Frequently Asked Questions
- Why would I benefit from myofunctional therapy?
- Simply put, improving your swallow can help your speech, sleep, breathing, and eating. It helps low, forward tongue resting posture, open mouth posture, and a variety of speech-language disorders. Myo targets the root cause of a patient’s difficulties and is research-backed for a variety of disorders. It honors your airway as a critical variable to your quality of sleep, which is critical for how you feel, handle your emotions, focus, and recall information.
- Simply put, improving your swallow can help your speech, sleep, breathing, and eating. It helps low, forward tongue resting posture, open mouth posture, and a variety of speech-language disorders. Myo targets the root cause of a patient’s difficulties and is research-backed for a variety of disorders. It honors your airway as a critical variable to your quality of sleep, which is critical for how you feel, handle your emotions, focus, and recall information.
- What do you do in myofunctional therapy?
- Following an evaluation, an individualized plan is created. Some patients need support to stop an oral habit like finger or thumb sucking. Nasal breathing is taught and supported in all patients. Exercises are then provided to improve your oral rest posture (where your mouth goes at rest), swallow, and speaking. These exercises strengthen your tongue, jaw, and lips. The tongue learns to move independently without any involvement from your jaw or lips, neck, or facial muscles. Next, correct oral rest posture, chewing/swallowing, and articulation skills are taught.
- Following an evaluation, an individualized plan is created. Some patients need support to stop an oral habit like finger or thumb sucking. Nasal breathing is taught and supported in all patients. Exercises are then provided to improve your oral rest posture (where your mouth goes at rest), swallow, and speaking. These exercises strengthen your tongue, jaw, and lips. The tongue learns to move independently without any involvement from your jaw or lips, neck, or facial muscles. Next, correct oral rest posture, chewing/swallowing, and articulation skills are taught.
- How often are therapy sessions?
- It depends on what best fits your schedule and individualized needs. Some households prefer a fast, intense burst of therapy, whereas others need a slightly slower rate (such as every 2 weeks).
- It depends on what best fits your schedule and individualized needs. Some households prefer a fast, intense burst of therapy, whereas others need a slightly slower rate (such as every 2 weeks).
- How long is a therapy session?
- Our office has found nearly all ages to be most successful with a 45 or 60 minute session. It promotes a highly focused session and the best results for our patients. Again, individualized needs are considered and discussed to optimize your care.
- Our office has found nearly all ages to be most successful with a 45 or 60 minute session. It promotes a highly focused session and the best results for our patients. Again, individualized needs are considered and discussed to optimize your care.
- Isn’t my child’s Speech-Language Pathologist doing this at school?
- It is very, very unlikely. School-based services are provided to allow students to access the curriculum; there needs to be a social, behavioral, or academic reason to receive services. Even if Speech services are provided, a clinician needs to obtain significant training in orofacial myofunctional disorders. Many clinicians are hesitant to become trained in myo because of the additional time and cost of training; it is substantially deeper curriculum than speech-language pathologists are taught in graduate school. Additionally, a medical team is often critical for team collaboration and this is very challenging to support in the school setting. Further, many clinicians don’t understand that the exercises are training specific tongue muscles to facilitate a strong, healthy swallow; it is not “traditional oral motor” work the field has discredited.
- It is very, very unlikely. School-based services are provided to allow students to access the curriculum; there needs to be a social, behavioral, or academic reason to receive services. Even if Speech services are provided, a clinician needs to obtain significant training in orofacial myofunctional disorders. Many clinicians are hesitant to become trained in myo because of the additional time and cost of training; it is substantially deeper curriculum than speech-language pathologists are taught in graduate school. Additionally, a medical team is often critical for team collaboration and this is very challenging to support in the school setting. Further, many clinicians don’t understand that the exercises are training specific tongue muscles to facilitate a strong, healthy swallow; it is not “traditional oral motor” work the field has discredited.
- Why can’t we just skip myo and go right to the tongue tie release?
- While it initially seems logical, the body and its systems are far too complex. Giving a tongue additional range of motion is great, but we have to teach the brain and tongue how to work together (neuromuscular facilitation). Without myo, your tongue remains with the old, poor functioning habits. Myo gives your tongue strength and coordination, and teaches it what to do.
- Your treatment team has an ethical obligation to determine when you are ready for your release, and if necessary, to refuse the procedure if you do not demonstrate readiness. Myo exercises allow your provider to know how much tongue to release, but it also protects your tongue from injury.
- Why do I have to do homework?
- Therapy will require daily work to ensure you are progressing appropriately. We want to offer services when you are available to commit to 5 minute of work for approximately 4 weeks. There is no judgement if it’s not quite the right time for you! We want to help you be successful! We will share our secrets to be successful with even the busiest of schedules.
