communicate with a writing pad or your phone. This is normal and is not a sign of how you will speak later.
-
Once the swelling settles
Gentle tongue and lip movements begin, usually while you are still in hospital, and carry on at home with daily practice. This is where most of the gain happens. Family are taught how to listen and how to prompt without finishing your sentences.
-
During and after radiotherapy
If radiotherapy follows, the mouth becomes dry and sore and speech can dip for a while. Therapy continues through this, at a lighter pace, and picks up again once the mouth heals.
-
Months later
Speech keeps improving slowly for many months as the flap softens and you learn new habits. Most people finish regular sessions with a home routine and a way to get back in touch.
Not sure whether this applies to you?
Ask an oncologistIn a session
What will I actually be asked to practise?
Sessions are short and repetitive. The hard part is keeping it up every day, which is why a family member usually sits in.
Movement and stretch
Pushing the tongue forward, sideways and up as far as it will go, and opening the jaw fully. This keeps the scar and the flap from tightening. It matters most in the first months.
Typical exercises
- Tongue tip to each corner of the mouth
- Tongue pressed up against a spoon
- Jaw opening held for a slow count
Sound by sound
The therapist finds the sounds you now struggle with and works on each one. Often the fix is a small change in where the tongue aims, or letting the lips or the roof of the mouth do the job instead.
Usually the hardest
- t, d, n, l and s at the front
- k and g at the back
- Fast strings of consonants
Slowing down and over-shaping
Speaking a little slower, opening the mouth a little wider and finishing each word does more for being understood than any single exercise. It feels odd at first and becomes automatic.
Real conversations
Reading aloud, phone calls, ordering at a shop. The therapist listens for the words that fail and works backwards from them. Family are asked to say when they did not follow, rather than nodding along.
On your therapy notes
Words you will see on the therapist's notes
- Articulation
- How clearly each sound is made. This is what the tongue exercises are for.
- Intelligibility
- How much of what you say a listener understands. It is often written as a rough score. It matters more than how you sound to yourself.
- Compensatory strategy
- A workaround. Using the lips for a sound the tongue used to make, or slowing down before a hard word, is a compensatory strategy.
- Range of motion
- How far the tongue and jaw can move. A tight flap or scar shortens it, and the stretches are there to protect it.
- Free flap
- Tissue moved from the arm or thigh to fill the space where tongue was removed. It gives bulk and shape but has no muscle of its own, so it does not move.
- Palatal augmentation plate
- A dental plate that lowers the roof of the mouth so that a small or fixed tongue can reach it. Not everyone needs one.
Leave a number, we will call you
One field. No form to fill in, and no charge for the call.
Commonly believed
Four things families say about speech, and what is true
"He should rest his mouth and start the exercises
after the wound has healed properly."
Waiting is the most common mistake. Scar and flap tissue tighten while they heal, and movement that is not practised early is harder to win back later. The therapist will say when it is safe to start.
"Speech therapy is for children with a
stammer."
The same profession works with adults after strokes, throat surgery and tongue surgery. In a cancer centre this is most of their work. There is nothing childish about it.
"If we speak for her, it saves her the
effort."
It also takes away her practice. Let her finish. Ask her to repeat if you did not follow.
"The speech will come back on its own with
time."
Swelling settles on its own. New ways of making sounds do not appear on their own; they are learnt. Time helps most when it is filled with practice.
Being straight with you
What this page cannot tell you
This page cannot tell you how clear your own speech will be. That depends on how much tongue is removed, which part, whether the tip is kept, whether a flap is used, and whether radiotherapy follows. Your surgeon can give you a rough picture before the operation. Ask for it in plain terms.
Where the gains come from
People who keep the tip of the tongue usually regain clear speech with practice. People who lose the tip, or most of the tongue, are usually still understood in conversation but may sound different, and harder to follow on the phone or in a noisy room. People who lose the whole tongue speak, but with a very different sound, and rely more on a slow pace and on lip and jaw shaping.
What to ask at the next appointment
Ask who your therapist will be, when the first session is, and how often sessions will run once you are home. Ask whether reviews can be by video call if you live far from the centre.
If you are already home and no one has mentioned speech therapy, call the helpline. It is never too late to start.Questions we are asked
Common questions about speech therapy after glossectomy
Will I be able to talk at all after the operation?
Almost everyone speaks again, including people who have had a large part of the tongue removed. How clear the speech is varies a great deal. The first days are silent because of swelling and stitches, not because the voice is gone.
