OROFACIAL MYOFUNCTIONAL THERAPY – LIP INCOMPETENCE EXERCISES
Exercises
1. Lip Exercise – Pop-Eye Lips
Pucker lips keeping sealed, Swing lips to the right side, Then the left side. Repeat 10 times. Alternative/Modification: Act like you have a pipe.
2. Lip Exercise – Granny Surprise Face
Roll lips over teeth making an ‘O’ shape, raise your eyebrows and hold the count of 15. Repeat 3 times.
3. Lip Exercise – Lip Closure
Patient is asked to press lips tightly together for 5 s, relax and repeat 5 times.
4. Lip Exercise – Lip Puffer Exercise
This exercise involves forcing the air or liquid in between the upper and lower lips and puffing out the lips to the farthest extension. It should be repeated 5-10 times/day.
5. Lip Exercise – Button pull exercise
A button of 1-1.5 inch diameter is taken, and a thread is passed through the button holes. The patient is asked to place the button behind the lips and pull the thread outwards while resisting it with tight lip seal.
6. Lip Exercise – Forced Lip Closure
Lip exercise involves holding and splashing of water back and forth behind the lips as if done during gargling between the lips until they get tired. The patient is also asked to puff the air behind the lips and cheeks. Patient should not break the lip seal.
7. Lip Exercise – Card Pull Exercise
The “card pull exercise” follows the principle of tug of war, in which the patient holds the card with one hand and tries pulling it. At the same time, the patient tries to holds the card tightly between the upper and lower lips.
8. Lip Exercise – Gum Drop Exercise
Another useful exercise recommended by the dentists is the “gum drop exercise” in which a large size gum drop is taken, approx. 1 ounce. An 18-20 inch string, depending on the height of the patient is taken. One end of the string is attached to the gum drop, and the other end is behind the teeth and held with the lips. The patient is asked to place his/her hands behind the back and to bend forward till the face is parallel with the floor and the string is stretched. Then the patient is asked to open his lips and stretch them as far down as possible, and the same procedure is followed 5-10 times a day.