by Emilia del Pino

Is your child a picky or messy eater? Does he toss and turn all night, snore or walk around with an open mouth? If the answer is yes to one or all of these questions you may be surprised to know this can really impact your child’s health in so many ways.
We often do not think about it but, the muscles in and around our mouth and face are critical for many of our basic human functions such as: breathing, speaking, chewing and swallowing. When these muscles are not working correctly or the way they are meant to, they can negatively impact a child’s whole body. For example, if a child has their mouth even slightly open and mouth breathes, drools, snores, grinds and/or has crooked teeth these can all be red flags of a possible orofacial myofunctional disorder also known as OMDs. OMD can impact many areas of our lives such as our sleep, attention and mood for example.
So, if you say, ‘yes, that describes my child or someone I know,’ what can you do?
Fortunately, there are several professionals that can help. A licensed dental hygienist, dentist and speech-language pathologist are all professionals that are able to diagnose and treat these dysfunctions as part of their training.
It is important to increase awareness and education in our community so that we feel confident to share what we see and get the help needed. DIscussing our concerns is the first step in starting a conversation with other professionals because any of these issues can directly impact a child’s overall physical and oral health. For example, when a child’s mouth is open it affects where the tongue is and how and where teeth grow in.
The larger question is “why is a child using his mouth and not just his nose to breathe”? There may be a number of reasons; for example, he may have an open mouth to help breath due to problems in the nose, ear and tonsil infections, enlarged adenoids, allergies, nail biting or thumb sucking habits and/or feeding difficulties to name a few.
Identifying children with these problems and intervening as soon as possible is critical as positive health benefits occur when orofacial myofunctional disorders are addressed early. When therapy takes place to ensure that a child’s lips are closed, the tongue in the correct rest position on the roof of the mouth, and breathing through the nose takes place, the craniofacial regions (head and face areas) grow and develop properly. When the muscles of the mouth and face are used correctly we often see improvements in a person’s quality of sleep, behavior, mood as well as speech and feeding skills.
We often say the mouth is a gateway to many other systems in the body. When breathing is disrupted movement elsewhere in the body is disrupted. Therefore, the importance of early identification and proper treatment is critical. The treatment of OMDs is highly specialized and carried out by a certified myofunctional therapist often in collaboration with other members of a child’s health team. The primary goal includes re-training the muscles to not use compensations but the correct muscle movements.
An orofacial myologist that provides therapy may incorporate specific exercises targeting three main areas: correct tongue and lip position, establishing nasal versus oral breathing and the using a correct swallow pattern. Treatment is always individualized and consists of educating the child and parent together so that he can learn how to use the muscles in the mouth and face in new ways to better support breathing, sleeping, speech and eating.
It is often said, when we know better we can do better. As professionals we can help families support children so they can be the best version of themselves by providing a holistic approach. I continue to be committed to help increase awareness, educate and support children and their families to live healthier lives by “connecting the dots.”

Editor’s note: Emilia del Pino is a speech-language pathologist and orofacial myofunctional therapist at CNY Speech Pathology. www.cnyspeechpathology.com.