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Why is it that after going through the time and expense of wearing braces, teeth shift back? An interesting question, one often people assume the answer is very simply because “they didn’t wear their retainer”. But is that the only acceptable reason? There are many reasons why someone’s teeth may shift after orthodontia – and not wearing a retainer is one of the most vital pieces of the puzzle, but not the only piece. Myofunctional Therapy is a treatment for Orofacial Myofunctional Disorders (OMD’s).
These include a variety of disorders such as inappropriate functions of the muscles of the tongue, lips, jaw, and face. Research has shown that the presence of Orofacial Myofunctional Disorders (OMD’s) can significantly impact a patients retention, or lack there of - but there is something that can be done about it. Dream Smile Dental is excited to offer an innovative, non-invasive therapy which will help us continue our long standing tradition of offering the best treatment to our patients.
Our own Courtney Wager received her training through The Academy of Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy in Los Angeles, California and is only the second IAOM (International Association of Orofacial Myology) member to be in the practice of Myofunctional Therapy in the state of Massachusetts.
“One of my biggest interests in Myofunctional Therapy is with orthodontic patients. As dental professionals, we have seen countless patients who have gone through the time and expense of orthodontic treatment, only to have their teeth shift back. This is a frustrating situation for the patient, their parents, and dental professionals.
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After first learning about Myofunctional Therapy, I started to wonder – if the orthodontist puts the teeth into the correct position, why do they relapse whether they wear their retainer or not? Well, over 100 years ago, Dr. Edward Angle, who is considered by many dental professionals to be the father of modern orthodontics, expressed his concern regarding how “vicious” the habits of the lips and tongue can be, how powerful and persistent they are, and how he considered success in orthodontic treatment to be “hopeless” unless they are corrected*.
By addressing dysfunctional habit patterns, we can help assist stabilization of the teeth during and/or after orthodontic treatment. Myofunctional Therapists play a vital role in patients' treatment, and take an interdisciplinary approach by working with various specialists including dentists, orthodontists, ENT’s, Speech Pathologists, as well as many others” states Courtney Wager RDH.
Although there are many variations of myofunctional disorders, the most common is the tongue thrust. During rest and/or the act of swallowing, an incorrect placement of the tongue (or the presence of any myofunctional disorder) may contribute to a disruption of dental development in children and over-eruption of selected teeth in adults. According to the IAOM, orthodontists have been concerned about OMD’s since the early 1900's because the abnormal functions of OMD’s can negatively influence dental growth, slow orthodontic treatment and it may undermine the stability of an orthodontic correction, resulting in a relapse.
Although Myofunctional Therapists work closely with orthodontic patients, many other patients may benefit from treatment, including those that suffer from sleep apnea. Recent research has shown that patients with sleep apnea may be seven times more likely to have swallowing dysfunction and that Oropharyngeal exercises (Myofunctional Therapy) represent a promising treatment for moderate Obstructive Sleep Apnea.
To schedule a free consultation, you can contact our office at (781) 828-4568, or you can reach Courtney directly at Courtney@dreamsmiledental.com. For more information about Myofunctional Therapy and Myofunctional Disorders, we encourage you to visit IAOM.com.
*Orofacial Myofunctional Disorders are not the only cause for orthodontic relapse, nor do we every encourage patients to stop wearing their retainers but Myofunctional Therapy can help to create a more stable orthodontic result.
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