- Therapy will require daily work to ensure you are progressing appropriately. We want to offer services when you are available to commit to 5 minute of work for approximately 4 weeks. There is no judgement if it’s not quite the right time for you! We want to help you be successful! We will share our secrets to be successful with even the busiest of schedules.
- Why is my tongue tie being identified now?
- Not all tongue restrictions need to be released; when there is an impact on how the person is functioning, a referral is typically made. There are many phases in life where a tongue tie may be identified:
- Birth: Poor latch/suck; difficulty breastfeeding and/or bottle feeding; gastrointestinal issues such as reflux, constipation
- Nutrition: difficulty transitioning to solid foods or to different textures; picky eating
- Dental exam: a dentist may notice an impact on your teeth
- Speech deficits: speech sound difficulty, slow progress in therapy, mumbling
- Orthodontia: teeth shift after orthodontia
- Learning or sleep difficulties: waking unrested can have a substantial impact on one’s ability to pay attention/focus, remember, and regulate moods
- Not all tongue restrictions need to be released; when there is an impact on how the person is functioning, a referral is typically made. There are many phases in life where a tongue tie may be identified:
- “But they already had their tongue clipped when they were a baby”
- Many times, a release at the hospital or clinic may be enough to allow successful breastfeeding, but other signs and symptoms of a tongue tie reappear when the child is older. All practitioners want to be careful in their procedure to only release what they have to. If signs and symptoms of a tongue tie appear, a revision may be necessary.
- Many times, a release at the hospital or clinic may be enough to allow successful breastfeeding, but other signs and symptoms of a tongue tie reappear when the child is older. All practitioners want to be careful in their procedure to only release what they have to. If signs and symptoms of a tongue tie appear, a revision may be necessary.
- Why hasn’t my doctor/pediatrician said anything about this before?
- A dentist and speech-language pathologist trained in myo are specialists of the mouth and can do evaluations to look at tongue function in infants through adults.
- A dentist and speech-language pathologist trained in myo are specialists of the mouth and can do evaluations to look at tongue function in infants through adults.
- “But they can stick their tongue out” OR “it doesn’t look like it’s tied”
- The best way to measure a tongue’s range of motion is actually by opening your mouth wide, then lifting the tongue towards the top teeth. It’s very common for additional muscles to try to help the tongue stretch, so our evaluation will work to eliminate these additional muscles from getting involved; the tongue needs to learn how to move independently, without any help from your jaw, or muscles in your face, throat, or lips.
- The best way to measure a tongue’s range of motion is actually by opening your mouth wide, then lifting the tongue towards the top teeth. It’s very common for additional muscles to try to help the tongue stretch, so our evaluation will work to eliminate these additional muscles from getting involved; the tongue needs to learn how to move independently, without any help from your jaw, or muscles in your face, throat, or lips.
- “But they could breastfeed ok” OR “They are gaining weight ok”
- Awesome! If there ever is a disruption to speech, sleep, breathing, or a challenge in stopping an oral habit (like finger or thumb sucking), it’s important that we address the issue now to prevent compensations or other issues.
- Awesome! If there ever is a disruption to speech, sleep, breathing, or a challenge in stopping an oral habit (like finger or thumb sucking), it’s important that we address the issue now to prevent compensations or other issues.
- “The <insert profession> said my child doesn’t have a tongue tie.”
- Many times they’re looking to see if the frenulum (“string”) goes to the tongue tip; very few tongue ties do.
- Very few individuals, in any field, have had more than a brief lecture on a tongue tie; of those who did, the tongue’s function is rarely discussed
- Orofacial myology is very specific and intensive training that requires over 40 hours to begin work in the field, and several years of experience to become quite skilled in evaluating and treating the tongue’s function. Even if the frenulum looks very small or thin, it can have a huge impact on how the tongue functions for eating, sleeping, speaking, and breathing!
- “Won’t they outgrow it?”
- No. A tongue or airway that is not working optimally will not fix itself. Instead, compensations start, and they can be seen in infants as young as 1 week old! The older a person gets, the more compensations they develop, and the deeper ingrained the compensations become.
- No. A tongue or airway that is not working optimally will not fix itself. Instead, compensations start, and they can be seen in infants as young as 1 week old! The older a person gets, the more compensations they develop, and the deeper ingrained the compensations become.
- What’s a compensation?
- When the body is struggling to do something, it will “opt out” or find another part of the body to help out. For example, if you make a fist, you’ll slowly feel the muscle tension move from your forearm to your bicep, and after a while, you’ll start using other muscles in your shoulder, neck, and into abdomen; the muscles start close, then move to other parts of the body. These other parts learn to become part of how the body moves throughout the day. It sounds crazy, but we consistently see asymmetrical posture in shoulders and faces in our patients that can often disappear immediately following a tongue release! Over time, one problem creates more problems, and with time, they can become harder to eliminate.
