Myofunctional Therapy in Rifle, CO

Are you finding it difficult to eat, speak, swallow, or breathe due to a lack of strength in your tongue and facial muscles? Myofunctional therapy can help you rebuild and improve your orofacial muscles to make these everyday tasks easy. It is a non-invasive, inexpensive treatment that has no major risks.

What are Orofacial Myofunctional Disorders?

Orofacial myofunctional disorders (OMD) affect the mouth and face muscles. These conditions can affect your oral health, speech development in children, your ability to swallow and breathe, and much more. Depending on the severity, OMDs can also impact your facial aesthetics.

The most important function affected in OMD is swallowing, which involves a coordinated effort from the nerves and muscles of your throat, tongue, and cheeks. The impact of improper swallowing includes the following-

• Orthodontic problems
• Obstructive sleep apnea
• Temporomandibular Joint (TMJ) dysfunction
• Speech impediments

What is Myofunctional Therapy?

Myofunctional therapy involves improving oral functions through an exercise-based muscle training program. Similar to what a physical therapist can do to improve the strength of your muscles and joints throughout the body, dentists perform myofunctional therapy to strengthen and condition your facial and tongue muscles.

The goal of the treatment is to move your orofacial and tongue muscles to their proper position and posture. Myofunctional therapy is also a great alternative to treat obstructive sleep apnea.

What Can Myofunctional Therapy Treat?

We use the latest dental scanning technologies to examine your oral and facial structures when you visit Rifle Dental Care. Our dentist will also discuss any current issues you might be experiencing regarding swallowing, talking, eating, or breathing.

Some of the issues that myofunctional therapy is known to help include-

• Teeth grinding (Bruxism)
• Mouth breathing
• TMJ pain
• Sleep apnea
• Sensitive gag reflex
• Congestion in airway

Apart from these conditions, myofunctional therapy can also help if your jaw appears recessed or your cheeks seem flat while you speak, swallow or breathe. These are indications that something is awry with your orofacial muscles, and myofunctional therapy might help you.

People receiving myofunctional therapy can also experience better orthodontic outcomes, improvements in snoring and sleep apnea, and even elimination of thumb sucking in children.

Book an appointment with Rifle Dental Care today to learn more about how myofunctional therapy can help you.