Therapy

Nasal Breathing Therapy

Breathing through your mouth or resting with your lips open can actually change the shape of your face and alter your appearance. People whose mouth breathing goes untreated may suffer from abnormal facial development. Mouth breathing disrupts body mechanics and can lead to a number of other symptoms such as:

Headaches
Gingivitis
Sore Throat
Cavities
Poor Sleep
Nightmares, Sleepwalking
bedwetting
Digestive Disturbances-acid reflux
and more.....

Therapy that will strengthen mouth muscles and help achieve nasal breathing all day and all night, will be recommended, so proper breathing can be achieved.

Oral Habit Elimination

Habits such as finger or thumb-sucking are often used as forms of self-regulation for young children, while such things as nail biting or lip sucking are common outlets of anxiety for adults.

Although they might be effective in helping one relax, such habits can also contribute to altered mouth and facial muscles, malalignment of teeth, and may force the tongue into a low-resting position in the mouth which adversely affects breathing and orofacial development, as well as swallowing, speaking, and posture.

With proper training, it is possible to eliminate these habits, develop more effective self-regulation skills, and improve the development and function of mouth and facial muscles for long-term health. Oral habit elimination is an important step of an effective overall orofacial myofunctional therapy program.

Tongue Tie Therapy

Tongue tie is when a band of tissue connects the underside of the tongue to the floor is the mouth, keeping it from moving freely. The tissue attached under the tongue is called the frenulum.

Sometimes the frenulum is too short or too tight and may be attached near the front of the tongue and may attach the tip to the floor of the mouth. Tongue tie can range from mild to severe.

There can also be a posterior tongue tie where a thick tight frenulum near the base of the tongue restricts it's motion.

Tongue tie therapy may be necessary treatment for those with a tongue tie.

Tongue Thrust Therapy

Tongue thrust is the habit of pushing your tongue forward, between the upper and lower teeth when swallowing. The proper positioning of the tongue is for the tip to push against the hard palate behind the upper front teeth. Tongue thrust is typically caused by past thumb sucking or extended pacifier use. It may also be due to an undiagnosed tongue tie. Early diagnosis and treatment through myofunctional therapy can correct improper tongue movement