AMAZING RESULTS WITH EASY EXERCISES…My 12 year old son had multiple issues including excessive saliva, drooling, mouth breathing, difficulty chewing food and swallowing, flared upper front teeth with a gaping mouth posture. He had difficulty pronouncing many words and couldn’t even stick out his tongue!

Myofunctional Therapy

Myofunctional therapy is a series of exercises designed to strengthen the lips, cheeks, tongue and oropharynx (back of the throat) to restore normal, healthy oral function.

Who needs Myofunctional Therapy

Myofunctional Therapy assists individuals who are (or were) thumb or finger suckers, have finger biting habits, aberrant tongue behaviour (tongue thrust) and even fixes poor table manners! With just a few weeks of therapy, teeth will come together after the tongue is trained to sit on the roof of the mouth where it belongs for chewing, swallowing and breathing.

Why treating Myofunctional Disorders is important

Proper tongue resting posture and function is IMPERATIVE for proper development of the face and jaws. It starts with breastfeeding for 6-9 months and weaning to an open rimmed cup at least at family meal times (avoid sippy cups and bottles at all costs!) so the facial bones, tongue and face muscles can develop properly. Any child who is a mouth breather with a tongue thrust, open bite and vertical growth will grow up to be someone who snores and will likely develop sleep apnoea as well as other health problems.

Myofunctional Therapy has also assisted in relieving the discomfort of temporomandibular joint dysfunction. When muscles don’t have to work to sustain unhealthy positions, the natural ability for the body to heal itself looms large especially when working with patients who have TMJ dysfunction and improper tongue behaviour.