When can we start oromyofunctional therapy?

– The age can vary. There are different opinions. Some say at 5 years, others at 8 years.

This primarily depends on the client’s motivation. One child can be made more aware of wrong habits than the other and can be treated sooner than the other.

–  The motivation. Long-term habits must be changed and new learned, which must then be incorporated into “normal” life. This requires enormous effort from both the client and the parents.

– The severity of the dental defect. The shape of teeth and jaws can be so different that nasal breathing is not possible. An inaccessible nose or, for example, seriously enlarged tonsils can also make nasal breathing impossible. Moreover, wrong mouth habits can only aggravate the deviation. It is clear that there must be good cooperation between doctor, dentist, myofunctional therapist and orthodontist or ENT doctor in these cases.

– The severity of the speech-language disorder. The extent to which the deviant mouth behavior influences normal eating, drinking and speech will also be a factor in determining when myofunctional therapy should be started