March 2017 - EASTERN OREGON PARENT - 13
OMT! These exercises can improve your child’s bite
By KIM GLOVER, R.D.H.
Have you heard that your child’s
appearance can be affected by
how she swallows and how she
breathes? For example, a person
who pushes the tip of her tongue
against the backsides of her front
teeth while swallowing may eventu-
ally push those teeth forward into
a “buck toothed” position. This
is called a tongue thrust. A buck
toothed look is especially likely to
happen if your child is a mouth
breather who does not “seal” her
lips together while breathing and
swallowing.
A more “correct” place to hold
the tongue while swallowing is on
the roof of the mouth, just behind
the front teeth. This prevents the
tongue from pushing against the
front teeth and moving those teeth
forward over time. The goal is to
have sides of the tongue exert pres-
sure along the upper premolars and
molars while swallowing. This en-
courages the mouth to grow wider,
making more room for teeth and a
nice, wide smile.
Orofacial myofunctional therapy
(OMT) represents a growing field
of specialists who help identify
and retrain how a person – young
or old – swallows and breathes in
order to improve their bite, ap-
pearance, and even how well they
sleep. Just think of this as physical
therapy for the mouth. Crowded
teeth, “buck teeth,” open bites,
and mouth breathing are some of
the conditions can be improved
with OMT. It may even reduce or
eliminate the need for orthodontic
treatment, such as braces.
Sarah Hornsby is an orofacial
myofunctional therapist and dental
hygienist in Seattle. She uses Skype
to provide personalized therapy
sessions for her clients from all
over the world. Sarah notes that it
is not normal or healthy for people
to breathe through their mouths.
She states that an estimated 40
percent of children have some type
of allergy, which can lead to mouth
breathing. In addition to allergies,
a child may breathe through her
mouth because of enlarged tonsils
or adenoids. If a child has made
a habit of mouth breathing, it is
Family
Health
important to identify and treat the
cause, then help her relearn how to
breathe primarily through her nose.
Amazingly, this will help her mouth
grow wider, with
more room for her
teeth.
OMT exercises
are easy to learn.
As OMT patients
master each set of
exercises, they will
“graduate” to new
exercises. The ex-
ercises are simple
to do, and can be
tailored to any age
from toddlers to
adults.
To better un-
derstand proper
breathing and
swallowing, Sarah
has some excellent
videos on her You-
Tube channel. Just
enter her name
in the YouTube
search and you
will find several
videos to help you
understand proper
swallowing, nasal
breathing, and
how OMT can help you or your
child. You can learn more at www.
myfaceology.com
________
Kim Glover is a Registered Dental
Hygienist at Broadway Family Den-
tal Care (www.bwaydental.com) in
Milton-Freewater.