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Stephanie Dickens
Dental Hygienist
What Is Myofunctional Therapy?

Myofunctional therapy is training yourself through guided and progressive exercises that help improve structure and muscle balance. Therapy includes education, awareness, and motivation to see improvement in overall health. Many patients find out about myofunctional therapy when exploring pain and dysfunction they are having in their head, jaw and neck that is related to open mouth posture, tongue dysfunction and mouth breathing.

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What Could Open Mouth Posture Contribute To?

  • Narrow dental arches

  • Facial tension

  • Neck tension

  • Headaches

  • Snoring or sleep disorders

  • Teeth shifting after braces

  • Poor posture

  • Ear pain, fullness, ringing

  • Difficulty swallowing

  • Anxiety/behavioural issues

  • Bad breath

  • Digestive issues

Why Am I Breathing With My Mouth Open?

  • Tongue tie

  • Allergies

  • Poor muscle tone

  • Habits

Is Myofunctional Therapy for Children or Adults?

Both children and adults can benefit from myofunctional therapy. In kids, many problems adults face can be avoided by early interventions. However, many adults find symptom relief by working through exercises.

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Myofunctional therapy starts with a consultation and assessment to review a person’s existing conditions, goals for treatment and creating a plan together. Our goal is to treat each patient as an individual and work together to achieve the patient’s goals.

Still unsure if Myofunctional therapy is for you?

Please look at this checklist of signs and symptoms of a myofunctional disorder:

  • Mouth breathing (as opposed to nose)

  • Snoring

  • Sleeping with mouth open, or drooling

  • Waking up with a headache or tired

  • Excessive gag reflex

  • Fullness in the ears, pain, ringing, etc.

  • Retracted jaw position

  • Swallowing issues, choking, etc.

  • Clenching or Grinding

  • Clicking or locking jaw

  • Jaw pain, tension or hypomobility

  • Forward head posture, poor neck posture

  • Presence of tongue, lip, chin, or cheek ties

  • Tongue resting at the bottom of the mouth at rest when the mouth is closed.

If you answered yes to more than 1 symptom/sign, myofunctional therapy could be for you! Book your assessment with Stephanie today to find out!

Newborn Screening clinic

NewU Physio will now offer a newborn tongue tie screening clinic on Fridays.

What to expect during your appointment?

  • Assessment for the presence of ties, their severity, and the level of impact on the baby’s function.

  • Education

  • Direct referral to a specialist for tie release if necessary.

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Did you know?

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  • There are 7 possible ties in the mouth.

    • Early on, these may cause issues breastfeeding such as difficulty latching, painful latching, frequent regurgitations, etc. 

    • Over time, they will interfere with the child’s oral development and may lead to poor oral hygiene and issues eating, speaking, swallowing, kissing, and playing an instrument. 

 

  • Posterior tongue ties are often missed and are just as important to release for function and development as the anterior tongue ties.

  • Some ties cannot be diagnosed by traditional methods.

    • At NewU Physio, we will look at the function of the ties and not only their anatomy.

 

  • The tongue’s normal resting position on the roof of the mouth is essential for the normal development and growth of a young skull as it is a powerful driver for maxilla expansion allowing for a more proper cranio-facial, cranio-maxillary and jaw development.

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