Myofunctional & Craniosacral Therapy

Are you a mouth breather? Nail biter? A tongue thrust habit – maybe even one that makes basic tasks like eating and speaking more difficult than they should be?

To a holistic dentist, these are all signs of a body out of balance. TMJ disorders and other pain problems are common. So are snoring and sleep apnea, ADHD, allergies, and other conditions.

The solution? Replace the parafunctional habits with good ones that retrain the muscles of the face to work as they were designed to work.

This is the focus of myofunctional therapy – a type of physical therapy that focuses on teaching the muscles of the mouth and face how to work correctly and efficiently. Over the years, it’s been shown to help with speech problems, teeth grinding/bruxing, snoring, tongue-tie, TMJ problems, digestive issues, and more.

Issues with forward head posture and back and neck pain can also be improved as we address the function of the orofacial muscles and properly stabilize the structures of the mouth.

One area we specialize in is releasing tongue ties and improving the ability for the tongue to restore its proper function.

While “myo” works at any age, it’s especially powerful during the growing years, from 2 to 8, while the mouth and head structures are still developing and can be easily guided towards balanced and harmonious facial development. At this age, good facial development can lead to good dental development, often reducing the need for braces.

Consider, too: Braces only move the teeth. They don’t address the underlying dysfunction. (That’s why 90% of all ortho cases relapse!) With myo, we’re looking at the total body: How do the airway, muscles, joints, teeth, fascia, and nerves support each other and work together for proper function and stability?

Myofunctional therapy = restoring proper function of muscles/habits = proper development = room for teeth to come in straight

Working with a trained therapist over the course of several months and doing the recommended exercises to retrain the orofacial muscles, you can get them working the way nature intended – and pave the way for a lifetime of good health.