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Orofacial Myofunctional Disorder (OMD): Signs, Causes & Treatment in Mequon, WI
Comprehensive Myofunctional Evaluations & Therapy for All Ages
We provide specialized care to identify and treat Orofacial Myofunctional Disorders (OMDs) across every stage of life. An OMD occurs when the muscles of the lips, jaw, tongue, and face do not function properly. Whether in a growing child or a fully developed adult, these incorrect muscle patterns and resting postures negatively impact breathing, swallowing, speech, and facial development—often leading to chronic mouth breathing, tongue thrust, and sleep-disordered breathing.
What is an OMD?
An orofacial myofunctional disorder is an imbalance of the mouth, tongue, lips and facial muscles used for proper resting posture and swallowing. Essentially, It is like your face and breathing muscles lose their muscle memory. To be as healthy as possible, your body is meant to breathe through your nose with your lips closed and your tongue resting flat against the roof of your mouth.
Sometimes, a physical problem, a bad habit, or trouble breathing forces your tongue to rest too low or push forward when you swallow. When this happens, your body simply gets used to the wrong position.
Because you swallow hundreds of times a day, pushing your tongue the wrong way can eventually change the shape of your teeth. It can also change how a child's face grows and make it much harder for adults to breathe. Myofunctional therapy is a treatment that retrains these exact muscles so they can get back to working the healthy, natural way.
The most common OMD is "tongue thrust" but other OMDs include habit patterns such as thumbsucking, open mouth resting posture, and chewing/swallowing difficulties.
What Causes an OMD?
OMDs can occur from one or more of the following factors:- Prolonged oral habits like pacifier use, thumbsucking, or finger sucking- Prolonged bottle use- Chronic airway obstruction due to allergies, enlarged tonsils or adenoids- Tongue ties- Family heredity- Physical/Developmental anomalies
Signs of OMD
Orofacial Myofunctional Disorders manifest differently across various age groups. If you or your child exhibit any of the following signs, an evaluation is recommended:
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Breathing & Sleep: Chronic mouth breathing, loud snoring, sleep apnea, restless sleep, or waking up exhausted.
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Oral Posture & Habits: Resting with an open mouth, prolonged thumb/finger sucking, nail-biting, or a tongue that rests on the bottom teeth.
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Speech & Eating: A persistent lisp, messy or noisy eating, "chomping" food, or swallowing with a forward tongue motion (tongue thrust).
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Structural & Dental: An anterior open bite, orthodontic relapse (teeth shifting after braces), a high/narrow palate, or chronic TMJ (jaw) pain and teeth grinding.
Common signs of a Myofunctional Disorder in Children
Open Bite due to Finger Sucking
Open bite from finger sucking happens when the front teeth are pushed outward and no longer touch when the jaw is closed. This makes biting into foods like sandwiches very difficult and often causes speech issues, such as a lisp.
Forward tongue resting posture
Forward tongue resting posture occurs when the tongue sits low and pushes against the front teeth instead of resting up on the roof of the mouth. Over time, this constant pressure pushes the teeth out of place (often requiring braces) and makes chewing and swallowing much harder.
Weak facial musculature
Weak facial muscles mean the lips, jaw, and cheeks lack the strength to comfortably stay closed. This leads to chronic mouth breathing, messy eating, and poor sleep that can leave a child feeling exhausted and unfocused during the day.
Tongue tie restricting functional movement
Tongue tie happens when the small band of tissue under the tongue is too short or tight, restricting normal movement. This can make nursing incredibly difficult for babies and cause long-term struggles with clearing food from the mouth and speaking clearly as they grow.
Our team—Jennie, Kim, and Tiffany—are the only Speech-Language Pathologists in the greater Milwaukee area with specialized training to treat Orofacial Myofunctional Disorders. Furthermore, our founder, Jennie, is the only fully Certified Orofacial Myologist (COM®) in the entire city of Milwaukee.
