Tongue Position and Function Related to Arch Form and TMJ/D

BDS (Sydney Uni)

Relation and posture

• Tongue position and function are directly related to arch form.

• The importance of the posture of the tongue in Craniofacial development will be clear to the practitioners familiar with myofunctional concepts. However, these same practitioners are likely to be less comfortable with the treatment of TMJ Disorders (TMD) or Craniomandibular Disorders (CMD).

Orthodontics and TMJ

• Orthodontics and TMJ are often considered totally separate disciplines and are well separated in teaching institutions and in the mind of the Dental profession.

Reasons

• This presentation will cross the field between the reasons why we have so many children with narrow arches, long faces, malocclusion and TMD. This understanding adds gives much more weight to why treatment is best in early childhood to avoid TMD, but also, when treating the adult in pain, there can be no more important subject than tongue posture and function. This is a factor often overlooked and leads to treatment failure.

Treatment

• The high prevalence of these patients adds to its significance for every dental professional.

• Why do the majority of our children have malocclusion? Why do so many adults and children have pain associated with CMD in the broader sense?

Introducing solutions

• This comprehensive, and practical course will introduce a new understanding to the Dental and Orthodontic professional.

• More acrylic Phase 1 appliances.

• Immediate myofunctional retainer.

• Easy and low cost.

• TMJ Disorder - immediate diagnosis and treatment - myofunctional causes simply explained.