Orofacial Myofunctional Disorder Treatment at Inova Alexandria Hospital

Inova Alexandria Hospital offers a specialized Orofacial Myofunctional program, which includes structured treatment plans provided by a trained Orofacial Myologist.

We provide treatment for children, teens, and adults with abnormal lip, tongue, and jaw resting positions or improper swallow patterns or sucking habits that impact their orofacial development, speech or swallowing.

What are Orofacial Myofunctional Disorders?

Orofacial Myofunctional Disorders are atypical, adaptive patterns that emerge in the absence of normalized patterns within the orofacial complex. The regular presence of these adaptive movements can often result in a variety of disturbances. An example of one such disorder is Childhood Apraxia of Speech.

Symptoms of Orofacial Myofunctional Disorders include one or a combination of the following:

• Thumb and finger sucking habits
• A routine habit of resting with the lips apart
• A forward resting posture of the tongue between or against the teeth
• Tongue Thrust
• Other harmful oral habits

What causes Orofacial Myofunctional Disorders?

• A restricted nasal airway due to enlarged tonsils/adenoids, deviated septum, and/or allergies
• Improper oral habits such as thumb or finger sucking, cheek/nail/cuticle biting, teeth clenching/grinding, and tongue, lip or cheek sucking
• Extended use of a pacifier and/or long-term use of sippy cups
• Structural or physiological abnormalities which may include a short lingual frenum (tongue-tie)
• Neurological deficits and developmental delays
• Hereditary predisposition