Kids Dental Care

What is Myofunctional Therapy and when will your Child need It?

If there are muscle disorders in the face and mouth of little children, these can cause problems related to breastfeeding, growth, and development of the facial skull, apart from problems related to swallowing, chewing, sleep, dental alignment, breathing, drooling as well as holding the tongue out of the mouth.

Dr. Kishore Dighe at his dental clinic in Mira Road, Mumbai makes use of myofunctional therapy for retention of the tongue, lips as well as jaw with the principal focus to rectify functional irregularities of the mouth as well as face.

• Tongue thrust
• Oral muscle movement related to speech sounds

In the case of tongue thrust, the tongue becomes an important feature at the time of swallowing, talking, or eating.

As per dental science, the resting position of the tongue impacts your way of chewing, and speaking and the method by which one looks and speaks. You have the option to rectify the abnormal tongue position with the help of myofunctional therapy. This is specialised training with the main focus to rectify oral health and enhance the smile.

Orofacial myofunctional therapy is a fusion of multiple exercises related to physical therapy for enhancing the bite, breathing as well as the facial posture of individuals with OMDs[ orofacial myofunctional disorders].

The principal focus in this entire training at Little Krishna Children's dental clinic is the soft tissues related to the mouth, face, and neck. The goal is to make these touch the level of optimal tongue position as well as oral rest posture. OMDs impact people of different age groups and customized treatment is offered at dental clinics across the world based on the symptoms as well as the age factor.

OMD takes place if the abnormality in the lip, jaw, or the position of the tongue messes with the functionality and development of the orofacial structures.

• Breastfeeding
• Chewing
• Swallowing
• Talking
• Jaw movement
• Oral hygiene
• Look at the face

• Upper airway obstruction

If there is the condition of enlarged tonsils, septum with deviation, or certain allergies, these could create obstacles in the nasal airway. This will lead to mouth breathing that alters the natural placement of lips, tongue, and jaw.

• Chronic thumb sucking
• Extended pacifier
• Bottle use
• Orofacial muscular as well as structural differences

Your child will have the OMD if the below-mentioned symptoms persist. Dental specialists at Little Krishna Childrens Dental clinic will examine the symptoms mentioned below.

• Misalignment in the teeth
• Tongue thrusting
• Teeth grinding
• Facial pain
• Speech issues
• Mouth breathing
• Sleep apnea
• Stomach aches

Note that it is highly crucial to treat the causes of OMD. You have the option to go for myofunctional therapy related to the issues of swallowing. This has to be done before the problems like speech deficits and malocclusion are addressed.

Dr. Kishore Dighe, a chief dental specialist at Little Krishna Children's dental clinic in Mumbai will perform myofunctional therapy for treating the OMDs of your child.