How We Treat OMD
At Mequon Speech & Learning Connection, we do not just treat the symptoms; we resolve the structural root cause. As the premier myofunctional clinic in the greater Milwaukee area, we utilize Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy (OMT) to physically rehabilitate the muscles of the face and mouth.
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Our treatment approach is highly customized. We guide patients through a progressive series of neurological and muscular exercises designed to achieve four core goals:
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Establish continuous nasal breathing.
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Achieve proper lip seal at rest.
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Retrain the tongue to rest correctly on the palate.
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Correct the swallowing pattern to eliminate tongue thrust.
We collaborate closely with local Mequon orthodontists, dentists, ENTs, and pediatricians to ensure a comprehensive, multidisciplinary treatment plan for every patient.
How Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy (OMT) can Help You:
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​Thumb and Finger Sucking: Stopping thumb-sucking habits or nail-biting.
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Mouth Breathing: Learning to breathe through your nose instead of your mouth.
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Open Mouth Posture: Fixing the habit of resting with your lips apart.
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Tongue Thrust: Correcting a swallow where the tongue pushes forward against the teeth.
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Speech Problems: Helping clear up speech issues, like a lisp.
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Teeth Shifting: Preventing teeth from moving back out of place after braces are removed.
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Bite Issues: Helping correct an overbite, underbite, or open bite.
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Weak Facial Muscles: Strengthening weak muscles in the mouth, lips, and face.
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Sleep and Breathing Issues: Reducing snoring, restless sleep, or sleep apnea.
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Jaw Pain (TMJ): Easing jaw pain, clicking, or tension headaches.
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Healthy Growth: Helping a child’s face, jaw, and airway grow correctly.​
Why is Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy (OMT) Necessary
Your Tongue and Lip Posture Matters
How your tongue and lips rest might seem like a small detail, but it actually plays a huge role in your overall health. When these muscles do not sit in the correct position, it can negatively affect:
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Teeth Alignment: How your teeth grow in and stay straight.
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Orthodontic Results: Keeping your smile perfectly straight after braces come off.
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Jaw Health (TMJ): Preventing jaw pain, clicking, or locking.
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Facial Growth: The healthy shape and development of the face, jaw, and mouth.
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Body Posture: The alignment of your head, neck, and shoulders.
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Clear Speech: How easily and clearly you pronounce certain sounds.
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Sleep Quality: Your ability to breathe easily and get restful, uninterrupted sleep.
Frequently Asked Questions About OMD & OMT
What Is OMD In Medical Terms?
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In medical terms, an Orofacial Myofunctional Disorder (OMD) is an abnormal lip, jaw, or tongue posture during rest, swallowing, breathing, or speech. OMDs involve atypical movement patterns and resting postures of the oral and facial musculature that can affect oral function, airway function, dental occlusion, and craniofacial growth and development.
Can OMD be cured or fixed?
Yes. Through neuroplasticity, targeted Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy (OMT) allows us to retrain the facial and oral muscles. By committing to the therapy exercises, patients can correct their swallowing mechanics and establish healthy, lifelong resting postures.
How long does myofunctional therapy take?
Treatment timelines vary depending on the severity of the disorder, the patient's age, and strict compliance with the daily exercises. However, a typical, successful therapy program generally lasts between 6 to 12 months.
At what age should OMD treatment begin?
Early intervention is always best to guide proper facial growth and prevent future orthodontic issues. We typically begin evaluating and treating children around age four. However, myofunctional therapy is also highly effective for adults seeking relief from TMJ pain, orthodontic relapse, or sleep apnea.
Take the First Step Toward Better Health Today
If you or your child are dealing with mouth breathing, a tongue thrust, or jaw pain, you do not have to figure it out alone. Whether you want to guide your child's healthy growth or find relief from your own daily discomfort, our specialized team is here to support you.
Do not wait for the symptoms to get worse. Reach out to the Milwaukee area's most trusted myofunctional experts today to set up a comprehensive evaluation.
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Call Us: 262-302-4166
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Email Us: office@mequonspeech.com
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