Causes

It has not been clearly established what causes every orofacial myofunctional disorder, but certain factors are well known. These include the following:

Airway issues that interfere with the ability to breathe easily and consistently through the nose.

A restricted lingual frenum (thin tissue beneath the tongue) that limits the ability of the tongue to move easily throughout the oral cavity, affecting speech production as well as proper chewing and collection of food and liquids prior to the swallow.

Diagnosis

A comprehensive evaluation will be completed to assess oral motor, speech, and swallowing function. Myofunctional therapy may involve referrals to ENT’s,Orthodontists, Dentists, OralSurgeons and other professionals as the need presents to provide you and/or your child with the best treatment plan and outcomes. 

Treatment

Orofacial myofunctional therapy is for children, teens and adults. It utilizes exercises to improve breathing, bite and orofacial postures.  Therapy targets the elimination of any habits such as thumb/finger-sucking, pacifier use, nail biting before a treatment program can begin.

A highly effective “myo” treatment program may target all or some of the following goals:

• To establish proper tongue position (roof of the mouth)/proper oral rest posture. *A low tongue position can contribute to improper muscle functioning and can lead to airway obstruction.

•  Enable continuous nasal breathing

• Pre-operative and post-op tongue-tie (Frenectomy) procedure 

• To help resolve issues associated with sleep, breathing, posture, orthodontic relapse

• Improved motor speech (articulation) 

• Improved feeding, chewing, and swallowing