Orofacial Myofunctional Disorders
Orofacial Myofunctional Disorders (OMDs) occur when there is abnormal development or use of the face, mouth and/or tongue muscles, resulting in dysfunctional lip, jaw or tongue placement and movements during rest, swallowing or speech. These dysfunctions can develop early on in life. Early detection and treatment can prevent OMD symptoms that can worsen throughout life, but myofunctional therapy at any point in life can have profound effects.
Orofacial dysfunction can cause imbalances in other areas of life that can negatively impact our overall health.These can include dental health, facial underdevelopment that affects airway, orthodontic relapse causing prolonged treatment or failure, stomach issues, TMJ dysfunction and sleep disorders to name a few.
It is common that improper utilization of our cheek, jaw and neck muscles while at rest and swallowing can cause the diminishing use of our tongue. This lack of use weakens our tongue’s ability to function properly causing other muscles to be used. At Aspen Myofunctional Therapy we address these learned compensation patterns through muscle dissociation, strengthening and coordination to help prevent or improve muscle pain associated with this misuse.
Open mouth breathing is a habit that often goes unnoticed by the individual due to ailments that were never addressed, which eventually cause this prolonged dysfunctional breathing. An open mouth posture affects the development of the mid face causing smaller mouths and airways. Aspen Myofunctional therapy helps retrain proper lip and tongue posture and breathing.
Identifying and treating orofacial dysfunctions is effective in improving sleep quality, insufficient breathing patterns, low tongue posture, open lip resting posture and reverse swallowing patterns through exercises of the orofacial muscles.
Signs of Oral Myofunctional Disorders
Mouth Breathing
Snoring
Insufficient Lip Seal
Clenching
Grinding
Misaligned Teeth
Facial Pain
Acid Reflux
Anxiety