Fredericksburg Parent

www.FredericksburgParent.NET 11 "Your Face's Braces" The tongue has eight muscles, and many people don't realize what an impor- tant role it plays in the health of the entire body, Richwine says. "Your tongue is your natural orthodontic appliance," she says. The posture of the tongue at rest influences the formation of the palate, starting at birth. A properly functioning tongue is key to optimal health, growth and development that contributes to speaking, swallowing and breathing properly. A Multidisciplinary Approach OMT's can be an important resource for parents whose children are having trouble with eating, sleeping, breathing or speech, but whose problems don't seem to have a clear answer. Richwine's process begins with a 90-minute com- prehensive evaluation, where she takes photos, measures the palate, observes and records eating and swallowing techniques and asks a lot of questions. "We want to find the root cause of the problem," Richwine says. After evaluation, patients may be referred to an ear nose and throat doctor, a speech language pathologist, orthodontist, body professional, dentist or oral surgeon, depending on what further treatment their individual problem may require. But Richwine also works with patients on ongoing therapy that helps ensure some of those treatments will solve the problem. For example, for a patient with a tongue tie, a dentist or oral surgeon may need to perform a frenectomy, where the tissue between the tongue and the floor of the mouth is cut or lasered to release the tethered oral tissue. Orofacial myo- functional therapy before and after this procedure can ensure that a patient is able to have full function of his or her tongue once it has more freedom of movement. "Once you release it there is a whole new found freedom. How are you going to speak? Where does the tongue rest? Let's create functionality with the muscles and learn to function," she says. Optimal wound healing is important for the least amount of scar tissue formation. Therapy can also help children correct other orofacial myofunctional issues by building up the strength of the muscles in their tongue and face. For ages 5 and up, this includes exercises where children learn to make different sounds with the tongue that target specific muscles, exercises to promote breathing through the nose, blowing into balloons and through a straw to strengthen breathing techniques. Therapy typically lasts 45 minutes once per week or once every two weeks. Is OMT For My Child? Richwine knows what it's like to be a parent with a "gut feeling" that something is wrong. The symp- toms of an orofacial myofunctional disorder are diverse and wide-ranging, and she offers a free 20-minute phone consultation to help determine if OMT could help a specific individual. Richwine works with individuals from birth through adult- hood. While she does not take insurance, she does offer a super bill, a document that can be used to pursue reimbursement from your health insurer. Some of the symptoms of an orofacial myofunc- tional disorder include: Birth to age 4: • Mouth breathing • Colic • Spitting up • Inability to breastfeed or latch • Torticollis (a twisted or tilted neck) • Bleeding, cracked nipples or mastitis in breast- feeding mother • Overuse of pacifiers (Children should cease using pacifiers at 6 months to a year, and it should only be used in crib or bed; never dur- ing the day.) Ages 5 and up • Open-mouth breathing • Bed wetting, and waking several times in the night • Thumb sucking • Sleep apnea • ADD or ADHD induced by chronic lack of sleep • Snoring • Poor neck posture • Scalloped borders on the sides of the tongue because the palate is too small • Orthodontic relapse • Crowding of teeth • Open bite • Tongue tie • Tongue thrust A properly functioning tongue is key to optimal health, growth and development that contributes to speaking, swallowing and breathing properly. Angela Richwine, RDH, BASc Orofacial Myofunc onal Therapist To learn more or to set up a call with Richwine, visit centralvirginiaomt.com.

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