How many sessions will I need?
There is no fixed number. Some people need a handful of sessions and a home routine. Others, especially after a flap or radiotherapy, work with the therapist for many months. The therapist reviews you and sets the plan, and it can be changed as you go along.
Can the sessions be done in Telugu?
Ask for this at the start. The sounds that matter differ between languages, and practising in the language you use at home gives the biggest gain. If the therapist does not speak your language, a family member can sit in and help with the practice words.
We live far from Hyderabad. How do we keep up the therapy?
Most of the work is done at home anyway. Ask whether review sessions can be by video call, and whether a therapist nearer to you can follow the plan. Bring a phone recording of your speech to each review so that the therapist can hear the change.
Does radiotherapy undo the progress?
It usually causes a dip. The mouth becomes dry and sore, and speaking is tiring. Keep the stretches going gently through treatment, because tightening during radiotherapy is harder to reverse. Speech generally picks up again in the months after the course ends.
Is there any device or plate that helps?
For some people a dental plate that lowers the roof of the mouth lets a small or fixed tongue reach it, which makes several sounds clearer. It is made by a dental specialist working with the therapist. Ask whether it suits your operation; it is not for everyone.
Will my job on the phone be possible again?
Often, with practice, though it may take longer than face-to-face speech. Phone lines drop the small cues that listeners use. Tell the therapist early that this matters to you, so phone calls can be built into the practice from the start rather than left to the end.
What should the family do differently?
Look at the person when they speak. Say when you did not follow, rather than guessing. Do not finish sentences. Keep the room quiet when practising. Sit in on at least one session so that you know the exercises and can prompt them at home without nagging.
Meet the Specialists
17+ senior cancer specialists. One panel for your case.
Trained at AIIMS, Tata Memorial, and leading international centres. Combined 150+ years of experience. Every complex case is reviewed by 3+ of them — together.
Medical Oncologist
Dr. C. Raghavendra Reddy
MBBS(Gold Medal), DNB(General Medicine), DM(Medical Oncology)(Gold Medal)
Medical Oncologist
Dr. Bharati Devi Gorantla
MBBS, MD(General Medicine), DM(Medical Oncology)(Adyar,Chennai), ECMO, MRCP SCE(UK)
Medical Oncologist
Dr. Owais Mohammed
MBBS, MD (General Medicine), DrNB (Medical Oncology), ECMO, MRCP SCE (Medical Oncology) (UK)
Medical Oncologist
Medical Oncologist
Surgical Oncologist
Dr. Muralidhar Muddusetty
MBBS (AIIMS), MS (Surgery) (AIIMS), DNB (Surgical Oncology), MRCS (Edinburgh)
Surgical Oncologist
Surgical Oncologist
Surgical Oncologist
Dr. Vinay Mamidala
MBBS, MS(General Surgery), M.Ch(Surgical Oncology), FMAS, FARIS(Ongoing)
Surgical Oncologist
Radiation Oncologist
Radiation Oncologist
Radiation Oncologist
Hematologist
Surgical Oncologist
Dr. Vajja Sandeep Kumar
MBBS, MS (General Surgery), DrNB (Surgical Oncology), FALS Oncology
Surgical Oncologist
Want a specific doctor for your case? Mention them when booking.
Book Free ConsultationBook an appointment with our specialist
Share your name and number — we'll call you back within 30 minutes to schedule your consultation.
Sources
- Cancer Research UK — Mouth and oropharyngeal cancer
- Macmillan Cancer Support — Mouth cancer
- NHS — Mouth cancer
- National Cancer Institute — Head and neck cancers
This page is general information, not a prescription. Do not change or stop any treatment based on what you read here. If anything is worrying you, contact your own treating team — or call our helpline and we will help you reach the right specialist.
Keep reading
Related pages
Will I Be Able to Speak After Glossectomy?What speech is usually like after each size of operationSwallowing After GlossectomyThe same therapist looks after swallowingReconstruction After Tongue RemovalWhy a flap gives shape but does not moveAppearance and Speech: What Family Should ExpectFor the son or daughter doing the listeningRecovery, Eating and Getting Back to LifeThe wider recovery after any cancer operation
Talk to us
Not sure who your speech therapist is?
Tell us where you had the operation and what has been arranged so far. We will help you reach a speech and swallowing therapist and a surgical oncologist who can review the plan.