What is myo?

Myofunctional therapy is like physical therapy for your face. It involves exercises to strengthen and reeducate the oral- facial muscles for optimal breathing, sleeping, chewing, swallowing and speaking.

Myofunctional disorders impact...

Sleep
Feeding

Breathing
Chewing

Speech
Attention

Swallowing
Posture

Dental Development
Facial Growth

Tongue Thrusts

A tongue thrust is when the tongue pushes forward or laterally against or past the teeth during swallowing or speech. That, combined with a low oral resting tongue position, can lead to dental issues, like an open bite, crowding or overjet. Lisps and incorrect productions of /s, z, ch, sh, j/ also commonly co-occur with tongue thrusts. It's never too late to get to the root of the problem!

Tethered oral tissue

When the tissue under the tongue, lips or cheeks is too short or tight, poor facial growth, mouth breathing, sleep disruptions, dental issues, feeding troubles and head and neck pain may also co-occur.

A functional frenuloplasty procedure may be necessary to release this tight tissue for optimal growth and functioning.

Myofunctional therapy will help strengthen the muscles before the procedure and reteach oral habits after the surgery to get the best results!

Possible signs and symptoms of tethered oral tissues include: shallow or weak latch during breast or bottle feeding, maternal pain during breastfeeding, clicking or smacking noises at the breast or bottle, excessive drooling, poor speech intelligibility, snoring, mouth breathing, restless sleep, bedwetting, migraines, TMJ discomfort, difficulty chewing and swallowing, orthodontic relapse, constipation and selective eating.

Mouth breathing

Did you know that extended mouth breathing in children affects jaw development and facial structure? Myofunctional therapy can help!

Habit elimination

Thumb and finger sucking, fingernail biting, extended pacifier cue, chewing on hair or clothing and clenching and grinding the teeth are all common oral habits that can have a huge adverse impact on your health as well as your facial growth and dentition. From crooked teeth and a narrow airway, to TMJ pain and a tongue thrust swallow pattern, these habits have harmful effects, but it can be hard so hard to eliminate the habit. If you have a motivation to quit, we can help! Reach out to learn more about our habit elimination program.

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