CMT Techniques & Approaches 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: The 'Mewing' posture exercise popularized on social media aligns most closely with which evidence-based myofunctional concept?
- Mandibular advancement therapy
- Habitual nasal breathing with full tongue-to-palate contact at rest (Correct answer)
- Lip stretching for orbicularis strengthening
- Lateral tongue spreading for articulation
Correct answer: Habitual nasal breathing with full tongue-to-palate contact at rest
Mewing describes resting the entire tongue against the palate while breathing nasally, which mirrors the correct oral resting posture taught in myofunctional therapy.
Question 2: When sequencing exercises for a patient with a severe tongue thrust and open bite, a myofunctional therapist should prioritize which phase first?
- Swallowing pattern correction
- Nasal breathing establishment (Correct answer)
- Lip strengthening drills
- Chewing retraining
Correct answer: Nasal breathing establishment
Nasal breathing is the foundational prerequisite; without it, the tongue cannot maintain correct palatal rest posture needed for subsequent phases.
Question 3: A patient practices 'spot' placement by pressing the tongue tip to a rugae target 100 times daily. This type of drill is best categorized as:
- Blocked practice for motor schema formation (Correct answer)
- Random practice for skill transfer
- Mental imagery rehearsal
- Biofeedback-assisted training
Correct answer: Blocked practice for motor schema formation
Blocked practice—repeating the same movement consecutively—builds initial motor schema for new oral postures in myofunctional therapy.
Question 4: Which of the following correctly describes the 'suction swallow' technique used to eliminate tongue thrust?
- The patient sucks water through a straw while pressing the tongue against the lower teeth
- The patient creates a suction cup seal of the tongue against the palate, then swallows while holding that seal (Correct answer)
- The patient swallows with cheeks sucked inward to increase buccal muscle activation
- The patient sucks air in through pursed lips before each swallow
Correct answer: The patient creates a suction cup seal of the tongue against the palate, then swallows while holding that seal
The suction swallow seals the tongue to the palate via negative pressure, eliminating forward tongue thrust during the swallow reflex.
Question 5: A myofunctional therapist introduces 'straw hierarchy' exercises. The sequence progresses from:
- Wide straws to narrow straws (Correct answer)
- Narrow straws to wide straws
- Flexible straws to rigid straws
- Long straws to short straws
Correct answer: Wide straws to narrow straws
Starting with wide straws requires minimal lip and tongue effort; progression to narrower straws gradually increases orbicularis oris and tongue coordination demands.
Question 6: During chewing retraining, a therapist observes the patient consistently shifting the food bolus to one side. The therapist should first:
- Recommend a soft diet permanently
- Introduce alternating bilateral chewing exercises using gauze or chewing tools (Correct answer)
- Refer immediately to a neurologist
- Prescribe jaw exercises with a TheraBite device
Correct answer: Introduce alternating bilateral chewing exercises using gauze or chewing tools
Alternating bilateral chewing drills correct unilateral chewing habits by retraining symmetric jaw and tongue coordination.
Question 7: In myofunctional therapy, 'tongue tie release post-op exercises' are critical because:
- They prevent re-attachment (reattachment) of the frenulum as tissues heal (Correct answer)
- They rebuild the frenum to its original length
- They desensitize the patient to future dental procedures
- They restore buccinator tone lost during surgery
Correct answer: They prevent re-attachment (reattachment) of the frenulum as tissues heal
Consistent range-of-motion and stretching exercises prevent scar tissue from reattaching the frenulum as the surgical site heals.
CMT Techniques & Approaches 3
The 'Mewing' posture exercise popularized on social media aligns most closely with which evidence-based myofunctional concept?