STICKY FLAP

Myofunktional Exercise  Collection

Application:

to enlarge cklickmpicture

Usable is this exercise as one of the first for the TONGUE-TIP-ORIENTATION and this in cases where interactive cooperation is problematic. The feed-back automatism triggered by this manipulation with the self-sticking flap takes on the leading of the tongue tip to the point. (Anatomy: Area II, Page 18).

Contents:

Through a feed-back stimulation manipulated instruction help for orientation.

Materials:

A ca. 2 square millimetres sized piece of a sticking film: Thin wafer / eatable baking foil / edible paper.

Procedure:

- Previous exercises: Advisable would be a balanced body posture as the SITTING-POSITION or even BASIC-POSITION.

-Starting position: See above, a special position will not be required.

- Step-by-step-description:

-1 The POINT is dried properly with some suitable method (by dubbing with a handkerchief, gauze swab, cotton roll).

-2 The therapist takes off the dubbing item immediately replacing it with the prepared sticking flap at the POINT, possibly with tweezers, and presses it lightly down for a short moment.

-3 The patient, now, will immediately start feeling for the foreign body and, thus, put the tongue tip to the POINT. The flap will become detached within a short time by itself.

-Timing: The length of action is predestined by the adhesion ability of the substance. The exercise should be practiced three times a day at least.

Characteristics:

Orientation, feed-back, heterostereognosis, manipulation.

Remarks:

The method offers a good reliability for the guiding of the tongue. Should the flap stick too well as with a “dry mouth” it should be removed by rinsing with warm water and a toothbrush.

Discussion:

The manipulative component may appear of minor importance nevertheless it dominates this exercise as the foreign body stimulus is extremely distinct and possibly irksome in a way. For this reason at one hand but as well because an adaptation to the irritation will develop it should be moved forward to a more advanced exercise. Sequential training can be seen in the PROVE-THE-POINT. The method is very efficient as a marker for the POINT respectively for the instruction of the patient about the requested positioning of the tongue tip. The flap, indeed, offers from the tactile aesthetic view a stimulation remarkably more intense then the gustatory one in the exercise LICK can produce. As the exercise should be carried out more frequently during the day, an assistant person has to be well advised which proves a drawback as size and position of the flap have to be precisely observed (2mm behind the gingival margin in the midst between the upper incisivi on the papilla incisiva.)

What should be done if the tongue is not able to find its way in the mouth?

We may build in a signpost, a road sign to show the way to where its place is.

Let’s stick a sign on its seat. And precisely on to this the tongue will have to take its seat. If the sign falls off and if the tongue, still, does not remember where to sit down we will get a new one – until the tongue has got it.

And now, tongue, look for your sign, sit and hold on to it.