Tongue Tie

A tongue tie, also referred to as tethered oral tissue or ankyloglossia, anchors the tongue down to the floor of the mouth keeping the tongue from properly resting up on the maxilla which in turn keeps the maxilla from properly developing. Myofunctional therapy can help teach the muscles of the tongue how to properly work thus helping with functionality and healing should you need a frenectomy.

Grinding

Teeth grinding, also called bruxism, can lead to dental related issues and jaw pain (also a symptom of the need for myofunctional therapy by itself), and may be related to airway issues (also a symptom for the need of myofunctional therapy) Myofunctional Therapy addresses the cause of grinding and helps the individual improve muscle function and relaxation.

Myofunctional Therapy and the Symptoms it addresses

Mouth Breathing

Mouth breathing can lead to other issues; chronic congestion, dry mouth, faster breathing, bad breath, and hyperventilation just to name a few. Myofunctional Therapy helps with the root causes of mouth breathing and retrains the oral muscles to help with weak muscle structure and improper tongue posture. It also helps to promote nasal breathing (the goal!)

Chronic Tension & Headaches

Chronic Tension in the shoulders, neck face and jaw can be connected to impairment of the oral muscles. Myofuntional Therapy addresses these muscular impairments and trains them to relax and gain proper function to releave the tension.

Sleep apnea and Snoring

Sleep apnea and snoring (not normal for anyone) are often associated with poor airway function while sleeping. Myofunctional Therapy targets the impaired oral muscles involved in the airway issues. By targeting these impaired muscles and gaining back function it decreases the severity of sleep apnea and also decreases snoring.

Tongue Thrust

Tongue thrusting is when the tongue pushes up against the teeth when swallowing. This can lead to a number of different issues including malocclusion or or orthodontic relapse, and digestive issues. Myofunctional Therapy addresses the pattern of tongue thrusting and helps train the individual how to gain correct function and proper placement of the tongue.

Improper Swallowing

Dysphagia, or improper swallowing is a result from weak oral muscles and impaired swallowing habits. Myofunctional Therapy helps to address these impairments and to train and strengthen the weak oral muscles. By gaining functionality back in these areas it helps combat chocking and promote proper swallowing habits.

4 Goals of Myofunctional Therapy

  • Description text goes hereWhen we are at rest our tongue should be resting on the roof of our mouth right behind our front teeth.

  • When at rest our mouth should be mostly closed, teeth not touching (or barely touching in the back), with lips slightly open.

  • We should be nasal breathing 100% of the time. With our tong resting on the spot and our mouth in its proper position this helps with nasal breathing!

  • When swallowing we should chew our food until it is a bolus right in the center of our tongue. Our tongue should then push up to “the spot” and then do a “wave” like motion to push that bolus down our throats, all while nasal breathing.