How Our Therapists Help with Orofacial Myology Disorders

Orofacial Myology Disorders can cause a range of issues, including misaligned teeth, speech sound disorders, and tongue thrusting during speech and feeding. The root causes of these disorders can include things like allergies, enlarged tonsils or adenoids, thumb sucking, and tongue ties.

At our clinic, our Speech, Occupational, and Physical Therapists are trained to help address these areas. We work with patients to identify the underlying deficits that are causing their Orofacial Myology Disorders and develop personalized treatment plans that address their unique needs.

Our therapies can help address a variety of complexities related to Orofacial Myology Disorders, including:

• Oral Ties (tongue, lip, or cheek) impacting feeding skills
• Tongue thrust during speech and swallow
• Eliminating thumb/finger sucking habits
• Correct posture of the mouth and body when breathing (for optimal sleep)
• Strengthening and coordinating oral muscles for safe eating (breast & bottle)
• Pre/post frenectomy care
• Decrease compensatory feeding habits as a result of oral restrictions
• Body work to improve structural oral restrictions as they relate and connect to other body parts such as our trunk
• Release of muscular tightness associated with oral mobility
• Restoring symmetrical movement patterns and range of motion through manipulation
• Body work to decrease global tension related to facial and soft tissue restrictions

We also look out for common red flags that may indicate an Orofacial Myology Disorder, including structural issues like low tongue position, facial asymmetry, and jaw growth, as well as functional issues like poor latch during feeding, speech delay/articulation, and teeth grinding.

Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy can be highly effective in addressing Orofacial Myology Disorders, particularly when therapy is started early. If your child is experiencing problems related to Orofacial Myology Disorders, please don’t hesitate to reach out to our clinic to learn more about how we can help.