The patient/client is sitting (or standing) and either facing a mirror or facing the person who will demonstrate gently pressing the lips together. After showing a picture or demonstrating this motion, ask the patient/client to gently press his/her lips together. With the muscle relaxed initially and with permission, place your fingers on the skin next to the lips on the patient/client's mouth and ask the person to gently press the lips together. Ask the person to relax and repeat these motions if necessary. If permission is not granted, then observe as the person gently presses the lips together, relaxes and then gently presses them together again.

The orbicularis oris can be palpated by tightly closing the lips:

• with the cheeks compressed (with buccinator muscle activation)
• with the cheeks allowed to pouch (without buccinator muscle activation).

In each of the videos, the palpation for the orbicularis oris occurs with finger placement on the skin around the mouth. The orbicularis oris keeps the lips closed in many different movements of the mouth and face. Palpation for the buccinator occurs at the center of the cheek. Some of the videos show demonstration of finger placement after muscle activation to allow better viewing, as well as before muscle activation. The correct technique of palpation of muscle includes the sequence of muscle activation, relaxation of the muscle, placement of the fingers on the muscle before the muscle is activated, activation of the muscle, and relaxation of the muscle.