Great question! Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy is a dynamic and static set of strength and pattern retraining exercises that help to correct imbalances and strengthen the muscles of the face, mouth, and tongue to restore optimal function.

There are four things we are looking for. 1) Correct tongue posture. 2) Correct mouth posture. 3) Nasal breathing. 4) We want your swallow to be correct and normalized. 

No. Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy is not a magic cure-all, but it can play a significant role in addressing underlying issues that contribute to a variety of symptoms. Because the tongue, jaw, and airway function are so interconnected with breathing, posture, and even sleep quality, correcting dysfunctions in these areas can have wide-reaching benefits.

You will reserve your space in my schedule online. At the time of your appointment or just a few seconds before you can contact me on Zoom. If you are running late I will wait for 5 minutes and after that assume you are not going to call. 

For therapy sessions we will go over what is needed from the kit I sent when you started and at each appointment it helps to have that ready before your therapy session. 

I understand your concern. Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy has been done virtually for many years. This is really not a hands on therapy. We are able to do assessments virtually and therapy sessions as well.  

In order to have time to practice what you are learning, and for it to make a lasting change, I only offer complete packages. Anything shorter is just setting us both up for failure. Your health is important and we want to establish a strong foundation and set you up for success. 

The sessions are usually between 20 and 30 minutes. If you are on a tight schedule I respect that. As long as you are doing the recommend work at home we can move through the appointments quickly. But it will most likely be closer to 25 minutes. I reserve the last few minutes to finish your progress report. 

The packages are usually between 10 to 20 sessions throughout the course of a year. There is a shorter program but that is only for those that have less complicated cases and are comfortable moving at a fast pace. Sessions will only be scheduled every  2-4 weeks depending what we are working on so it will not be hard to fit them in. This also gives you time to work on exercises and address concerns you may have. The very last wrap up session where we go over how far you have come may be a week or two after the previous one, and that would likely be the shortest time between appointments.

6-8 Weeks is a good time frame. We want to make sure you are really ready for it when you go in for your appointment. If it is a really complicated case you may need more time. 

If a provider tells you therapy isn’t necessary, you might want to reconsider working with them. The truth is, Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy before and after your procedure is key to getting the best results.

Before the Release: Prepping for Success

If your tongue has been restricted your whole life, those muscles haven’t been working the way they should. Pre-release therapy helps wake them up, build strength, and improve movement so your tongue is in the best position for a successful release.

After the Release: Rehab for Your Tongue

Would you get knee surgery and then skip physical therapy? Of course not! The same goes for your tongue. After the release, Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy helps retrain your muscles, prevent reattachment, and make sure your tongue is working like it should.

If someone tells you therapy isn’t important, they’re not keeping up with the research and you deserve better. Need help finding the right provider? I’ve got you covered they may not be in the next town over but I do have options.

I am a fee for service practice and do not take insurance. What I can do is give you a super bill that you can send in yourself. Some insurance plans have coverage for Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy and hopefully in the future more will. You may be able to use your HSA or FSA.

Anywhere from 4-5 and up. Children will need a lot of help from their parents to make sure they are consistent and understand the exercises. 

Some people ask about their infants and toddlers and although tongue-ties and OMD’s are important at all ages I am only able to help when the child is old enough to understand and follow along with the exercises on their own. That is why I list 4 or maybe even 5 years old as the start date. It is really great if we are able to do therapy when they are still in the process of growing as there are several things that can affect craniofacial development. 

For many of us, I can include myself in this, the answer was many years ago, but as that is not an option the next best time is now. Delaying treatment when you see there are issues will not make it any easier to work on them later. You deserve to start making a positive change and feeling better today not several months or years from now!

As I start looking at your overall symptoms I may see areas where you need further help. I can not diagnose these but if I recognize a problem I can help direct you to a specialist that can. Some of these specialties could be Airway Orthodontics, sleep studies, Physical Therapy, Speech Therapy,  and an experienced tongue-tie release provider. 

It is based on your needs and goals. On the services page you will see options and starting prices. Once you have completed your exam, if I think I can help you, I will make you an offer to work with me that is tailored to your needs. 

Another good question. (Not to say that any of the other ones were bad, they are all good questions.) Technically Orofacial means it is related to the mouth and face. Myofunctional alone could refer to myo meaning general muscle function and I really want to use the accurate term rather than just what is traditionally used. I realize it may be overkill to use it everywhere but you get the idea.