what is Myofunctional Therapy?
The prefix ‘Myo’ stands for muscle. Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy is a unique program that is designed to correct muscle function behaviors that can influence occlusion, facial shape, chewing, swallowing and speech. Therapy includes:
Awareness and breathing
Evaluate breathing, open mouth and tongue postures, chewing, swallowing and parafunctional habits.
Toning and strengthening
Creating balance in muscles, toning facial muscles for stability, Know your SPOT.
Habits
Create new habits: Chewing, swallowing, tongue tip words, tongue and lip postures.
Conditioning
Building muscle memory. Transform those new habits into routine. Putting it all together which leads to permanence.
permanence
Making permeant changes for life. Becoming your own therapist.
TREATMENT
being your own therapist
Become self-aware of habits and use the program to develop new healthy habits to enjoy eating, speaking, breathing and sleeping more soundly.
Treatment is designed to develop proper resting postures for the lips, tongue, and jaw by retraining muscle and swallowing patters to eliminate negative oral habits. A certified orofacial myofunctional therapist is specifically trained to identify, evaluate and treat incorrect muscle function patterns.
Typical dentistry/orthodontics have a primary focus on dental occlusion or teeth-together relationships. Here at Oral Facial Health Care, we focus on behaviors and patterns that develop proper muscle patterns which in turn allows for the bones and teeth to move into position. It takes teamwork to promote a happy and healthy permanent occlusion.
We have programs for breathing, pre and post frenectomies and proper tongue and lip postures, Depending on what orofacial myofunctional disorders you may have, we can find a therapy that works best for you.
Whether its nasal breathing issues, TMJ discomfort, or sleep apnea/snoring, our goals are to help you to find a solution with programs designed for your unique individual needs.,
therapy Goals
Patient Goals and checklist
10-Step Program
- Awareness of poor Habits, Begin Breathing techniques
- Jaw Stability – Tubes, caves, wafer, pops
- Dissociate tongue from lips and facial muscles.
- Tongue Posture
- Lip stretch exercises for lip closure
- Frenulum stretches, Back of tongue strengthening
Chewing - Gathering and Trapping
- Tongue Tip Word – Exercises for Lisp
- Conditioning and review for habit formation
- Permanence
Therapy for swallowing patterns, tongue position, lip seal, and nasal breathing depend on the maturity, attention span, and attitude of the patient. Compliance is instrumental in measuring success and making new habits permanent. Children, teenagers, and even adults have corrected and retrained poor muscle habits with the help of Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy.
Therapy generally is 6 months with follows-up appt’s to a year. however it depends on the severity and nature of the OMDs. Therapy assures to:
new habits
Promote normal chewing and swallowing patterns. Promote healthy Nasal Breathing.
muscle development
Develop and improve appropriate rest posture of the tongue, lips, jaws and facial muscles.
retrain Patterns
Retrain patterns of muscle function habituation which help to relieve TMJD+.
Virtual sessions
Heidi
Frenectomy | Myofunctional Therapy
We decided to come here [to work with Heidi] to fix my teeth and stop biting my nails. So now my nails are long again and I can paint them again!
Jessica
Myofunctional therapy
Jessica came to us recommended by her dentist after having to have her braces applied for a second time when the spaces in her teeth reappeared. She was biting her nails and had a tongue thrust issue causing the teeth to move once the braces were removed. Creating new habits helped resolve the mis-alignment of her teeth.
Tongue thrust can lead to a variety of issues, including dental misalignment, speech challenges, and even breathing problems if left unchecked.
Assess your facial resting posture and swallow.
We provides individualized therapy and services from infant to adult in a compassionate and instructive environment, whether its with our safe in-person or virtual online sessions.
Case Study
Myofunctional Therapy
Tova sought treatment for malocclusion and had come to us through our myofunctional therapy program. Her visits occurred over an 18-month period. She saw tremendous results in her facial alignment and balance as well as the formation of new healthy habits. Her treatment was successful and she never required braces.
Initial Visit
Assessment and diagnosis
Frenectomy
Adenoids removed and frenectomy
before
after
Case study
Myofunctional Therapy
Danielle came in with bilateral open bite 3 weeks after the removal of her braces. Her lingual frenum was tight, but with treatment we were able to stretch it. She had a short upper lip resulting in nighttime mouth breathing.
After 1 year of therapy Danielle saw improvement in the alignment and balance of her facial features.
Initial Visit
Assessment and diagnosis
Frenectomy
Labial Frenectomies Maxillary and Mandibular
before
after
1 month after Labial Frenectomies
Maxillary and Mandibular
