What is Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy

Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy (OMT) is a specialized type of therapy that focuses on the muscles and functions of the face and mouth. It's essentially like "physical therapy" for these specific muscles.

The goal of OMT is to re-educate or re-pattern the oral and facial muscles to promote proper function, including:

• Tongue position: Encouraging the tongue to rest in its correct position in the roof of the mouth.
• Breathing: Promoting proper nasal breathing.
• Chewing and Swallowing: Developing correct and efficient patterns for eating and swallowing.
• Speech: Improving articulation and speech clarity.

OMT is used to treat orofacial myofunctional disorders (OMDs), which are abnormal muscle movement patterns in the mouth and face. These disorders can affect a wide range of functions and aspects of health, including:

• Breathing Issues: Such as mouth breathing, snoring, and even sleep apnea.
• Speech Difficulties: Especially with certain sounds.
• Chewing and Swallowing Problems: Leading to messy eating, picky eating, or difficulty with certain food textures.
• Dental Issues: Like malocclusion (improper bite), orthodontic relapse, and even tooth decay due to dry mouth from mouth breathing.
• Facial Growth and Development: Especially in children.
• Temporomandibular Joint (TMJ) Disorders: Which can cause jaw pain and headaches.
• Oral Habits: Such as thumb sucking, finger sucking, or prolonged pacifier use.

OMT typically involves a customized program of exercises for the lips, tongue, jaw, and cheeks, along with behavior modification techniques. These exercises are designed to strengthen and coordinate the muscles and improve the patient's awareness of their oral and facial movements. OMT is often a collaborative effort, involving specialists like speech-language pathologists, dentists, orthodontists, and ENT doctors.