ORAL-FACIAL MYOFUNCTIONAL THERAPY ALSO KNOWN AS TONGUE THRUST THERAPY
A NEW AND IMPORTANT TREATMENT IN OUR OFFICE
Using the muscles of the mouth and face is as natural to us as breathing, but for a high percentage of the population the muscles are being used incorrectly and even their breathing is incorrect. As the drawings indicate, there is a major difference between correct and incorrect:
 
 
 
You will see people every day that exhibit the visual appearance or have the symptoms of dysfunctional muscle use:
1. The mouth breather/open mouth posture during the day and/or at night


2. The long flat facial development
3. Facial grimace when swallowing
4. Development of a poor bite in need of correction


5. Consistent nasal congestion and/or significant allergy history
6. Snoring, sleep apnea, restless sleep
7. Jaw pain, jaw sounds, locking of the jaw, headaches, facial pain
8. Sucking habits-tongue, thumb, fingers, objects
9. Poor eating and drinking patterns (open mouth chewing/inability to chew properly/huge bites/eats too fast or slow/gas, burping, hiccups, stomach aches)
10. Low and/or forward resting tongue posture and swallow
11. Speech/articulation issues (lisping, unsightly tongue position for sounds, jaw shifting, facial muscle adaptation just to say sounds)
12. Saliva pooling issues
13. Prone to poor habit patterns (nail biting, lip-cheek-tongue-object biting or sucking, facial mannerisms, leaning, crooked smile, fingers-objects in the mouth)
14. Periodontal (gum disease) issues
15. Relapse (failure) of orthodontic treatment or dental treatments
Oral-facial Myofunctional Therapy is a program of exercises designed to help you change all of the habits/problems listed above. The tongue is the strongest muscle in the body. Therefore, it can raise havoc with the bite, pressure in the face, and unsightly and aging muscle patterns. The good news is how quickly you can change these habits with simple exercises done each day for just a matter of weeks; that the change can last forever; and that you will feel like a new person. Whole Health Dental Center is excited to be able to offer this service to our patients.
Please join us January 29, 2014 at 6PM for an introductory lecture by Barbara J. Greene of Santa Barbara, CA. Ms. Greene has been an Oral-Facial Myologist for 42 years, has changed hundreds of lives, and will be happy to help you understand this incredible treatment regimen. She will be teaching this therapy at Whole Health Dental Center, allowing us to provide a service needed by many of our patients.
Also, join us on February 15, 2014 for an open house featuring Dr. Liao discussing Oral-Facial Myofunctional Therapy and complimentary Holistic Mouth Screenings.
Please feel free to contact us with any questions and to sign up to attend the open houses at 703-385-6425.