Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy (OMT)

What is Orofacial Myology?

Orofacial myology involves looking at the orofacial muscular complex (muscle and bone that make up, support, and move the head and face) during rest, breathing, chewing, preparation for swallowing, swallowing, and speaking. It assesses how all muscles and bone movements work together to create optimal function, diagnoses disorder within resting posture and within movements of these features, and identifies a hierarchy of treatment to restore adequate function for optimal breathing, movement, and orofacial development. 

What is an Orofacial Myofunctional Disorder?

The American Speech – Language & Hearing Association (ASHA) defines Orofacial Myofunctional Disorders as ‘abnormal movement patterns of the face and mouth. OMDs may also interfere with how the muscles of the face and mouth are used for eating, talking, and breathing. People who have an OMD may also have problems with talking, swallowing, and breathing through their nose. Some children push out their tongue when they talk, drink, or eat.”

Who can participate in an orofacial myofunctional therapy program and what do they work on?

Birth to 4 years:

• • • Informal orofacial myofunctional program with main focus on oral phase of swallow, targeting oral rest postures through feeding therapy, early identification and prevention of orofacial myofunctional disorders.
    • Pre and post frenectomy assessment and oral motor work
    • Daytime breathing habits including open mouth posture and audible breathing.
    • Nighttime breathing habits including not sleeping through the night, nocturnal bruxing, and enuresis
    • Airway obstruction including sinus congestion, enlarged tonsils and adenoids, and tongue falling into the airway
    • Poor nursing and difficulty transitioning to solid foods
    • Picky eating, limited food repertoire, soft food preferences
    • Difficulties with oral preparation or oral transit including tongue thrust swallow, poor or inefficient chewing, messy eating, and or audible eating
    • Difficulties with open cup or straw drinking
    • Prolonged hard-spout sippy cup use
    • Drooling and poor oral control, specifically past the age of 2 years
    • Restricted labial, lingual, and buccal frenum (lip, tongue, cheek ties)
    • Pharyngeal, laryngeal, esophageal reflux
    • Nonnutritive sucking habits – pacifier use past 18 months, finger, thumb, or tongue sucking. 
    • Early hard palate collapse
    • Dental malocclusions
    • Forward head posture
    • Daytime bruxing and facial pain
    • Atypical speech sound development

4 + years:

• • • Participation in a formal orofacial myofunctional therapy program with in-depth assessment, identification, and hierarchical treatment for the following;
    • Daytime breathing habits including open mouth posture and audible breathing.
    • Nighttime breathing habits including not sleeping through the night, nocturnal bruxing, and enuresis
    • Airway obstruction including sinus congestion, enlarged tonsils and adenoids, and tongue falling into the airway
    • Picky eating, limited food repertoire, soft food preferences
    • Difficulties with oral preparation or oral transit including tongue thrust swallow, poor or inefficient chewing, messy eating, and or audible eating
    • Difficulties with open cup or straw drinking
    • Prolonged hard-spout sippy cup use
    • Drooling and poor oral control, specifically past the age of 2 years
    • Restricted labial, lingual, and buccal frenula (lip, tongue, cheek ties)
    • Pharyngeal, laryngeal, esophageal reflux
    • Nonnutritive sucking habits – pacifier use past 12 months, finger, thumb, or tongue sucking. 
    • Early hard palate collapse
    • Dental malocclusions
    • Forward head posture
    • Daytime bruxing and facial pain
    • Atypical speech sound development