Do you have an orofacial myofunctional disorder? Our dedicated dentists at Advanced Dentistry by Design are here to help. We are pleased to offer Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy to our patients to improve symptoms caused by their myofunctional condition.
What is Myofunctional Therapy?
Myofunctional therapy, also known as orofacial myofunctional therapy, treats orofacial myofunctional disorders. Myofunctional therapy has been exceedingly beneficial to help treat these conditions in recent years.
This type of therapy includes preventing, diagnosing, and treating functional and structural changes in the mouth, face, and neck region. Myofunctional therapy works well for people who snore or have obstructive sleep apnea.
This type of therapy works best for those whose sleep apnea is caused by mouth-breathing or misaligned teeth or jaws. Myofunctional therapy involves neurological exercises to help retrain the mouth, face, and neck to function correctly.
To do this, clinicians work with the muscles of the lips, tongue, cheeks, face, and related processes. Your orofacial therapist can help you with breathing, sucking, chewing, swallowing, and some aspects of speech.
Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy, also known as OMT, assists patients who struggle to complete these functions naturally. OMT can also improve the appearance of the face by strengthening specific muscles.
What Are Orofacial Myofunctional Disorders?
Orofacial myofunctional disorders (OMDs) are abnormal movements of the face and mouth. People of all ages, from toddlers to adults, can have OMDs.
These disorders can interfere with the normal growth and development pattern of the muscles and bones of the face and mouth. If these muscles are developed abnormally, it may interfere with breastfeeding, eating, talking, and breathing.
Most OMDs originate with insufficient nasal breathing or mouth breathing. When the muscles and the orofacial functions adapt to a disordered breathing pattern, an OMD can develop.
Dysphagia, or inability to swallow correctly, is a serious myofunctional disorder. Swallowing depends on a well-coordinated relationship between the muscles of the face, mouth, and throat.
To swallow properly, muscles and nerves in the tongue, cheeks, and throat must work harmoniously. When a person swallows normally, the tip of the tongue presses firmly against the roof of the mouth.
This part of the mouth is called the hard palate. It’s located slightly behind the front teeth. Tongue strength is critical when swallowing.
What Are the Symptoms of Orofacial Myofunctional Disorders?
Symptoms of orofacial myofunctional disorders include:
- Misaligned teeth like an overbite or underbite
- Tongue thrusting (pushing teeth beyond the lips)
- Teeth grinding
- Difficulty closing the lips to swallow
How Are OMDs Treated and Diagnosed?
Dental professionals and therapists use various myofunctional therapy methods and tools to treat and diagnose OMDs. One of the tools used by the professionals at Advanced Dentistry by Design is the Iowa Oral Performance Instrument or IOPI.
This device measures tongue and lip strength and endurance. Dentists and therapists also use this device to implement strengthening exercises for your tongue and lips.
To utilize the IOPI, your dentist places a standard-sized air-filled bulb in your mouth for tongue strength. The IOPI measures the maximum pressure that you can produce by pressing the air bulb against the roof of the mouth with your tongue.
Measuring tongue strength can help clinicians decide what is causing certain swallowing or speech problems. If your tongue is weak, strengthening exercises can often be effective.
The machine has a vertical set of green lights corresponding to the level of pressure you can achieve during exercise therapy. Each patient may be given a protocol.
These protocols can include a target value. These values often consist of how many times to illuminate the green light and how long to keep it illuminated before releasing pressure.
The ability to compress your lips is determined by the strength of the muscles around the mouth. Inadequate lip strength can result in chewing problems or affect your ability to produce specific speech sounds.
Do you want to learn more about how myofunctional therapy can help treat your myofunctional condition? Schedule an appointment at Advanced Dentistry by Design in San Jose, CA, today!