What is Myofunctional Therapy Used For?
Facial muscle disorders might cause problems in skeletal growth, breastfeeding, chewing, sleep, breathing, teeth alignment, etc. Moreover, it will make people avoid social interaction because of breathing through the mouth. Myofunctional Therapy is a technique used to solve orofacial disorders in the long run. People call it Orofacial myofunctional therapy that involves the use of facial muscle exercise to correct the irregularities of the jaw, lips and
- Short upper lip
- Open mouth posture
- Oral muscle movement
- Finger Sucking
- tongue thrust
What is Tongue Thrust?
Tongue Thrust is when the tongue plays an important role in eating, talking, and swallowing. When babies first learn to talk and eat, they stick their tongues to push out the food from their mouths.
However, when these kids grow up, this habit reduces. Unfortunately, some children continue with the same habit, which causes multiple issues. Many experts claim that the resting position of the tongue is crucial, but usually, it is ignored during the inspection. If the tongue rests in the forwarding position of the tongue tip, it can lead to dental changes with time.
- You can ask yourself the below questions when considering whether to have your child inspected by a myofunctional therapist
- Did your dentists diagnose tongue thrust in your child
- Has your baby been in speech therapy with little progress to make new sounds
- Does your child produces different sounds with the tongue
- Does your child breath with an open mouth
What is Myofunctional Therapy ?
A set of techniques/exercises used to improve the functioning of the lip, jaw, and tongue. The training helps to regulate the soft tissues of muscles to get back in optimal positions. People often call them orofacial myofunctional disorders, Which can affect every age group and gender.
What are Orofacial Myofunctional Disorders ?
OMD occurs when the lip or jaw is not optimal and interferes with orofacial structures and development. Moreover, OMD can affect the ability to breathe and talk as well. It will cause problems in the movement of the jaw, oral hygiene, and facial looks. Below are some common causes.
Obstruction in Upper Airways
Unusually heightened tonsils or allergies could create obstacles in the nasal airway. When there are obstructions in nasal breathing the body adopts a new style of breathing as it uses the mouth to breathe. Mouth breathing leads to changes in facials and structure of jaw and tongue for the long term.
Thumb Sucking an Extended Pacifier
Thumb sucking puts extra pressure on teeth by moving the opposite side and causes collusion. Moreover, these issues cause’ significant changes in the rest position of the tongue and swallowing patterns and sleep-disordered breathing.
Orofacial Structural Differences
The American Speech and language hearing Association claims that orofacial structural differences lead to maxillary incisors, leading to bigger problems.
Signs of Orofacial Myofunctional Disorders?
The experts claim OMD occurs when muscle and bone development of the mouth and face are blocked. This condition appears in early life and creates a disturbance in eating, speaking, and breathing. Many expert medical officers indicate that often, OMDs symptoms go away with the development of kids’ face muscles. These signs do not lead to bigger problems but getting immediate medical help enables the doctor to diagnose the issues and start treatment.
Below are Signs of OMD
- Limited Movement
- Language issues
- Problems in speech
- Trouble in swallowing
- Sleep-disordered breathing
- Overbite
- Messy eating
- Breathing through Mouth
- Stomach issues
- Facial Pain
It is not compulsory to have all the above symptoms; you or your baby might have one or two OMDS. In that case, you should seek immediate medical care for myofunctional therapy for problems in swallowing.
How do Orofacial Myofunctional Disorders Affect Oral Health?
The expert dentist of Olive Tree clinic revealed that OMDS could cause problems in breathing and speech and lead to tooth loss and decay. The experts further explained the Wrong position of the lip or jaw affects the natural tongue functionality and flow of saliva. Saliva is crucial as it fights against bacteria and plaque. Therefore, patients suffering from OMD should call for an appointment with the dentist and take care of oral health. This means this individual should maintain oral care like brushing twice a day, flossing, and avoiding sugary foods.
How does Myofunctional Therapy Work
The individual who will assist you in therapy is known as the therapist. Those who receive high training in dealing with OMDs often go through OMD training to have little knowledge. However, they do not pursue the field and pass out giving regular exams. After hearing the problems the patient-dentist will explore the issues and design a treatment program to improve the function of muscles. Sometimes, training goals include focusing on tongue resting position to regulate the nasal breathing patterns or eliminating thumb sucking.
When you reteach your patterns, your therapist will assist you in building awareness of your mouth and facial muscles. He will recommend some exercise for your baby to do at home. The set of exercises will help to focus on breathing, swallowing patterns. Daily practice will help you to improve muscle coordination and overall strength. The therapist will also improve your OMD Symptoms, including speaking clearly, eating effectively, and having a sound sleep. Continued exercise will lead to changes in your facial structures, and you might enjoy a confident smile. With a little help from your dentists and therapist, you will get all the help to correct your facial muscles and structure your smile will be back on the right track.
What is Myofunctional Therapy Used For?
The expert’s therapist claims that people suffering from OMDs have weak and underdeveloped facial muscles. Therapy helps these people to improve their lip, jaw, and tongue muscles. Over time, their face and throat become stable, and they can eat, talk and breathe normally. Moreover, the symptoms of OMDs also decrease. Children who have orofacial disorders and sleep apnea have found therapy helpful. In less than five months, kids started experiencing improvements in the functionality of lip, jaw, tongue, etc.
Moreover, experts advise performing the exercise in front of a medical officer or guardian.
