484-823-SPOT
Your myofunctional journey starts here, today
Oromyofunctional Therapy:
It’s like a gym, for your tongue
Helping children, teens and adults achieve improved breathing, sleeping, eating and aesthetic facial development through proper oral rest posture and strengthened orofacial muscles. It’s time to improve your quality of life!
Orofacial
Myofunctional
Disorders (OMDs)
What is an "Orofacial
Myofunctional Disorder"?
Orofacial Myofunctional Disorders (OMDs) are defined by abnormalities of the muscles and the functions of the face and the mouth that negatively impact normal growth, development, and/or function. These abnormal patterns can impact speech, breathing, swallowing, chewing, sleeping, dentition, and more. Children, teens, and adults can benefit from treatment.
Here are some signs of an OMD:
Thumb/finger/tongue sucking patterns
Breathing problems such as enlarged tonsils & adenoids, or allergies
Open mouth rest posture of the lips
Forward rest posture of the tonque
Weak lip muscles
Difficulty with chewing, gathering, & swallowing solids & liquids
Malocclusion
Orthodontic relapse
Speech Disorders
Tongue-tie (Ankyloglossia)
When should therapy begin?
We can begin treatment as young as four to five years of age. But it's never too late! Children, teens, & adults of all ages will benefit from therapy & experience success.
A diagnostic evaluation will identify the underlying problems and allows us to determine if therapy is recommended.
The following factors will be considered
- Presence/absence of OMD
- Discussion of medical, dental, and speech history
- Age and maturity of the individual
- School and social obligations
- Cooperation of individual and family members
- Commitment to therapy program
Ready to Schedule your consult?
Give Us a call!
484-823-SPOT
Initial evaluations are necessary prior to the beginning of therapy. The consult is approximately 60-90 minutes in duration and includes an extensive evaluation to determine treatment goals. The fee is $150. If you decide to move forward with therapy, this $150 will be deducted off of your total treatment cost. It takes 1-2 weeks after initial consult for treatment needs to be determined and therapy to begin.
Taking a multi-disciplinary approach
Why should I be concerned about an orofacial myofunctional disorder?
Orofacial Myofunctional Disorders interrupt normalized movement patterns. Failure to address an OMD can result in:
Sourced from: (IAOM website 2022, November 4). https://www.iaom.com/faq
- Mouth-breathing patterns that impact overall health
- Abnormal growth & development of the oral structures
- Proper chewing & swallowing
- Improper development & alignment of the teeth
- Improper development & growth of the jaw & facial structure
- Slowing the process of orthodontic treatment
- Undermining the long-term benefits & results of orthodontic treatment
- Negatively impacting the stability & function of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ)
- Speech distortions
- Negatively affecting social relationships due to open mouth postures of noisy chewing & swallowing patterns
Who is concerned with OMDs & why?
DENTISTS are concerned about preventing behaviors that lead to dental concerns. If an orofacial myofunctional disorder can be identified and eliminated early, normal growth processes of the teeth and jaws can proceed.
ORTHODONTISTS focus on how teeth fit together. Abnormal postures and functions of the tongue and lips can lead to the misalignment of teeth and, if not corrected, can contribute to orthodontic relapse following orthodontics.
ORAL SURGEONS are concerned with tethered oral tissues, including tongue- and lip-ties. Following any surgical procedure in the oral cavity, the oral environment needs to remain stabilized, and any postural or functional problems need to be corrected to prevent reattachment or relapse.
SPEECH PATHOLOGISTS become concerned if a patient has an orofacial myofunctional disorder in conjunction with their speech, feeding, or swallowing disorder.
PEDIATRICIANS become concerned if a sucking habit continues after the age of 3 since the shape of the dental arches and hard palate can be negatively affected.
ENTs are concerned with the patient's airway. If the tonsils and adenoids are enlarged, or if there are structural abnormalities, then "normal" breathing through the nose is difficult and craniofacial growth and development may be compromised.
ALLERGISTS are concerned with the patient's airway. When a patient has allergies, they are often congested and experience inflammation of the nasal and oral cavities, which compromises a patent nasal breathing pattern.
Can an orofacial myofunctional disorder affect speech?
It is possible to have an OMD in conjunction with a speech disorder, yet, not every individual with a speech disorder will have an accompanying myofunctional disorder.
However, when there is an underlying OMD in conjunction with a speech disorder, and the underlying problem is not addressed, speech therapy can be compromised. When the tongue is resting low and forward, the production of the sounds - r, t, d, n, l, s, sh, ch, j - may occur. Without treatment, the precision and mobility necessary to achieve the transition from sound in isolation to conversational speech may become problematic.
What About Thumb/Finger Sucking Habits?
The American Dental Association (ADA) and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) both agree that after age three, chronic thumb/finger sucking needs to be addressed.
Thumb-Sucking Complications:
- Creates a possible malocclusion
- Pressure of the thumb against the roof of the mouth can contribute to a high narrow palate
- Sucking habits anchor the tongue down, creating a forward rest posture
- Contributes to abnormal tongue patterns
- Alters respiratory patterns
- Alters normal facial growth patterns
About Randi
Randi Moore, PHDHP
Specializing in Oromyofunctional Disorders
Randi is a licensed Public Health Dental Hygiene Practitioner with over 23 years of experience helping patients get closer to a smile they can be proud of. Once introduced to the world of myofunctional therapy, Randi was floored by the positive impact it has on one’s quality of life. Since then, she has taken several courses to become specialized in recognizing oromyofunctional disorders (OMD’s) and treating these OMD’s with myofunctional therapy. This is accomplished using an extensive intake form and initial evaluation to determine an individualized treatment plan, targeting a persons specific therapy needs. Randi truly believes that this therapy can help children, teens and adults to not only restore proper function and strength of the tongue and orofacial muscles, but also improve their self-esteem by encouraging the development of proper facial symmetry, improving their social etiquette and even reducing ADHD like behaviors through the improvement of restorative sleep. She is married to her husband, Lance, and they have 3 wonderful (and loud!) sons: Grayson, Maddux and Asher. Randi was born in Allentown and currently resides in Breinigsville with her family. They enjoy all things baseball, movie nights, getting together with family/ friends and the beach!
Get in touch
Telephone: 484-823-SPOT (7768)
email: randi@mobiliemyospot.com
Availability:
Thursdays 5-7:30
Fridays 9:30am-6:30pm
Some additional weeknight availability upon request
