Oral Motor and Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy
What are Orofacial Myofunctional Disorders (OMDs)?
OMDs are disorders that indicate the abnormal function of orofacial structures (tongue, lips, teeth, jaw, cheek, nasal passages). They fall under the “oral motor disorders” umbrella and can significantly impact your child’s ability to speak and eat/drink. Specially trained speech-language pathologists do therapy to help restore the normal processes of orofacial and dental growth and development.
*Myofunctional therapy is for anyone above age 4. If your child is younger than 4, we are able to start working with them on oral motor skills.
Signs of OMDs
There are many signs of OMDs. If you suspect that you or your child has an OMD, contact us and we can schedule an evaluation.
Here are some signs to be aware of.
Oral habits (Thumb/finger sucking, prolonged pacifier use)
Low forward resting tongue posture, “tongue thrust”
Tethered oral tissues (tongue tie, lip tie)
Mouth breathing
Reverse swallow when drinking and eating
Errored speech sounds
Disordered breathing and sleep apnea
Malocclusion and orthodontic relapse
Temperomandibular joint (TMJ) disorder
What Do OMDs Negatively Affect?
OMDs can have a negative effect not only on you or your child’s teeth and oral posture but on how you breathe and eat as well.
Orofacial growth and development
Airway competency
Chewing and swallowing
Articulation and speech intelligibility
Efficiency of orthodontic treatment
Adequate sleep
Oral hygiene
Proper posture
How To Treat OMDs
Depending on the client’s goals, Orofacial Myofunctional Treatment may include:
Establishing correct resting tongue and facial posture
Eliminating oral habits
Establishing nasal breathing
Learning to chew and swallow correctly
Correcting speech sound errors