What are Oral Habits We’ve likely all engaged in oral habits at some point or another. There are some oral habits that are considered developmentally appropriate as long as they resolve before our mouth and jaw finish developing. Oral habits are repetitive, automatic actions or patterns of behavior surrounding the oral structure. These may include thumb sucking or lip biting. Oral habits often develop as soothing mechanisms during infancy and childhood, however prolonged use of oral habits can significantly alter how the teeth, mouth, face, and airway develop and lead to oral dysfunction, tongue thrusting, poor sleep, and more. Common Oral Habits & Possible Impacts Biting Nails - Regularly biting your nails is not only unsanitary, but it can cause:
Lip sucking, cheek biting, and lip biting
Chewing on Straws
Thumb sucking - Although thumb sucking during infancy helps the infant become ready for feeding and can help soothe them, prolonged thumb sucking can cause:
Additional Problems that Can AriseAside from the significant impacts to the teeth, mouth, and face listed above, failure to address these can create additional problems.
How can we help?We will help you or your child eliminate poor oral habits. The ideal time to start Orofacial Myofunctional Treatment is 7-8 years of age, but adults and children as young as 4 can benefit from support in oral motor development and elimination of poor oral habits. We don’t stop there though! It’s important to treat all resulting factors and therefore treatment targets may also include establishing correct resting tongue posture, establishing nasal breathing, learning to chew and swallow correctly without tongue thrusting, and correcting speech sound errors. Want to learn more about oral habits, oral dysfunction, tongue thrusting and/or poor sleep? Check out these accounts on Instagram: Cove Speech Language and Feeding Therapy https://www.instagram.com/covespeechtx/ Foodology Feeding Therapy https://www.instagram.com/foodology_feeding_therapy/ Thumb Sucking Professionals https://www.instagram.com/thumbsuckingprofessionals/ Eat Play Say https://www.instagram.com/eatplaysay/ Functional Face https://www.instagram.com/functionalface/ The Tongue Trainer https://www.instagram.com/thetonguetrainer/ Fame Speech and Myo https://www.instagram.com/famespeechandmyo/ What oral habits do you struggle with?
|
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
November 2021
Categories |