If the muscles in your face don’t work as they should, you have an orofacial myofunctional disorder, or OMD for short. Depending on the type of OMD you have, you might experience all sorts of issues, including mouth breathing, sleep-disordered breathing, and lisping. Fortunately, it’s often possible to address your symptoms with myofunctional therapy. Below is a brief overview of how myofunctional therapy works and how it can benefit you.
What is Myofunctional Therapy, and What Does It Involve?
Myofunctional therapy involves performing a series of special exercises that are intended to strengthen the muscles in your face and/or mouth. The exercises that you need to perform will depend on the nature of your disorder. For instance, tongue thrust is a type of OMD that can cause the tongue to push against the teeth even while it’s at rest. Treating this issue often requires training the tongue to help it find a better resting position.
What are the Potential Benefits of Myofunctional Therapy?
The specific goals of myofunctional therapy can vary from patient to patient. That said, depending on the situation, the treatment can yield the following benefits:
- Improved Oral Posture: Myofunctional therapy can help ensure that your tongue, lips, and teeth are all in the correct positions when your mouth is closed. This is important because poor oral posture is a contributing factor to breathing problems and dental misalignment.
- Breaking Your Mouth Breathing Habit: Many people with OMDs breathe through their mouths. Habitual mouth breathing can dry out your mouth and increase your risk of developing cavities and gum disease. The right form of myofunctional therapy can encourage nasal breathing, which is better for your oral and overall health.
- Reduced Sleep Apnea: If the muscles in your throat become too relaxed while you’re asleep, it can lead to soft tissue collapse that blocks the airway. The result is sleep apnea, a sleep disorder where your breathing is repeatedly interrupted. Myofunctional therapy can strengthen your throat muscles and reduce the chances of your airway being blocked.
- Relief from TMJ-Related Pain: Some OMDs can put excessive strain on your jaw joints and potentially contribute to TMJ disorders. Myofunctional therapy can be an important step for alleviating your TMJ-related pain.
In short, there are plenty of reasons why myofunctional therapy can be worth pursuing. Do you suspect that you may have tongue thrust or another type of OMD? If so, you should reach out to a trained myofunctional therapist; they can point you toward an appropriate form of treatment so that you can achieve relief from your symptoms and improve your quality of life.
About the Author
Dr. Renee Marks is a certified Myofunctional Therapist. She has over 30 years of experience in the dental field, and she has trained with the Academy of Applied Myofunctional Sciences. At Centre Smiles, she provides personalized myofunctional therapy to help patients improve their oral and overall health. If you believe that you might benefit from myofunctional therapy, you can schedule an appointment at our practice in State College by visiting our website or calling (814) 826-3767.