What is Myofunctional disorder (OMD) refers to a group of conditions characterized by abnormal muscle function in the mouth, face, and throat. These disorders can affect the tongue, lips, cheeks, and jaw muscles, leading to improper chewing, swallowing, breathing, and speech patterns.

Goals of myofunctional therapy:

Correct oral postures
Improve chewing and swallowing
Support speech development
Facilitate orthodontic outcomes
Reduce sleep disruptions
Eliminate bad habits (thumb sucking, nail biting)

Children as young as 3 or 4 can benefit from Myofunctional Therapy.

Myofunctional Therapy helps children train the muscles of their mouth and face to work better. It can occur before, during or after orthodontic treatment.

Benefits of Myofunctional Therapy

Improve open-mouth breathing
Improve low tongue posture
Improve sleep disorders
Improve speech articulation
Decrease picky eating
Correct tongue thrusts
Prevent orthodontic relapses
Teach good oral habits
Correct facial asymmetry
Decrease snoring
Prevent cavities and gum disease
Improve teeth alignment
Decrease allergies and sickness
Decrease TMJ discomfort

Myofunctional Therapy is typically an insurance-covered benefit with a trained occupational therapist.

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