Orofacial Myofunctional Disorder

Orofacial myofunctional disorders are variations from the normal function of the muscles associated with the mouth and include the following:

• Abnormal tongue rest posture
• Abnormal swallow
• Lack of a lip seal (this can cause abnormal tongue rest posture)
• Abnormal chewing

Poor oral habits include, but are not limited to:

• thumb or finger sucking
• blanket or clothes sucking
• lip sucking
• lip licking
• lip biting
• lip pursing or tightening
• soother or pacifier use
• pen or pencil biting
• nail biting
• abnormal tongue rest posture
• abnormal swallow
• mouth breathing
• overuse of facial muscles with chewing and swallowing
• open mouth chewing

These orofacial myofunctional disorders appear to adversely affect the growth of the face and the teeth.