- Common compensations:
- Picky eating
- Using a beverage or condiment to help swallow food
- Avoidant behavior
- Poor posture
- Difficulty discontinuing thumb/finger sucking or a pacifier
- Mouth breathing
- Low resting tongue, possibly between teeth
- Sensitive gag reflex
- Tongue thrust
- Why is it important to address myo now in my child?
- It is ideal to use a child’s growth to grow and shape the head, airway, and oral structures to optimize healthy function for life. it’s much less invasive and more expensive once a child hits puberty and the bones become “cemented” in place and the dysfunctional behaviors become more ingrained.
- Research shows there’s a cost associated to the health complications for both oral and whole body health: prescriptions, medical supplies, cavities, pain, oral dysfunction, periodontal disease, malocclusion, sleep disordered breathing, speech-language disorders, ADHD, learning difficulties, and psycho-social well-being.
- Early intervention promotes healthy bodies, time in the classroom, limits therapy, and establishes restful sleep.
- Evaluation and treatment could be completed within a month or two for most situations. Benefits can start immediately and last a lifetime to improve oral and medical health.
- “So what would happen if we did not treat this airway issue/tongue tie?”
- Orthodontic relapse: the “undoing” of your orthodontic treatment
- Sleep disordered breathing: snoring, restless sleep, waking unrefreshed, difficulty focusing/attending, sleep apnea
- Many parents are criticized for not putting their child to bed early enough, but it’s about the quality of sleep, not the quantity that’s the issue.
- Difficulty learning due to the sleep issues; poor memory and attention
- Parents often feel pressured to pursue ADHD diagnosis and medicate
- Speech difficulty: therapy time out of the classroom, stuttering, mumbling, short phrases, articulation difficulty, lisping
- Therapists, patients, and parents often feel frustration for slow progress
- Patients lose faith in the therapy process; many hear or feel “they didn’t try, they were lazy”
- Posture difficulty: pain or tension is often experienced in TMJ, neck, and back
- Mouth breathing, open mouth posture: again, this leads to sleep disordered breathing, but also more respiratory illnesses and anxiety
- Eating issues: picky eating, messy eating, open mouth chewing, digestive issues (reflux and constipation are most commonly reported)
- Limited diets, difficulty finding a place to eat, unable to share a meal together
- Psycho-social issues: countless patients tell us how they are yelled at for how they stand, walk, eat, talk, or how they’re not following directions, listening, or paying attention -but they’re trying their best! Their body is holding them back; they are not lazy or stubborn. They want to please others, but are identified as being difficult at home or school. We see these “difficult” behaviors disappear once the airway issue is addressed!
- How do you perform when you have a bad night of sleep? Imagine a lifetime of that -and never having a day to sleep in to catch up!
- Our clinic has many Connor Deegans, and we know we can make the world a better place when each person feels their best!
- What do patients look for when choosing our office?
- It really varies by each family and what their needs are!
- With enlarged tonsils or adenoids, many are looking to avoid surgery or general anesthesia
- Some are looking for a holistic or more natural approach
- We are often a “second opinion” to traditional medicine
- Many have “common, but not normal” symptoms (such as snoring, restless sleep, teeth grinding/clenching, tongue thrust, speech difficulty) and would like to figure out and treat the root cause.
- In many cases, we can offer some “simple solutions” by going back to the basics of how people eat, sleep, and digest to improve oral and medical health.
- We offer a range of services, from newborns to adults, utilizing over 20 years of professional development and growth to provide individualized care for each patient.
- We love challenging cases and specialize in special needs!
- Our team has significant experience in schools, dental offices, and private practice to offer a unique depth and quality of service.
- It really varies by each family and what their needs are!
- Mom guilt is so real!!! “I didn’t know, I didn’t understand…”, “I waited too long to get my child help.”
- Nothing is worse than feeling like you missed something in your child! Our team is grounded in helping mothers and children using trauma-informed practices.
- We will help you get the best care for your child. We advocate and educate your child’s team of medical, dental, and educational providers. We value listening to your journey and experiences.
- Far, far too often we hear moms who were told or felt like they were being crazy; their concerns were not listened to; they were told their child will “grow out of it,” but there is an ongoing struggle that is real and is disruptive to the household. We have never met a crazy mom yet. In fact, we’ve been able to reassure all of the moms to date that their concerns are 100% valid and we offer help.
- At your evaluation, we aim to breakdown some of the big areas of frustration, and leave you with an understanding and tools to nurture your relationship with your child.
- It’s not too late. You’re already reading this. We’ll give you our best.