Orofacial Myology
Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy is the treatment of Orofacial Myofunctional Disorders (OMD).
The prefix "myo" means muscle. Orofacial myofunctional disorders involve a variety of postural and functional disorders including sucking habits and inappropriate oral postures or functions of the muscles of the tongue, lips, jaw, and face
Hero or Martyr?
This video tells the story of Ignaz Semmelweis (1818-1865), a Hungarian doctor who is credited with identifying the single most important factor for infection control and spread of disease. He was able to do this through case control analysis, but he did not publish his findings and when he did, it was many years later and not well received. Additionally, it was not enough to overturn the “popular” theory at the time.
Watch the video to see what he discovered, which was considered so foreign 200 years ago, yet it is so common and completed on a regular basis today! Is he a hero or a martyr or both?
Father of Hand Washing
Be THE Change Agent!
Our goal is to educate people about Orofacial Myology: The benefits of nasal breathing, resting tongue posture, good facial development, and myofunctional therapy and how they can improve our overall health.
Unfortunately, this is not part of the “popular” opinion or research efforts for many at this time.
In Western medicine, we tend to fix the body separately, piece by piece, usually with drugs, all while failing to see that the body is all connected.
Part of our “change agent” message is to share this information so that we may begin to improve health. We encourage all professionals to use their clinical practice and publish case-control studies, for it is this research that can lead to larger studies and significant improvements in the health of our society.
The Tongue Matters In Your Health, pdf article by Dawn Moore ClinScD., CCC-SLP
According to IAOM.com,
Orofacial Myofunctional Disorders are atypical, adaptive patterns that emerge in the absence of normalized patters within the orofacial complex
Research has shown that as many as 81% of people who exhibit
orofacial myofunctional disorders have speech problems.
Some examples of things OMDs could develop from:
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Thumb or finger sucking
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Teeth Grinding
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Tongue, lip, or cheek sucking
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Extended use of pacifier or sippy cups
It is important to address what may be causing an OMD before beginning treatment.
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Children 4yrs of age could benefit form evaluation
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Children 5yrs of age are ideal for beginning program to stop harmful sucking habits
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Children 7-8 are at ideal age to begin Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy