Orofacial Myology
What is Orofacial Myology?
An orofacial myofunctional disorder (OMD) is an improper use of mouth and/or facial muscles (the prefix "myo" stands for muscle). These improper behaviors and patterns are created when muscles function inappropriately or when there are incorrect habits involving the tongue, lips, jaw and face. Orofacial myology is a treatment for orofacial myofunctional disorders that includes therapeutic exercises, activities and re-education of the mouth and facial muscles. The goal of therapy is to improve muscle tonality, to establish correct function of the tongue, lips and jaw so that normal growth and development may take place or progress and/or eliminate harmful habits through positive reinforcement.
What are some common orofacial myofunctional disorders?
Of the many possible OMD's, tongue thrust is the most common orofacial myofunctional disorder. During the act of swallowing and/or in a rest posture, an incorrect tongue position may contribute to proper orofacial development and misalignment of the teeth. Another common OMD relates to the lips - where the lips rest apart, resulting in a constant open mouth - also known as lip incompetence. Some other common orofacial myofunctional disorders we recognize and treat include:
- Oral habits: Thumb/finger/tongue/lip sucking; Lip/nail biting or lip licking; Teeth grinding (Bruxism)
- Dentofunctional abnormalities: Difficulty swallowing; abnormal tongue, lip and/or jaw posture; abnormal chewing
- Prolonged speech difficulties
- Mouth breathing and/or drooling
- Tongue-tied (Ankyloglossia)
- Orofacial jaw pain
- Difficulty in denture retention or usage
- Protruding teeth
- Low muscle tone (hypotonic orofacial muscles)
- Poor oral motor abilities (atrophic tongue muscles)
- Orthodontic relapse/stability
- Open bite anomalies from myofunctional problems
- Fibromyalgia related to pain (TMD/TMJ)
- Post-operative jaw surgery cases
- Bell's Palsy and Facial Assymetry
What causes an orofacial myofunctional disorder?
According to the International Association of Orofacial Myology, almost 38% of the general population and up to 81% of children exhibit speech/articulation problems. It is often difficult to point to one particular source as the cause of an OMD. In many cases, OMD is a result of a combination of factors. Some common contributors of OMD's include:
- Restricted nasal airways due to allergies or enlarged tonsils or adenoids
- Improper oral habits such as thumb or finger sucking, cheek or nail-biting, tooth clenching or grinding
- Neurological or developmental disorders
- Bite anomalies
- Congenital/musculoskeletal deformities due to a hereditary predisposition to the above factors
Why be concerned? And is treatment really necessary?
If left untreated, orofacial myofunctional disorders may have a negative effect on the development of the teeth and jaws. In particular with dental eruption patterns and the alignment of the teeth and jaw structure. Speech patterns may become distorted or misarticulated. Open mouth-lip incompetence can lead to a less-than-pleasing facial appearance.
Therapy programs are designed to retrain patterns of muscle function and to aid in the creation and maintenance of a healthy orofacial environment. Therapy can help stabilize and retain dental and/or orthodontic treatments, enhancing appearance and helping to maintain optimum dental health.
Since there are many possible variations of orofacial myofunctional disorders - and various effects of these disorders as well - the effects of these patterns need to be evaluated individually, especially when there are dental, medical or speech concerns. Treatments may involve orofacial myofunctional physical therapy, habit elimination for oral habits, speech therapy, myofacial release therapy and/or nutritional counseling.
Who should treat an orofacial myofunctional disorder?
Treatment should be completed by a professional specially trained and certified as an Orofacial Myologist. Dr. Kopin is a board-certified Orofacial Myologist (COM), as well as a licensed dental hygienist and doctor of Naturopathy. She is an educator and has lectured extensively on various topics regarding orofacial disorders. Dr. Kopin works closely in association with dentists, othodontists, ENT's, speech pathologists, primary care physicians and chiropractors to provide effective and positive treatment for her patients. | 
