Myofunctional Therapy for Pre & Post Frenectomy

---

Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy (OMT) or Oro-myofunctional Therapy is a series of exercises of the lips, jaw, tongue, cheeks and palate designed to re-pattern the oral and facial muscles to promote proper tongue position, improve proper breathing, chewing and swallowing.

Therapy is important before a surgery to:

• build strength and stability
• tone the muscles of the tongue
• learn new neuromusculuar lingual movements 
• improve range of motion
• prepare for exercises that will be needed post-surgery

Therapy is important after a surgery to:

• promote post-surgical healing
• maximize surgical outcomes
• continue to build strength and stability
• help the tongue to re-adapt to its newly found freedom
• implement the new movements functionally
• promote proper tongue resting position
• promote proper tissue healing
• prevent the tissues from re-attaching
• prevent continued improper oral patterns

Imagine if your tongue had limited motion and was not fully functional for your entire life. Whether you are a child or adult, that is a relatively long time for your tongue to get used to its current state. Important lingual muscles have atrophied, and other muscles have become stronger or larger than desired, in order to compensate for the loss of full muscle function. Myofunctional Therapy will help to instill good patterns so that your surgery is a success.

Myofunctional Therapy/Treatment

We provide pre and post frenectomy (i.e. tongue release) myofunctional therapy. We work closely with your tongue tie practitioner in collaborating the best individualized treatment/therapy plan to provide you the best outcome. Our therapy helps re-train the tongue and orofacial muscles during movement and at rest to create new neuromuscular patterns for proper oral function, including chewing, swallowing, speaking, and breathing. We want our clients who are considering a frenectomy for themselves or a loved one to understand that the best outcomes include therapy before and after this procedure. You will be training oral muscles that you may never have used in your lifetime. 

Myofunctional therapy (just like any therapy) can not provide any guarantees. There are numerous factors that contribute to the long term prognosis and outcome for each individual. This will be discussed with each client prior to making the commitment to begin any Myofunctional Therapy Program. It is important to find the proper Speech Language Pathologist to guide you through this process for the best outcome. Surgical frenulum release paired with Myofunctional Therapy is an investment into your health, and should be taken seriously, and only entered into when you are ready to fully commit to the process. There are many social media outlets that are providing "free self help myofunctional videos". Just like you would not use "self help videos' to treat yourself with physical therapy following a knee injury, it is not wise or advisable to attempt to resolve lifelong oral patterns yourself, without professional guidance.

Many individuals believe that treating a tongue tie is as simple as performing a frenectomy. However, because a tongue tie hinders the proper functioning of the mouth and tongue, correcting that dysfunction often requires therapy to train the tongue to function properly. Additionally, the longer this dysfunction has existed, the greater the need for therapy. Consider an individual that is getting any kind of corrective procedure on any other part of the body and the kind of therapy required to allow for that part of the body to function again.

Additionally, we have seen the aftereffects of oral restriction releases that did not include pre and post therapy that have grown back worse or reverted to their prior state AND continued dysfunction of the mouth and tongue. Some individuals will have to go back for a second tongue tie release if the tongue tie heals improperly and tethers the tongue even worse than before the frenectomy. At that time, you could also be dealing with scar tissue from the first surgery, which will further inhibit the procedure and subsequent healing. This is exactly what myofunctional therapy can prevent and by supporting better short term and long-term outcomes.

TEAMWORK

The best long-term outcomes are a direct result of teamwork and a closely collaborative interdisciplinary approach, and YOU are a critical part of the team. While we will work together in learning and practicing these critical pre/post procedure exercises, the main determining factor of success is YOUR participation and consistency outside of our therapy sessions. We may only meet once every 1-2 weeks. However, you will be instructed to practice these exercises multiple times per day. I will provide you with all of the tools that are required to successfully complete this program and reach your myofunctional goals. As with any new muscle training, consistency is KEY to the proper healing and re-training of your oral musculature in providing you the best overall results. 

Click to schedule your consultation or assessment