COM Myofunctional Therapy Techniques 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which swallowing pattern is characterized by excessive mentalis muscle contraction and visible perioral strain?
- Visceral swallow with bilateral tongue thrust
- Adult swallow with posterior tongue seal
- Atypical swallow with circumoral muscle hypertension (Correct answer)
- Infantile swallow with lip incompetence
Correct answer: Atypical swallow with circumoral muscle hypertension
An atypical swallow with circumoral muscle hypertension is marked by visible mentalis strain as accessory muscles compensate for inadequate tongue propulsion.
Question 2: A patient reports jaw fatigue and clicking after chewing hard foods. Which myofunctional assessment finding most likely correlates with this complaint?
- Hyperactive gag reflex
- Masseter hypertrophy with unilateral chewing preference (Correct answer)
- Low tongue resting posture with lip hypotonus
- Excessive nasal resistance
Correct answer: Masseter hypertrophy with unilateral chewing preference
Masseter hypertrophy combined with unilateral chewing creates asymmetric TMJ loading, commonly producing fatigue and joint clicking.
Question 3: In orofacial myofunctional therapy, 'carryover' refers to:
- Transferring patient records between providers
- Generalization of trained muscle patterns into automatic daily function (Correct answer)
- Carrying dental appliances between therapy sessions
- Documentation transferred to the orthodontist
Correct answer: Generalization of trained muscle patterns into automatic daily function
Carryover is the goal of therapy where newly learned neuromuscular patterns become automatic habits integrated into daily activities without conscious effort.
Question 4: Which exercise is MOST effective for reducing mentalis muscle hyperactivity during the resting phase?
- Jaw-opening resistance exercise
- Lip seal with relaxed mentalis awareness training (Correct answer)
- Tongue blade protrusion drills
- High-pull headgear compliance
Correct answer: Lip seal with relaxed mentalis awareness training
Training the patient to achieve passive lip seal without engaging the mentalis reduces compensatory chin muscle strain associated with lip incompetence.
Question 5: A patient has a low resting tongue posture confirmed on assessment. Which palatogram finding would be consistent with this diagnosis?
- Full palatal contact across the entire vault during rest
- Contact limited to the rugae zone only
- Absence of tongue contact with the palate at rest (Correct answer)
- Contact only at the posterior third of the palate
Correct answer: Absence of tongue contact with the palate at rest
A low resting tongue posture means the tongue does not contact the palate, so palatography reveals no contact at rest.
Question 6: Which technique is used to facilitate proprioceptive awareness of the tongue tip's correct resting position at the incisive papilla?
- Tongue depressor resistance exercise
- Peanut butter placement at the alveolar ridge (Correct answer)
- Jaw clenching with lip compression
- Cheek retraction with bite block
Correct answer: Peanut butter placement at the alveolar ridge
Placing a sticky target like peanut butter at the incisive papilla provides sensory feedback guiding the tongue tip to the correct resting position.
Question 7: In treating an anterior open bite related to tongue thrust, what is the recommended timing relationship between myofunctional therapy and orthodontic treatment?
- Complete orthodontics first, then myofunctional therapy after retention
- Myofunctional therapy concurrently with and continuing after orthodontic treatment (Correct answer)
- Myofunctional therapy alone without any orthodontic referral
- Begin orthodontics only after 5 years of myofunctional therapy
Correct answer: Myofunctional therapy concurrently with and continuing after orthodontic treatment
Concurrent and post-orthodontic myofunctional therapy addresses the muscle behavior driving the open bite, reducing relapse risk during and after tooth movement.
COM Myofunctional Therapy Techniques 3
Which swallowing pattern is characterized by excessive mentalis muscle contraction and visible perioral strain?