Carly Dale, RRDH, OMT at Harbour Dental Hygiene has been a dental hygienist for 20 years, many of those years specializing in orthodontics, but it wasn’t until she noticed her young child developing breathing issues that she discovered an underused type of oral physical therapy, myofunctional therapy.
“When my daughter was younger, we noticed that she was mouth breathing and snoring at night, which isn’t great especially for a growing little one. I talked to an airway specialist and he encouraged me to train as a myofunctional therapist so I could treat my daughter’s breathing issues as well as help our own dental hygiene patients,” Carly explains.
From there, Carly researched and trained and now offers myofunctional therapy options alongside dental hygiene services.
Physical Therapy for the Mouth, Face, and Airway
Myofunctional therapy is just like physical therapy, but it targets the face, mouth, and airway. It is designed to restore proper breathing and oral function through simple exercises focused on the muscles of the mouth, face, head, and neck.
Carly explains, “Myofunctional therapy links to the whole body. So if your oral cavity and your breathing is out of whack, it affects your whole body.
Treatment for a Wide Range of Symptoms
There are a number of symptoms that warrant a visit to Carly for a myofunctional therapy assessment, including:
- Jaw pain (TMJ pain)
- Headaches and migraines
- Sleep disordered breathing including snoring and sleep apnea
- Mouth breathing
- Tongue tie
- Digestion issues
- Oral habits like thumb or pacifier sucking
- Nasal obstruction
- Teeth grinding
- Orthodontic relapse
- Speech problems
- Facial aesthetic asymmetries
Assessment is the First Step
If you are living with any of the above symptoms, Carly suggests starting with an assessment. Once she has a good understanding of your symptoms and biomechanics, she will customize a treatment plan for your individual needs. In some cases, she may also connect you with an allied health care professional like an osteopath, chiropractor, or an airway focused dentist, etc. for whole body care.
“Myofunctional therapy is actually pretty simple. It is easy to learn the exercises and feels good doing them. It’s just teaching your neural pathways to do something differently,” explains Carly. “It’s breaking a habit that your body has had your whole life and teaching it to do it in a different way. To be successful you need consistency and repetition, but the reward when you start to see and feel the difference is very motivating.
To learn more about myofunctional therapy or dental hygiene, visit Harbour Dental Hygiene online, follow Carly on Instagram, or call 705-446-0330. Harbour Dental Hygiene is located at 4 St. Paul Street in Collingwood.
