When it comes to speech development, myofunctional therapy plays a critical part. It is a therapy used to address orofacial myofunctional disorders (OMDs), which, if untreated, can have significant impacts on an individual’s speech and general wellbeing.
Mentioning Miami Designer Smiles might bring to mind a team of seasoned dental experts offering a broad range of dental services. You may not know that at the root of our services is our commitment to comprehensive oral health, which is why we offer myofunctional therapy in Miami.
What is Myofunctional Therapy?
Myofunctional therapy pertains to exercises specifically designed to correct the improper function of the facial and tongue muscles, commonly referred to as Orofacial Myofunctional Disorders or OMDs.
A Look at Orofacial Myofunctional Disorders (OMDs)
OMDs include disorders related to the muscles controlling the lips, tongue, and jaw, leading to difficulties in speaking, eating, swallowing, and breathing. Examples of OMDs are tongue thrusting, improper tongue placement during rest, and mouth-breathing. All these irregularities contribute to the salient alteration in speech production, creating the necessity for myofunctional therapy.
Myofunctional Therapy’s Impact on Speech Development
In our practice at Miami Designer Smiles, we highly recommend myofunctional therapy for children exhibiting speech developmental delays due to OMDs. Here’s how myofunctional therapy positively impacts speech development:
- Improves Enunciation: Myofunctional therapy includes exercises that strengthen the tongue and improve its dexterity, leading to clearer enunciation of words.
- Enhances Vocal Quality: Improper tongue posture can lead to a nasal voice. Correcting this through myofunctional therapy improves vocal quality.
- Prevents Lisps: Myofunctional therapy can help correct tongue thrust, preventing the development of lisps.
- Promotes Proper Swallowing: Proper swallowing depends on the precise coordination of the tongue and soft palate. Through myofunctional therapy, proper swallowing techniques are taught, preventing difficulty in speaking.
The Myofunctional Therapy Process
At Miami Designer Smiles, myofunctional therapy starts with a careful evaluation by our skilled experts, Dr. Concepcion Sanchez-Garcia and Dr. Raul Garcia. They observe the patient’s oral resting posture, breathing pattern, speaking, swallowing, and chewing abilities. Once they diagnose a myofunctional disorder, they create a customized therapy plan that includes exercises designed to retrain the muscles associated with swallowing and oral posturing.
Remember that while myofunctional therapy plays an integral part in remediating speech abnormalities caused by OMDs, it’s not only restricted to that. The therapy is also useful in treating sleep apnea, chronic headaches, malocclusion or teeth misalignment, and temporomandibular joint disorder (TMJD) among other conditions.
If you think you or your child could benefit from myofunctional therapy, don’t hesitate to seek expert opinion from Miami Designer Smiles. Our experienced team stands ready to help guide you toward better oral health and improved speech function.