Re-train the oral and facial muscles with facial exercises and behavior modification techniques to promote proper tongue position, improved breathing, chewing, and swallowing.
When it comes to keeping your mouth healthy and your smile bright, dentists may be the first health care professionals you think of. But for certain orthodontic problems, we may recommend a team approach that involves consulting a professional in another field. For example, when a persistent habit like tongue thrusting is causing trouble with your child's bite, it may be time to pay a visit to an orofacial myologist.
The goal of OMT is to re-train the facial muscles (including the tongue) to habitually assume the proper resting posture. A health care professional called an orofacial myologist may employ various approaches to achieve this goal, including exercises for the oral muscles combined with motivational techniques that use positive reinforcement. Some exercises are designed to accustom the tongue to resting on the proper spot on the palate; others promote good muscle tone and lip strength. An orofacial myologist may also help train your child to use the adult swallowing pattern, and encourage him or her to replace harmful habits with healthier behavior patterns.
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