What is Myofunctional Therapy?
Myofunctional therapy can be likened to a dental version of physical therapy. There are four goals we are looking to correct; mouth breathing, tongue posture, lip posture and restoring proper swallowing technique. There are various exercises used to strengthen and retrain the tongue to help restore proper function. The tongue, when in the wrong location can cause changes to the face and as a result become jagged on the sides and lack tone and definition. The tongue can also become enlarged and start to block the airway.
The goal with myofunctional therapy is to restore proper function and to aid in preserving the airway. The goal is to make it easy and possible to breathe solely through the nose. Often times myofunctional therapy is done in conjunction with orthodontics, tongue tie release surgery and/or ENT treatment(such as deviated septum surgery). Habits can be hard to break, so myofunctional therapy requires patience, persistance and practice.
People who are nasal breathers, have a proper lip seal and tongue posture and have proper swallowing techniques have a low risk of developing orthodontic, TMJ and sleep/ breathing problems. The earlier one starts on their myofunctional journey the better results they will have. Myofunctional therapy is looking to break unhealthy habits, therefore these exercises are a treatment and not lifelong exercises. Myofunctional therapy is not a replacement for orthodontics, nasal surgery or tonsil and adenoid removal. The goal is to diminish your risk from needing these interventions.
Due to the importance of nasal breathing, here at Granite State Myofunctional Therapy LLC we like to incorporate buteyko breathing exercises into our treatment. This helps those who have an intolerance to CO2 due to chronic mouth breathing to build up a tolerance. These exercises help the body to learn to breathe through the nose and adjust to the biochemical changes.
FAQs
1. Are myofunctional devices enough?
These are excellent tools that we now have for myofunctional therapy. They are great for busy individuals who do not have time for myofunctional therapy or for growing children who are not able to sit and practice exercises.
2. Do tongue ties need to be released?
Going through a tongue tie release process may seem like an aggressive treatment. Although there is some recovery time involved, this treatment allows the tongue to have full range of motion. It is only when the tongue has full range of motion that proper techniques can be learned. If the tongue strays from proper function this can cause structural changes and may lead to invasive jaw surgeries or surgical palate expansions.
3. How long is myofunctional therapy?
Usually it take around 6 months for a myofunctional protocol to be completed, however need for tongue tie releases, orthodontics and compliance in practicing exercises can cause the treatment to take longer.