Short Communication
Muscle Function Evaluation and the Emerging Field of Oro Facial Myology: Connecting dots with the Muscles
Naurine Shah
Correspondence Address :
Naurine Shah
Calgary OroFacial Myology
Sierra Dental Centre, Calgary, Alberta
Canada
Email: naurine.shah@gmail.com
Received on: May 29, 2015, Accepted on: June 10, 2015, Published on: June 23, 2015
Citation: Naurine Shah (2015). Muscle Function Evaluation and the Emerging Field of Oro Facial Myology: Connecting dots with the Muscles
Copyright: 2015 Naurine Shah. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Abstract
Just like there is physiotherapy for the rest of the body, there is 'Myofunctional Therapy' for the muscles of the mouth. Substantial amount of evidence is emerging connecting muscle dysfunction with periodic increase in the stress accumulation of oral muscles, just like anywhere else in the body.
For instance, where the posture of the back is not perfect, treatment is based on correcting that before trying to fix functional issues. Same thing happens when a prosthesis is prescribed. Muscles are trained to adapt to that prosthesis by encouraging strengthening and toning exercises. It would make total sense to define the normal 'posture' for the position of the tongue, lips and cheeks that would complement the position and surfaces of the teeth. The mouth is a complex of numerous muscles that work collectively to perform functions of swallowing, chewing breathing and speech. It is therefore absolutely essential for ALL dental treatments to incorporate how each treatment would affect the normal posture or in other words the inherent balance that has to exist in the oral cavity to stay healthy. It is also necessary to eliminate any pre -existing muscles dysfunctions like tongue thrusts and reverse swallows before embarking on ideal dental treatment to defer any chances of relapse or recurrence.