Orofacial Myologists look at the whole picture of an orofacial myofunctional disorder taking a holistic approach to seek to address the underlying cause.

WHAT IS AN OROFACIAL myofunctional disorder (OMD)?

Orofacial Myofunctional Disorders (OMD’s) occur when there are limitations or deficits in the oral and orofacial muscles which interfere with normal growth, development and function of orofacial structures.

OMD’s can negatively impact the movement of your jaw, the way you chew, swallow, and speak, and even the way your teeth align and fit in your mouth, and how your face looks.

SIGNS & Symptoms that you may have an omd…

AIRWAY & Sleep issues

  • Mouth breathing (difficulty nasal breathing)

  • Allergies affecting your ability to nasal breathe

  • Snoring/heavy breathing

  • Sleep disordered breathing/sleep apnoea

  • Restless sleep

  • Fatigue

  • Anxiety and shortness of breath

  • Forward head posture

  • Neck/shoulder pain

orofacial Issues

  • Low tongue resting posture (when the tongue isn’t resting in the palate)

  • Tethered oral tissues (tongue tie &/or lip tie)

  • Long face

  • Gummy smile (where gum is visible above top front teeth when smiling)

  • TMJ (jaw) pain

  • TMJ locking/popping

  • Facial pain

  • Incompetent lips (when they don’t easily close)

  • Headaches

  • Overactive mentalis muscle (dimpling of the chin muscle when lips are closed)

speech & Behavioural issues

  • Difficulty with articulation of sounds including n/t/l/d/r/sh/z

  • Mumbling

  • Failure to progress in speech therapy

  • Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

  • Children who struggle to regulate their emotions

dental/orthodontic issues

  • Dental crowding

  • Narrow jaws

  • High palate

  • Bruxism (tooth grinding)

  • Tooth wear

  • Orthodontic relapse (movement of teeth after braces)

  • Malocclusion

Oral habits

  • Non-nutritive sucking past 12 months of age

  • Thumb or finger sucking

  • Nail biting

  • Tongue sucking

  • Lip trapping (where the lower lip rests behind the top front teeth)

  • Babies bottle past 12 months of age

Chewing/swallowing difficulties

  • Selective eating (avoidance of chewy foods like steak)

  • Slow eating

  • Drooling/poor oral control (past 2 years of age)

  • Fingers in the mouth to clear food

  • Food pocketing

  • Gagging

  • Digestive issues (including constipation)

  • Ear infections

GOALS of Orofacial Myology

→ Nasal breathing day and night

→ Optimal breathing, using the muscles of the diaphragm

→ Competent lip seal (where the lips are sealed at rest)

→ The tongue must be resting up in the roof of the mouth (palate), and be able to function correctly

→ The cessation of non-nutritive sucking (finger/thumb/dummy etc)

→ Bilateral chewing with lip seal and nasal breathing

→ Relaxed face and jaw muscles, and adequate Freeway Space (back teeth should be a few millimetres apart at rest)

We take a foundational approach to seek to address the underlying cause of OMD’s rather than just addressing the symptoms.  

We love to see children early to establish correct oral resting postures whilst we still have a window of growth to work with. 

In saying that, people of all ages can benefit from orofacial myofunctional therapy.