Jaw Pain
Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy
Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy is an evidence-based practice that explores ways to improve neuromuscular repatterning around your mouth and oropharynx – often providing the most long-term results for problems. It can be helpful for a range of symptoms, including jaw pain, jaw clicking or popping, your ears feeling full or itchy, tinnitus, snoring, grinding or clenching, headaches, problems with chewing or swallowing, unexplained toothache, a locked jaw, breathing difficulties, malocclusion or crowded teeth. It is suitable for both children and adults.
For children, the goal is to improve these symptoms before they become problematic. This offers an opportunity to develop their palate correctly – therefore allowing enough space for the adult teeth to come through. This then prevents removal of teeth to ‘create space’ as teenagers. Faces are very malleable when young and you can see big changes if the plan is followed correctly. There may be tongue ties that were not picked up as a baby that may need to be assessed and released to be able to follow the programme.
When working with adults, there are likely to be missed tongue ties that have created many of the issues. We can direct you to someone for a release if needed, before starting therapy. There can often be changes in aesthetics from posture to the actual face as the months progress, but ultimately, we are trying to improve the function of the tongue, lips and swallow to improve symptoms you may be experiencing.
What does Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy look like?
Typically, you can expect this to be a 12-month programme. This may seem daunting initially, but it often takes this long to relearn the new patterns for long-term changes. The frequency of visits will decrease across the year, with more regular visits initially as the issues are more acute. Your first session will include a full assessment (photos, measurements, swallow assessment), hands-on treatment including intra oral work and your first set of exercises. Every session thereafter will include hands-on treatment and then a new set of exercises where needed.
The main goal of therapy is to influence:
- Nasal breathing
- Lip strength and seal
- Tongue strength and tongue position
- Correct swallow patterns
Working on these may help:
- Jaw pain and TMJ dysfunction
- Headaches and Migraines
- Tinnitus
- Sleep Apnoea
- Quality of sleep
- Snoring
- Chewing and Swallowing
- Bruxism (grinding)
- Facial aesthetics
- Orofacial skeletal growth
- Dental occlusion and health
- Orthodontic stability
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Click the link below or if you would prefer to speak to someone, please call 01483 268628. Our reception is open 8am-8pm Monday to Friday and 8:30am-5:30pm on Saturday.