Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy
At Blunston Dental Group in Airdrie, Alberta we will help treat Orofacial Myofunctional Disorders (OMDs) with therapy to bring your face muscles and bones back to balance.
What is Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy (OMT)?
Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy (OMT) is a neuromuscular re-education of the muscles in the face, lips, mouth, tongue and neck to assist in the normalization of the developing craniofacial structures, thus restoring balance to the stomatognathic functions (breathing, chewing, swallowing, and occlusion). OMT acts to evaluate, diagnose, and treat people who may have these functions compromised or altered.
How can we help treat OMD?
Our goal in OMD therapy treatments is to bring your face muscles and bones back to balance so everything can function properly.
The main goals of myofuntional therapy include:
- Eliminating dysfunctional habits (eg, nail biting, lip biting, thumb sucking)
- Establish nasal breathing as their primary respiratory function
- Attain a lip seal
- Create a palatal tongue rest position
- Establish proper chewing and swallowing
How does Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy work?
Myofunctional therapy consists of a series of relatively simple re-education exercises given to the patient to assist in the re-patterning of the muscles in the face, mouth and throat. Through repetition of these exercises, the muscles begin to recondition themselves.
A newly coordinated and harmonious facial muscle pattern develops, thus correcting and optimizing the patient’s orofacial functions.
Treatment time can vary depending on individual cases but is typically delivered over the course of several months to one year so that re-patterning is well established.
Although OMT can be done at any stage of life, depending on the diagnosis, early intervention is usually best.
OMT is done before and during active orthodontic treatment, before and after a frenectomy (tongue-tie release), as well as in conjunction with oral appliance therapy for TMD or sleep apnea.
Recent research is highlighting the efficacy of myofunctional therapy and restoration of nasal breathing as an adjunct therapy for the treatment of sleep breathing disorders and snoring.(1-2)
Click the links below to download related articles
Patients Treated with orthodontic therapeutic protocol
References:
1. Myofunctional Therapy to Treat Obstructive Sleep Apnea: A systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Camacho M, Certal V, Abdullatif J, Zaghi S, Ruoff CM, Capasso R, Kushida CA. Sleep. 2015 May 1;38(5):669-75.
2. Effects of Oropharyngeal Exercises on Patients with Moderate Obstructive Sleep Apnea. Guimarães KC, Drager LF, Genta PR, Marcondes BF, Lorenzi-Filho G. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2009 May 15;179(10):962-6.
