Frequently Asked Questions

What is an orofacial myofunctional disorder (OMD)?

Orofacial myofunctional disorders include one or a combination of the following:

1. Chronic Non-Nutritive Habit Patterns such as digit sucking, tongue sucking, lip sucking, cheek sucking, sucking habits with objects (i.e., pacifier, blanket, pencil, etc). For oral habits, we look at frequency (how often is this habit occurring?) and duration (how long at a time does it occur and for how long overtime has it occurred?).

2. Poor oral rest posture (i.e., sitting with the mouth open and the tongue low and forward).

3. Tongue thrust during speaking and/or swallowing (i.e., the tongue moving forward or laterally between the teeth).

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What is proper oral rest posture?

Proper oral rest posture is when your lips are together, your teeth are slightly parted and your tongue is lightly suctioned to the roof of the mouth.

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How does oral rest posture link to speech therapy?

From a speech (articulation) perspective, one's oral rest posture is the starting place for speech sounds. Our tongue will move only as far as it needs to, to produce a sound "good enough" for speech. For example, when someone rests with their tongue between their teeth, they are more likely to produce sounds from this position as well. Research shows that of those individuals who exhibit an Orofacial Myofunctional Disorder, 81% have speech problems. The /s/ sound is the most noticed speech error, but other common sounds include /z/,/sh/,/ch/, /j/, /d/, /t/, /d/, /l/ and/r/.

 

What causes an Orofacial Myofunctional Disorder?

Orofacial myofunctional disorders are multifactorial and are inclusive of anything that impacts the tongue from habituating a proper oral resting position and anything that opens the teeth beyond the natural resting position. If something affects the normal development of the dental arches or the position of the teeth, an OMD can occur. The most common precipitating factors for an OMD are:

1. Restricted nasal airway - enlarged tonsils, allergies, asthma, sinusitis, or a restricted airflow through the nasal cavity. These can all promote a habitual open-lip posture.

2. Oral habits - prolonged thumb, finger sucking, cheek/nail biting, tooth clenching, etc.

3. Structural abnormalities - restricted tongue mobility (tongue-tie), macroglossia (abnormally large tongue-very rare) or micrognathia (abnormally small jaw), etc.

4. Neurological or developmental abnormalities.

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