Poor Oral Posture

Aka Orofacial Myofunctional Disorders

Signs that your child’s facial structure may not be developing properly:

• Resting open mouth posture (at rest, there is a gap between the lips)
• Low tongue posture
• At rest, the child breathes from the mouth, breathes audibly and/or breathes quickly
• Primary dentition (“baby teeth”) lack space between them (spacey teeth are good!)
• Jaw position is not aligned (i.e., the upper teeth should touch the lower teeth edge to edge)
• Child’s nose is habitually snotty, congested or runny
• Child makes smacking noises when eating or chews with an open mouth

If left untreated, incorrect growth of the mouth and face can lead to:

• Sleep disordered breathing
• Difficulty eating
• Speech impediments (e.g. difficulty articulating words)
• Sensitized immune system and allergies
• Breathing difficulties and asthma
• Smaller-than-normal facial bones
• Malocclusion (crooked teeth or jaw)
• Development of less aesthetically appealing features

How poor oral posture creates less aesthetically appealing facial features:

• A high palate diminishes nasal volume and can lead to a larger, misaligned nose
• Low tongue posture can lengthen the face, narrow the jaw and lead to crooked teeth
• Open mouth posture can lengthen the face and cause the mandible (lower jaw) to recede and the head to crane forward (forward head posture). Daytime breathing and sleep breathing can be compromised, and allergies and a range of illnesses can result.
• Untreated crossbite, underbite, or overbite can lead to asymmetrical and unaesthetic facial development, crooked neck and scoliosis (sideways curvature of the spine)