Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy (OMT)What is it?
More and more we are seeing OMT growing traction because……… it works!!!! Families, patients, and providers are starting to see and FEEL the lasting benefits of OMT, but I think many are left wondering what exactly is all this? So let’s break it down!
Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy (OMT): OMT targets atypical/adaptive orofacial patterns that are present due to a variety of underlying causes (aka Orofacial Myofunctional Disorders)
Hold the phone….. What is an Orofacial Myofunctional Disorder (OMD)?
From mouth breathing to digit sucking, from tongue-tie to tongue thrust swallow pattern, and everything in between…. the improper movements of our lips, cheeks, and tongue can cause some pretty serious problems for us. For kiddos, the problem is usually observed in the way their teeth, speech, and feeding patterns develop. We are also seeing a growing correlation between OMDs, airway concerns and the diagnosis of ADHD. For adults, it may present like snoring, poor sleep, or always feeling tired…can you relate? It can also be observed in the form of reflux, earaches, headaches, neck and/or back pain, and jaw pain. Contrary to popular opinion, these are not normal or just a sign of stress! Either way, OMT is an important therapy modality for children AND adults. So what can you expect after you or your child has had a thorough evaluation and beings OMT?
Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy For Children: OMT usually starts around 4 years of age when a child can sit and attend to a task. Oftentimes, children are brought in for a simple dental or speech assessment and underlying issues such as a tongue tie, tongue thrust, or mouth breathing are noted. In order to make true progress in speech, feeding, or orthodontia, retraining maladaptive muscle patterns is necessary. During sessions your child will work to establish:
Nasal breathing
Correct lip/tongue resting posture
Proper chewing
Proper swallow pattern
Proper tongue placement for speech phonemes
Jaw stabilization/reduced use of jaw compensation
.
Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy For Adults: In the adult population, parents usually learn of their own underlying issues when they bring their child in for an assessment…….. We often hear comments like “Oh, I do that!” or “Wait! Do you treat adults because I know I snore!” It’s not uncommon for an evaluation for one child to result in OMT for the entire family! There are so many gimmicks and hacks these days to better sleep, reduced jaw pain, and no snoring. “Do you snore? Here’s a strip for your nose!”, “Have jaw pain? Sleep with this very awkward and uncomfortable mouth guard!”, “Have sleep apnea? Please wear this machine strapped to your face all night!”....... But no one is actually addressing the root cause of these issues! There is no bandaid cure for your maladaptive behaviors, no matter what the media is advertising! BUT……. with intervention provided by a skilled therapist and dedication on your end, you can improve your quality of life through OMT! In order to address these issues once and for all, you have to change the patterns and behaviors of your muscles and their functions. During OMT treatment adults will be working toward establishing the following:
Nasal breathing
Correct lip/tongue resting posture
Proper chewing
Proper swallow pattern
Proper tongue placement for speech phonemes (occasionally we see residual speech errors even in adults typically after years of speech therapy that never worked)
Jaw Stability
Reduced Jaw Tension
Reduction of teeth grinding
Reduction of noxious habits like nail biting, pen cap chewing, lip or cheek biting, chapped lips/lip licking, and more
Proper global posture
Reducing headaches
Final Comments
Whether you’ve been on the fence about OMT for months or this is your first time hearing about it, OMT can result in major life changes with permanent results. If while reading through the paragraphs above you were saying, “check, check, check!!”......it may be time for you to contact a speech language pathologist (SLP) or a registered dental hygienist (RDH) with specialty training in OMT. After evaluating you or your child, your therapist will come up with a treatment plan designed especially for you to treat your symptoms and maladaptive behaviors. Let us know if Flourish Speech Therapy can help you! Our passion lies in helping create a better quality of life for our patients and their families!
Authored By: Mckenzie McDaniel M.S. CCC-SLP, QOM & Rebecca Fonseca M.S. CCC-SLP