Orofacial Myofunctional Disorders
Therapy Goals
- Correct the abnormal tongue and lip movement in swallowing as well as lip and tongue rest posture differences, speech differences, oral habits and structural/functional (oral /facial muscle imbalance) difficulties of the body, jaw, lips and tongue.
- Improve oral and facial muscle function through muscle and resting retraining techniques for body, jaw, lip and tongue to correct a reverse-swallow pattern (tongue thrust) which may contribute to orthodontic complications and delays in the completion of treatment by forcing the teeth apart or forward.
- Control the reverse-swallow pattern characterized as a strong, outward-pushing movement of the tongue that is seen in normally developing individuals as well as in those with neurological dysfunction.
Note: Tongue thrusting is the abnormal habit of placing the tongue between the teeth before and during the act of swallowing. A tongue thrust may be associated with a retruding lower jaw, long narrow face, flaccid muscles of the lips and neck, elongation of the nose and abnormal airway path, lips that do not touch without contracting the chin muscles, hyperactivity of the facial muscles, narrow and abnormal development of the palate, a short lingual frenulum and an open bite where the front teeth do not contact.
