Myofunctional therapy
We routinely screen patients for oromyofunctional disorders (OMD’s). OMD’s can significantly affect our ability to properly chew, swallow, speak, and breathe. They can also impact facial development, the position of the teeth, body posture, and retention of orthodontic care.
Myofunctional therapy is like physical therapy for facial muscles— it aims to retrain dysfunctional muscle patterns of the face, mouth, tongue, and throat. Our goal is to help you collaborate with trained therapists who can address these concerns. We want to set you up for a lifetime of success both orthodontically and functionally!
Examples of OMD’s include:
- Tongue thrusting (the tongue pushes against or between the teeth rather than resting in the palate)
- Mouth breathing
- Incorrect oral rest posture
- Chewing and swallowing difficulties
- Speech articulation difficulties
- Poor head posture
- Muscle hyperactivity when swallowing
Airway Screenings
- Our initial screening includes a series of questions and a clinical evaluation to assess the risk for sleep disordered breathing.
- A poor airway is often related to myofunctional and postural problems, altered dento-facial development, and malocclusion.
- Our goal is to identify your risk and help coordinate care for further evaluation as needed. This may include additional imaging in our office and/or referral to an ENT.
Oral Habit Screening
- Oral habits may include sucking habits (finger, thumb, pacifier) or non-nutritive chewing habits (biting fingernails, cheeks, lips, tongue, and foreign objects).
- These habits can cause damage to the teeth and can initiate changes in the bone, gums, and facial development.
- As a Breathe Institute Ambassador, Dr. Dani is trained to address habits appropriately based on a child’s developmental stage.
