Orofacial Myology

What is OMT The study and treatment of oral and facial muscles as they relate to speech, dentition, chewing, bolus collection, swallowing and overall mental and physical health. (Sandra Holtzman, MS, CCC/SLP, COM) What is Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy? Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy (OMT) addresses problems related to disorders of the muscles…

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What are Orofacial Myofunctional Disorders (OMD)?

  OMD are disorders that include at least one of the following: Incorrect placement of the tongue at rest (tongue may rest between front teeth, or on floor of the mouth) An open mouth rest posture (lips are not closed together at rest) Any sucking habit, such as thumb sucking,…

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Habit Elimination Programs

Baby Sucking Thumb

Habit Elimination program for ages 4 and up A Positive reinforcement  4-5 week program for patients who wish to stop a thumb/finger sucking habit.  This starts with a phone intake to make sure everyone is ready.  Weekly appointments are then set.  Most patients quit the habit within the first day….

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What is a Tongue Thrust?

Tongue thrust is a myofunctional disorder that occurs when the tongue moves forward in an exaggerated way during speech and/or swallowing. The tongue may lie to far forward during rest or may protrude between the upper and lower teeth during speech, swallowing and rest. A person typically swallows between 500-700…

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What Can Be Done to Treat Mouth Breathing?

Mouth Breathing and Your Health A Question and Answer Guide For people who struggle with mouth breathing, it isn’t easy to “just shut your mouth”. Habits can be difficult to change! The muscles in the cheeks, lips and and tongue have learned to function in an incorrect way and the…

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Opened-Mouth Posture

Open Mouth Posture

WHAT YOU MUST KNOW! Why be concerned about opened-mouth posture? Opened-mouth posture can have serious, permanent consequences: Can affect the dental development and orofacial growth of children which can negatively impact dental health and occlusion (how the teeth close together) for both children and adults. Can result in an increased…

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Thumb Sucking: A Little Habit with Big Consequences

Baby Sucking Thumb

Why be concerned about my child’s thumb-sucking habit? A sucking habit can affect the typical growth and development of your child’s face and jaw. It can cause the teeth to be misa-ligned and the roof of the mouth to arch up, which in turn affects tongue placement and swallowing patterns….

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