Myofunctional therapy can help reduce the risk of children and adults requiring complex orthodontic treatment, even surgery, due to :

Mouth Breathing

Thumb or finger sucking
Sucking on a blanket or clothing
Lip sucking
Pinching or tightening the lips
Using a pacifier or soother
Biting a pen or pencil
Nail biting
Abnormal resting posture of the tongue
Abnormal swallowing
Overuse of facial muscles during chewing and swallowing
Open-mouthed chewing

It has long been assumed that genetics determine our appearance, but we now know that there are other factors that influence the shape of the face and jaw. Constant forces, such as the tongue, can alter jaw growth and the final position of teeth. It's hard to believe that something as soft as the tongue can affect something as hard as teeth and bones, but constant pressure in the wrong places can have many undesirable effects.

The most obvious signs of an unhealthy tongue habit are significant space between the teeth, teeth that are spread apart and noticeable crowding.

A patient may not know they have a harmful tongue habit until they consult an orthodontist to correct these problems.

With 40 muscles in your face and 8 muscles in your tongue, it's important that they all work together in tandem to do their essential job of speaking, chewing, swallowing and keeping your airway open.

Patients of all ages see benefits after completing myofunctional therapy, but the sooner a patient can eliminate these problems, the better. Providing myofunctional therapy to children offers lifelong benefits and helps prevent unwanted consequences from an early age.

A consultation with our orofacial myofunctional therapist thoroughly evaluates all these potential tongue habits and oral cavity pathologies, such as restricted oral tissues and airway deficiencies. You will then receive an individualized rehabilitation program to ensure that your tongue and mouth function as they should.