Orthodontist Expectations From Myofunctional Therapy

I am working with an eleven-year-old boy, about to finish with braces. The orthodontist did not see the changes as expected and wanted to know if a habit is interfering with his progress. Per my assessment, he did not demonstrate any regressing in the orofacial myology skills we have been working on. His tongue posture at rest and for swallowing is appropriate. Per mom, he has a brief habit of sucking on his tongue intermittently when he is first falling asleep at night. Do you think this is cause for concern?

It sounds like you have set the stage for success; what changes were expected? If the orthodontist has found that an open mouth posture or tongue forward position is still in place, that would be a good reason for concern. If, on the other hand the orthodontist expected some type of “tooth movement” or other structural changes from myo, that is another story. Did you find out what particular “changes” were expected so you can confer with the orthodontist in an informed way.

Regarding the intermittent tongue sucking: Was he a thumb sucker in the past? It almost seems to be a carryover or regression from younger days, but I’m guessing that if it’s only a short period of time as he’s going to sleep, it will be unlikely to offset the work that you’ve done. Did you have him say a statement 6 times at night, right before bed like the Myo Manual describes? He should also be listening to the subconscious audio before bed, after making the six statements. In his case, I would have him make the six statements about “I will keep my tongue to spot all night long.” I don’t like the statements to be negative so that is why he should not say I will not suck my tongue, etc.