Facial Growth and Jaw Development

The habits we develop in our youth inevitably translate to behaviors later in life.
​By training the muscles in the face to act in their optimal biological way, muscle memory can
​ keep the teeth and jaw in alignment as we grow and develop.
(In many cases eliminating the need for future orthodontics)

"Even the adult face can change aesthetically, by achieving proper muscle balance between the lips and tongue at rest."

- Sanda Valcu-Pinkerton

What is Myofunctional Therapy?

Highly Effective Physical Therapy Exercises to Improve Breathing, Bite, and Orofacial Posture.
​Myofunctional therapy is a program used to treat incorrect patterns of muscle functions used for swallowing, breathing and chewing. 
​
Orofacial Myofunctional Disorders (OMDs) affect the functions and muscles of the mouth and face. OMDs can cause a variety of effects either directly or indirectly. From  problems breastfeeding, stunted facial skeletal growth and development, disordered chewing, swallowing, speech impediments, malocclusion, temporomandibular joint movement/disorders, poor oral hygiene, stability of orthodontic treatment, facial esthetics, and more.
Many people mouth-breathe more than they should. As a result, the muscles and the orofacial functions tend to adapt to a disordered breathing pattern, which in turn creates many OMDs. 

Myofunctional therapy can help enable one to enjoy eating, speaking, breathing, and even sleeping more soundly. Not to mention that the Cosmetic benefits can bolster self-esteem. 
​
​Just as physical therapy helps to train our bodies back into optimal shape after an injury, Myofunctional therapy helps by training the soft tissues of the face, neck, and mouth to function at the height of their ability. 
Myofunctional therapy is also an important adjunct to numerous orofacial surgeries such as frenuloplasties, and mandibular advancements. Our goal is to cultivate an awareness of muscle use and develop a therapy program of regular exercises designed specifically to your needs.  ​​

Myofunctional Therapy Facilitates: 

Nasal Breathing

Nasal Breathing is key! Not only does it filter our irritants, but it supports optimal orofacial development. 

Proper Swallowing

A restricted tongue can even affect the way we swallow our food, leading to messy or fussy eating and difficulties breast feeding.

Bad Habit Breaking

Numerous oral fixation habits can develop as a result of improper breathing. Nail biting for example, is often the body's way of tightening the jaw and throat to support a compromised airway.

Speech Development

Speech impediments can result from something as simple as a overzealous frenulum. They can also potentially be a sign of a more serious issue.

Importance of Oral and Facial Muscles

The power of breath has been known for millennia! Almost every culture has deep traditions around breathing.
In ancient India, children were taught proper nasal breathing as an essential part of their yoga, meditation, and life long journey to higher states of consciousness.

In some Native American tribes, when young men embarked in their rites of passage, they were instructed to keep their mouths shut.

​Not only to focus the mind and keep hot breath from giving away their position while hunting, but to condition their nasal breathing habits early on.
Myofunctional therapy is carrying the torch of these important practices into the future.

By aligning those ancient practices and knowledge with precision diagnostics and a 21st century understanding of medicine, we can address airway issues better than ever before. 

I am proud to be a part of this work, and look forward to working with you on your own journey to optimal health!

Great Smiles Start Early!

If you are not sleeping, breathing and chewing well, it’s physically impossible to be optimally healthy!  No matter what your age, you can work on retraining your oral-facial and neck muscles to help you achieve better sleep and proper breathing and digestion. 

Myofunctional therapy is a highly effective, painless way to activate proper alignment and function of the facial muscles.

It is a program of exercises that help restore strength and coordination and retrains muscles of the face and tongue to optimize complex functions such as breathing, chewing, swallowing, speaking, occlusion, temporomandibular joint movement, oral hygiene, stability of orthodontic treatment, facial esthetics and facial skeletal growth.

​OMT instills positive habits to ensure those changes last a lifetime.
Sanda Valcu-Pinkerton explains what being tongue tied means, medically, what it can lead to, and what you can do about it!
 Patients who have undergone treatment have regained enjoyment of eating, breathing, speaking and even sleeping more soundly. We also see many patients who suffer from TMJ Dysfunction or Obstructive Sleep Apnea who have found improvement in symptoms after therapy. Additionally, when the muscles tighten the face looks better, younger, lifted without injections or surgery.  It has been reported that in Brazil plastic surgeons work with Orofacial Myotherapists to get the best benefit for their patients.

Sharing Knowledge

Beyond her clinical work, Sanda is known for delving deep down the rabbit hole of research, and then bringing what she discovers back to the wider healthcare community and the public alike.
​To learn more about The Breathe Myo Course...

Children & Adults with Myofunctional Disorders
​ may struggle with: 

Mouth Breathing

Mouth breathing or having constantly open lips is a cause and/or signal of tongue thrust and low tongue rest posture. Long term mouth breathing compromises the natural process of breathing which relies on the nasal airway to cleanse and purify air for the pulmonary system.

Snoring and Sleep Apnea

Recent research has shown that myofunctional therapy may reduce the symptoms of sleep disordered breathing (such as snoring), and ameliorate mild to moderate OSA (obstructive sleep apnea). When functioning and used properly, the muscles of the tongue, throat, and face, can reduce obstruction to the airway.

Crowded Teeth

An OMD may lead to an abnormal bite – the improper alignment between the upper and lower teeth known as malocclusion. This problem may lead to difficulties in biting, chewing, swallowing, and digesting of food.

Speech Impediments

A person with abnormal oral muscle patterns may suffer a lisp or have difficulty in articulating sounds. If muscles in the tongue and lips are incorrectly postured, this can prevent a person from forming sounds of normal speech.

Cosmetic Issues

Often the most obvious symptom of incorrect oral posture involves the muscles of the face. A dull, sluggish appearance and full, weak lips develop when muscles aren’t operating normally.  ​This can give the chin a knobby appearance because these muscles are being overused.
The face can have a dull sluggish appearance when the muscles are not in proper balance. An incorrect swallow will purse and tighten the muscles of the cheeks, chin, and lips, causing a facial grimace

Thumb, Finger, & Pacifier Sucking

Thumb sucking and similar behaviors are adaptive patterns that emerge in the absence of normalized patterns within the orofacial complex. The regular presence of these adaptive movements can often result in a variety of disturbances. If left unchecked, numerous future issues can arise, from Malocclusion to Periodontal disorders, Orthodontic relapse, and changes associated with abnormal jaw growth and position

Tongue Thrusting 

Tongue thrust is the act of pushing the tongue against or between the teeth when swallowing. The constant pressure of the tongue against or between the teeth will not allow the teeth to bite together. This is known as an open bite.

Picky/Messy eating

Restrictions to the movement of the tongue can lead to difficulties eating. In children it can present as picky or messy eating and even failure to latch when breast feeding. In adults, these habits can continue, leading to malnutrition issues with teeth and chewing.

Improper Swallowing

Correct swallowing depends on a proper relationship between muscles of the face, mouth and throat.  To swallow properly, muscles and nerves in the tongue, cheeks and throat must work together in harmony. When a person swallows normally, the tip of the tongue presses firmly against the roof of the mouth or hard palate, located slightly behind the front teeth. The tongue acts in concert with all the other muscles involved in swallowing. The hard palate, meanwhile, absorbs the force created by the tongue.

Poor Posture

When breathing is difficult, or the tongue is restricted, other muscles can struggle to compensate which can cause tension to develop that can lead to back and neck pain, and even unhealthy posture. If left unchecked, these conditions can result in chronic pain etc.
Improper oral muscle function may additionally lead to TMJ dysfunction, headaches, stomach distress (from swallowing air), airway obstruction, and other health challenges.