Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy

The main issues that cause patients to contact a myofunctional specialist are:

• Breathing through mouth;
• Open lips during rest:
• Abnormal tongue position during rest;
• Tongue – tied;
• Lip – tied;
• Atypical swallowing (difficulty swallowing, using extra muscles to swallow);
• Chewing disorders;
• Facial muscle activity disorders;
• Weak chewing muscles;
• Speech pathology;
• Temporomandibular Joint (TMJ) disorders;
• Sleep disorders; and,
• Teeth grinding.

Myofunctional therapy specialists can also help patients that have unhealthy habits that impact the whole jaw system, such as:

• Sucking of the thumb, comforter, or blanket.
• Biting nails.

When is myofunctional therapy applied?

Myofunctional therapy is applied in:

• Children who are 5- 6 years, and up (children must be able to perform exercises);
• Adults.

How does myofunctional therapy work?

During therapy, an individual exercise program is created. Exercises help turn unhealthy habits (e.g., tongue constantly at the bottom of the mouth) into correct positions (e.g., during rest the tongue shoul be constantly pressing upwards against the palate).

How long does the treatment take?

Myofunctional therapy treatment takes about a year. For the first two months, visits to the physical therapist are every 1 to 2 weeks. For the next four months, visits are every 2 to 3 weeks.  After the sixth month, visits are once a month.

A myofunctional therapy specialist may work together with odontologists, orthodontists, physical therapists, acupuncture specialists, nutritional specialists, ear, nose and throat specialists (ENT), neurologists, and psychologists.

Contact physical therapist: gabija.zotikoviene@gmail.com