How Do You Know If You Need Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy?
I meet so many people who ask me if they need orofacial myofunctional therapy, and rather than just say yes, I explain what the goals of therapy are and then I let them self identify. When the client fills out the discovery paperwork, he or she can clearly see that there are concerns.
[When there is no ink left in the pen from marking all the boxes? Bingo! Houston we have a problem!]
So if you recall from the last episode (#16) of the Myo Minute , I went over the 4 goals of orofacial myofunctional therapy, which will make it pretty easy to determine if you need orofacial myofunctional therapy.
The 4 goals of orofacial myofunctional therapy are:
Correct Tongue Posture
The tongue should live “tip to tail” in the roof of the mouth creating a seal against the palate.
Correct Mouth Posture
The correct mouth posture is mouth closed, lips completely sealed, teeth gently apart, and muscles relaxed.
Nasal Breathing
For optimum health and high, level performance, your body relies on nasal breathing. When a person is mouth breathing, not only does it alter the correct development of the facial skeleton and the airway, but mouth breathing also deprives the body of important oxygen needed to function properly. Mouth breathing also causes the body to live in a chronically, stressed state of sympathetic overdrive.
Correct Swallowing Habits
Correct swallowing mechanics can be the hardest part of therapy. Lack of correct nasal breathing or correct oral rest posture can cause the tongue to thrust when swallowing. This thrust is an adaptation or compensation of the body. A tongue thrust can occur anteriorly (pushing forward), laterally (pushing sideways) and can occur on just one side (unilaterally), or on both sides (bilaterally).
There are 4 stages of swallowing and each stage requires certain actions before the next stage can be completed. If the tongue and mouth posture is incorrect, or the tongue can’t elevate to create an intraoral suction (due to a tongue-tie, muscle impairment, or inability to nasal breathe) then an adaptation must develop. This is why it is so important to understand why a person has a tongue thrust, not just attempt to fix it.
In this episode of the Myo Minute, learn how to know if you need orofacial myofunctional therapy.
So there ya have it. If you aren’t correctly satisfying the 4 goals of orofacial myofunctional therapy, then you have work to do, and my team here at Impact Myofunctional Therapy are just the people to help you do it!
Do you want help deciding if you need orofacial myofunctional therapy?
If you breathe with your mouth open, rest your tongue in the floor of your mouth, suspect a tongue tie, snore, have apnea or poor sleep, lots of digestion issues or food sensitivities, suffer from chronic pain, anxiety, depression, fatigue, lack of energy and pizzazz in life, weight gain or TMJ issues…you and I need to meet and do an exam!
That’s the very best place to start. Don’t waste your time with any other assessments, this is where the rubber meets the road. I help you plan who we need on your team, when we need them and why. So start with that exam, schedule it wherever you’re watching this video or find your way to my website and we will get you started on the path to YOU. 2.0!!
If you know someone who needs this information, subscribe/ follow / share whatever it is that you do wherever you are watching this…because you might make an impact on someone else’s wellness journey!
Learn More About Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy Here:
Meet Carmen Woodland
I found this path of passion years ago as a dental hygienist. After a stint in graduate school to earn my M.B.A., I decided that I needed to pivot. My heart was no longer in scraping teeth, but making a much bigger impact on lives touched by myofunctional impairment.
My story is personal and close to home. My sweet granddaughter was passed back and forth amongst doctors and therapists for years trying to figure out her speech, breathing, sleep, chewing and swallowing issues. It wasn’t until I completed more training that I knew her problem was a significant tongue-tie. Bingo.
Fast forward to now. I’m a crusader. A warrior. A voice for those who can’t find theirs, or who don’t have one.
I left clinical hygiene practice to start Integrative Myofunctional Therapy. It has evolved from a way to make a living, into an obsession!
I see clients all over the world and provide innovative, virtual therapy in the remotest of places.
In addition, I also
- Teach other dental hygienists, speech therapists & dentists how to become myofunctional therapists through the Myofunctional Therapy Training Academy, the Myo Mastery Program, Ignition Implementation Lab, and Triumph Business Training For Myofunctional Professionals
- Coach dental offices on how to implement myofunctional screening into the daily practice
- Speak in various settings
I’m an airway provider for the Foundation of Airway Health, where I work diligently for the recognition, diagnosis, and treatment of airway-related disorders.
And last but not least, I’m a proud member of several professional associations that afford me the opportunity to learn so that I can help you. My professional memberships include: