Myofunctional Therapy is a specialized treatment used for Orofacial Myofunctional Disorders (OMDs). “Orofacial myofunctional disorder includes dysfunction of the lips, jaw, tongue, and/or oropharynx that interferes with normal growth, development, or function of other oral structures, the consequence of a sequence of events or lack of intervention at critical periods, which result in malocclusion and suboptimal facial development” (D’Onofrio, 2019).

OMD is characterized by one or more of the following: 

• abnormal labial (lip) and lingual (tongue) rest posture 

• tethered oral tissue (TOT) “tongue tie" or “Lip tie”

• atypical swallowing patterns (tongue thrust- tongue exits mouth during swallow)

• dental malocclusions 

• blocked nasal airways

• atypical oral placement for speech

Myo & Me Program

The Myo & Me program is an early intervention program designed for children ages 4-6. Often, parents can see myofunctional disorders in their children at a young age but are unsure of what to do. If your child has had their tonsils/adenoids removed, is a loud/messy eater, has disturbed sleep, snores, and/or grinds their teeth they could benefit from having early intervention Myofunctional Therapy. The Myo & Me program exercises are fun and interactive so that parents and children can do them together. Children this age don't have the same oral and motor skills as older kids, shorter attention spans also need to be taken into account. Myo & Me program allows parents to help introduce good oral habits to their children at a young age. Parents will often notice benefits in themselves from doing the exercises with their children.

Oral Habit Elimination

This program will focus on elimination of negative oral habits such as thumb/finger sucking, pacifier use, nail biting and/or lip licking. Oral habits should be eliminated before completing one of the other wellness programs. It works well for children ages 4 and up. Duration: Typically ~1-4 months.