O is for Orofacial Function

Sep 1

Orofacial function:

-Orofacial: of or relating to the mouth and face.

- Functions include speaking, chewing, swallowing, breathing.

Orofacial function encompasses the broad range of sensorimotor movements of muscles, soft tissue, and bone in our mouths and faces. Simply put, we’re talking about breathing, chewing, swallowing, speaking and sleeping. These are pretty important, right?

It’s interesting that the tongue plays such a crucial role in craniofacial development and yet we as dentists don’t have too much training in its function. It wasn’t until my breastfeeding journey with my son that I realized just how important it is for the tongue to function properly.

While you’re reading this, where is your tongue? Is it hanging out low between your teeth? Is it gently suctioned to the roof of your mouth? Is the tip sitting behind your upper two front teeth? Or is your mouth hanging open?

Most people are completely unaware that there is a proper oral resting posture we should all be adapting. Most of us know that we should have better posture - we should sit up straight, not stare down at our phones, and sit tall. But how much thought have you given your oral resting posture? Here is the basic recipe:

Tongue gently suctioned to the roof of your mouth, with the tip just behind your upper two front teeth.
Teeth gently separated (teeth should never touch, except when we are chewing).
Lips closed without strain.
Quiet, invisible breathing through BOTH nostrils.

If any part of this recipe is difficult for you, don’t fret - I promise it’s possible to improve your oral resting posture. Step one is awareness. Step two is seeing a dentist who is aware of this and who can help you! There may be an anatomical reason this is difficult.

But why should we care anyway if we have the correct oral resting posture? For babies and children, the posture of the tongue is a critical force guiding growth and development. The tongue’s continuous gentle pressure on the palate helps to grow the dental arches and contribute to proper jaw growth. When the tongue sits low, we often see a narrow palate instead of wide. This is also important because the roof of the mouth is the floor of the nose. A broader palate will then contribute to more space for air to flow through the nasal passages. Low tongue posture is a major contributor to mouth breathing, which deserves its own post entirely. Mouth breathing can lead to poor oral health, sleep issues, and structural issues if not corrected.

As an airway aware dentist, I collaborate with ENTs (ear nose throat doctors), myofunctional therapists, sleep doctors, orthodontists, physical therapists and occupational therapists to improve oral resting posture, sleep and breathing. We are happily accepting new patients at Soleil Dental Co. and part of our new patient exam is evaluating your oral resting posture.

In the meantime, here are two books that changed my perspective on orofacial function entirely. These books spearheaded my deep dive into airway aware dentistry and looking at more than just the teeth.