Orofacial Myofunctional Disorders

What are Orofacial Myofunctional Disorders?

Orofacial Myofunctional Disorders (OMDs) are disorders of the muscles and functions of the face and mouth. OMDs may affect, directly and/or indirectly, breastfeeding, facial skeletal growth and development, chewing, swallowing, talking, occlusion, temporomandibular joint movement, oral hygiene, stability of orthodontic treatment, facial esthetics, and more. OMDs can affect people of all ages. How do I know if I have an OMD? What are the signs and symptoms of OMD's?

Getting to the underlying cause of the problem

Sometimes one or more of these symptoms can be present. The underlying cause of the Orofacial Myofunctional Disorder is what needs to be treated. For example, while a nightguard can help protect your teeth from clenching and/or grinding, the question we need to ask is: Why? Why am I clenching and grinding? What is the underlying issue or cause? We need to figure out the underlying cause of the problem. If it is in fact due to an orofacial myofunctional disorder, once myofunctional therapy has been completed, the issue is often resolved. Often times, however, other professionals must be involved to get to the root of the problem and solve the issue.