Madison, NJ (February 16, 2017) – The Integrative Dental Center at Adams Dental is proud to participate in World Orofacial Myofunctional Sciences Day on Friday, February 17. This is a day of recognition created to highlight the important contribution of orofacial myofunctional therapy to patient wellness and celebrate increasing world-wide awareness of this valuable treatment.
Myofunctional Therapy is neuromuscular re-education of the oral and facial muscles. Patients can be young children, teens or adults. Myofunctional disorders may directly or indirectly affect breastfeeding, facial skeletal growth and development, chewing, swallowing speech, dental occlusion, TMJ movement, oral hygiene, stability of orthodontic treatment and other areas of growth, development and function.
Myofunctional Therapists work with young children to eliminate of some oral habits such as thumb-sucking and pacifier use. Behavior modification via a reward system is used along with motivational work to encourage children to understand the need for this habit elimination and become their own “agents of change”.
If not treated at an early age, orofacial myofunctional disorders and improper oral habits may create problems in later life such open bite, tongue thrust and obstructive sleep apnea. Myofunctional disorders may impact treatment by orthodontists, dentists, dental hygienists, speech-language pathologists and other professionals working in the facial and oral areas.
The Integrative Dental Center at Adams Dental is staffed by therapists trained specifically to teach patients about the causes of their orofacial myofunctional problems and to present methods of remediating their issues in these areas. Patients are given a welcoming environment to gain new insights and learn techniques to manage and eventually make positive changes in their breathing, chewing and swallowing habits. The overall goal is to improve the health and wellness of their patients.