Does Your Child Have Facial or Jaw Pain?
Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy Can help
Children are in a state of growth. There are many reasons for Facial/Jaw discomfort. Most are because the muscles or boney structures and teeth are not balanced. This balance can be thrown off by breathing through the mouth, the tongue thrusting against the teeth while swallowing, sleep disordered breathing, a tongue that is attached too tightly to the floor of the mouth, or a daily repetitive habit involving the mouth.
The Oral-Facial Advantage Program uses toning of the muscles and tissues of the mouth and face to bring your child's growth into alignment. Balancing their muscles guides the bone during growth. While they are still growing, they are more malleable, anatomically, and behaviorally, locking in muscle memory at a young age.
Re-start your child's foundation on a more solid footing.
These Are The Many Causes Of Facial & Jaw Pain
The Advantage Program Designs Your Child's Program to Their Needs
Unhealthy Breathing Pattern
Mouth Breathing
Mouth Breathing Can Cause Restrictions in the Airway21,20,23
Causes Long Face Syndrome11,16,19,23
Crooked Teeth
Narrow Jaw and Face
Poorly Defined Cheekbones
Tired Eyes
Jaw Set Back
Smaller Airway
Underdeveloped Nasal Airway
Postural Problems: Mouth breathers tend to assume a characteristic posture, carrying their heads forward in order to compensate for the restriction to their airways and make breathing possible.20
The forward head posture often leads to: muscle fatigue, neck pain, tension in the TMJ area, spinal disc compression, early arthritis, tension headaches, and dental occlusal problems.21
Upper Chest Breathing
We are designed to use our diaphragm to breathe. Breathing with our upper chest puts strain on our backs and necks which can cause pain39
Can contribute to stress, anxiety, brain fog, and poor body oxygenation24
Causes shorter shallower breaths, which is directly related to increasing blood pressure24
Gas exchange is hindered: the entire lung is not used when upper chest breathing, preventing efficient gas exchange.24 Poor oxygenation can cause:35
Nervous System: Feeling faint, headache, migraine, numbness or pins and needles, difficulty tolerating light, dizziness and unsteadiness
Muscular: Cramps, muscle pains, stiffness, tremors
General: Weakness, fatigue, poor concentration, impaired memory and performance, sleep disorders, night sweats, brain fog, allergies
Sleep Disordered Breathing
Places the jaw in muscle and tissue-stressing positions21
Prevents deep sleep which can cause headaches/migraines12 and prevent the release of Growth Hormone31,32,33
Causes dehydration which puts stress on the muscles and tissues22,46
Negatively affects oxygen levels which strains the cardiovascular system4,12,24,35
An open mouth can cause sleep disordered breathing even if breathing through the nose. The soft palate, when the mouth is open, can block the nasal breathing passageway12
Damaging Oral Resting Postures
Tongue Settles in Atypical Area of the Mouth
Incorrect Tongue Resting Posture: Can cause the palate to narrow and vault, crowding the teeth and making the nasal cavity smaller17,18,19
The tongue from the tip to the posterior needs to be toned to rest in the palate. Most tongues are untrained/untoned, which can cause snoring and apnea.35,36
The tongue, even when untoned, is still 8 strong muscles. Resting incorrectly puts a lot of pressure against oral structures that don't have the strength to resist.17,18,19
Ankyloglossia (tongue-tied): When the tongue has a varying degree of restriction, a minimal range of motion which causes the muscles, and tissues in the head and neck region to over-compensate. This has many side-effects.25,26,27,28,29,30
Incorrect Swallow Pattern
Tongue Thrust17,18,19
Open Bites & Malocclusion17,18
Daily Repetitive Habit Involving Their Mouth
Thumb/Finger/Lip Sucking, Nail, Cheek, Tongue, Hair, or Object Chewing...etc.
When we consistently place something in the way of the teeth and oral structures, the anatomy will slowly form around this obstruction. Like a tree will form around a fence that is in its growth path36,37,38,39,41
Can cause vaulted palates narrowing therefore shrinking the nasal canal and sinuses causing nasal congestion.37,38
Open bites, narrow jaw, long face syndrome, unsymmetrical face36,37,38,39,41
Can cause sleep disordered breathing12
Putting the jaw in a repetitive incorrect position can cause severe muscle/tissue/joint strain19
Narrow Jaw & Palate, Crooked/Crowded Teeth
Soft Foods=Shrinking Jaws
Stanford University Article, Shrinking Jaws:36
What is Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy Capable Of?
At Oral-Facial Advantage, we guide your child's growth towards a more balanced oral-facial foundation. Aiding to prevent, or soothe the many disorders you see through-out this website.
Reflexive vs. Conscious
We chew, swallow, breathe, and rest our mouths as an un-trained reflexive habit.
The Oral-Facial Advantage Program is a personalized straightforward set of exercises, scientifically designed to build new beneficial long-term muscle-memories.
At What Age Can My Child Begin Oral-Facial Muscle Therapy?
The younger the child the more flexible their physiology and behavior.
Mature 3 to 4 year old mouth breathers can learn nasal breathing.
Mentally prepared 5 year old's can begin the Oral Habit Elimination Program.
7 to 8+ year old's can start their Oral-Facial Advantage Program.
Who is Eligible for a Free Consult?
Everyone.
All ages can come in for a free consult.
It is a great opportunity for your questions to be answered, and for the Orofacial Myologist to assess your child's readiness for the program.
Book a Free In-Person Consultation Today
Benefits of Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy
Soothes or relieves headaches
Can help reduce snoring & apnea
May reverse some ADHD symptoms
Opens upper airways
Can prevent long face syndrome
Alleviates facial pain
Improves posture & core muscle stability
Increases jaw range of motion
Facial symmetry: Tones facial muscles & tissues
Improves focus, memory, productivity
Lowers harmful stress hormones
Relieves digestive discomfort
Eliminates habits involving the mouth
- Much more
What is Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy?
The mouth, head, and neck are a complex weave of muscles, tissues, joints, bones, blood vessels, and nerves that all need to work together for a smooth, discomfort free daily function.
Currently, we are born and grow with little direction and training in this area of our bodies. We eat the way we eat, we chew on the side that is most comfortable, we swallow whichever way gets the food down, our tongues rest wherever they rest, we breathe the easier way, and we have repetitive habits that soothe our stress that can involve our faces and mouths.
All of these reflexive habits can create abnormalities in your child's oral and facial structures, and since they have been doing them throughout their youthful growth, their bones and muscles have molded around these untrained habits, potentially creating ingrained disorders in their later years.
Orofacial Myofunctional Therapists specialize and only focus on the muscles and tissues throughout the tongue, jaw, face, head, and neck. Weekly exercises are given that either tone or relax these muscles and tissues aligning them to your child's center. Working from their foundation up. Progressively resetting years of habits. Most children will complete the program within the year and yet their new symmetry could last their lifetime.
A Stanford University Systematic Review revealed the lasting beneficial effects of Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy in a wide cohort:
“Current literature demonstrates that orofacial myofunctional therapy decreases apnea-hypopnea index by approximately 50% in adults and 62% in children. Improvements to snoring and daytime sleepiness. Shown effective in children and adults of all ages studied thus far; youngest patient 3 yrs old to 60 yrs old. Therapy has an important role in preventing relapse.”48
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