Orofacial Myology

Habit Device

Hi! Two questions: 1. I purchased the Myo Manual to use with an 8 year old boy who was just fitted with an orthodontic device for tongue thrust. He will have this device for 3 months. Are there specific exercises I should focus on for this particular child or should I proceed through the Myo- manual from beginning to end with him? 2. As a result of a car accident a year and a half ago, I have been diagnosed through an MRI as having TMJ with bilateral, anterior disc dislocation. I have been seeing a chiropractor who is doing some mild manipulation and massage. Would this be an area that you or another COM could treat? Thank you in advance for your advice

Nice to hear from you.  Did you attend one of my short courses in PA in the past?  I know we have communicated over the years but don’t recall how we initially “found” one another!  First of all, I’m so sorry about your accident and that it left you with bilateral TMJ issues.  Although orofacial myology has been known to give relief to some, there is no clear evidence that I have found to indicate what exercises or approaches might actually help as opposed to making matter worse, especially post trauma like you have experienced.  If it were I, I would first follow as best you can the exam in the back of the Myo Manual,  (and I know that there are several parts that are not clear unless one has had my  intensive course, but I’m willing to walk you through some of it, if possible)….then I would give the proficiency exam #1 to find any areas of weakness, and I would do whatever areas were indicated as “weak” areas and work my way through the program…careful to avoid any exercises that could stress the TMJ such as the Elevator Disks.  Has your dentist fitted you with any type of day or night guards?  Be wary of other orofacial myologists who promise snake oil cures for TMD, taking caution to protect that area and not do anything that causes stress or additional discomfort.

You mentioned below, in your email to me that the 8 year old boy was just fitted with what I refer to now as a “torture device”.  Is it like a crib or cage that surrounds the tongue in an attempt to stop it from moving naturally for the boy?  Or heaven forbid, are there actual prongs of some type that come out from it and punish the tongue?  You can almost hear my sarcasm as these devices have recently been condemned in a position statement from the IAOM on whose two boards I sit.  The purpose is for the orthodontist’s convenience: to keep the tongue away long enough to “move teeth,” but once the teeth are moved and the device is also removed, then what?  The brain has learned nothing and the tongue more often than not has learned something far worse than was the initial problem….it usually learns to go around the device in some awkward negative manner.  The chance of the teeth returning to where they were or even a worse position is quite likely since nothing has really been done to change the “cause” of the initial problem.  Therefore, I do not see a patient until they march over to the orthodontist and have the device removed, thereby giving the child and me the opportunity to do something about the root of the problem.

I’m so sorry for the boy as well as you since your hands are tied while that rake/crib/cage is in the way of real progress.

Also, I know you had interest in attending the intensive course in the past and I’ll attach the dates of my courses for this year thus far.  From what I am reading, you have maintained interest in this area for several years and would benefit greatly from the 28 hour course.  You will find that many patients/clients are candidates for the program in addition to the 8 year old boy.  We cover every exercise in the Myo Manual so you know which to use and when to modify.  You are walked through a hands-on thorough orofacial myology exam and receive state of the art info such as the position paper and also the areas that should not be addressed, etc.  Oh, do go to the following two places to capture a short segment of some exercises and of our new website and my view on thumb sucking.

You can Google this or go to YouTube directly:    Sandra R. Holtzman orofacial myology     and you can see a video. Then www.UnpluggingTheThumb.com   has a video with me talking on page two.