Myofunctional Disorders
What They Are and Why You Should Care About Them…
Myofunctional disorders refer to abnormal functioning of the tongue and other facial muscles, which, if untreated, can lead to developmental issues in infants, toddlers, and children. In infants, these disorders can cause difficulties with breastfeeding. As children grow, untreated myofunctional disorders can result in tongue thrusts, open bites, swallowing issues, and chronic mouth breathing. If neglected into early childhood, they may contribute to speech disorders, teeth grinding (bruxism), facial asymmetry, TMJ issues, and even sleep disorders like obstructive sleep apnea. Myofunctional therapy can help prevent or reverse these problems.
What Are Oral Myofunctional Disorders(OMD's)
- Jaw growth
- Face development
- Teeth alignment
- Oral hygiene and dental cavities
- Chewing
- Swallowing
- Occlusion (the way teeth bite)
- Oral habits like thumb sucking nail biting
- Pencil chewing, hair picking or curling etc
- Teeth grinding or clenching
- TMJ disorders
- Stability of orthodontics treatment
- Nasal breathing
- Sleep disorders
- Facial esthetics
- Headaches
- Neck and shoulder pain
- Back pain
- Forward head and neck posture
Think of It as Physical Therapy for the Face
Myofunctional therapy focuses on improving breathing, swallowing, and oral hygiene by correcting tongue posture, strengthening facial muscles, and eliminating poor oral habits. Similar to physical therapy, it uses exercises to enhance the function of muscles in the face, mouth, and jaws, including the tongue. The ultimate goal is to improve patients’ overall health, well-being, and oral function.
Goals Of Myofunctional Therapy
Continuous Nasal Breathing
Strengthen Orofacial Muscles
Proper Tongue Position & Oral Rest Posture
Pre/Post Operative Myofunctional
Therapy
Proper Posture
Correct Swallowing
- Thumb Sucking
- Choking/Gagging
Mouth breathing
- Picky eating
- Finger sucking
- Lip biting
- Snoring
- Pencil Chewing
- Drooling
- Tongue thrusting
- Noisy Breathing
- Pacifier habit
- Nail Biting
- Poor Posture
- Teeth Grinding
- Bottle feeding habit
CHILDREN
Myofunctional Therapy Is a therapeutic approach aimed to toning the muscles necessary for essential functions such as nasal breathing and swallowing, which should occur naturally. It also helps correct poor oral habits that can hinder proper growth and development.
A proper diagnosis enables targeted and effective orofacial myofunctional therapy (OMT) exercises, specifically designed for oral posture retraining to support overall health. The primary goals include improving breathing, optimizing swallowing, reducing pain and enhancing quality of life. For a more comprehensive understanding, refer to the academy of orofacial myofunctional therapy.
- Mouth breathing
- Sleep Apnea
- Before and after Tongue Tie Release
- Lip incompetence
- Tongue thrusting
- Facial esthetics
- Headaches
- Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) or heartburn
- Temporomandibular joint (TMJ) pain
- Neck, shoulder and back pain
- Orofacial Pain
- Posture correction
ADULTS
Orofacial myofunctional therapy is also beneficial for adults. In many cases, myofunctional disorders arise due to issues such as mouth breathing, snoring, teeth clenching, TMJ disorders, or improper jaw development. Adults of all ages can achieve positive outcomes through this treatment. Myofunctional therapy has proven to be a successful, non-invasive and cost- effective alternative treatment for sleep apnea, with no significant risks. For instance, it may help you avoid the need for continues positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy or even surgery. Additionally, this therapy has been applied in the treatment of other conditions such as: