What is myofunctional therapy?

Myofunctional Therapy is physical therapy for your facial and neck muscles. With the use of diagnostic tools and her expertise, our myofunctional therapist, Diana, will assess your lip and tongue posture, breathing, and swallowing. Since no system or body part functions in isolation, she will also focus on your body posture, how you move through space, and any injuries or chronic soreness in your body. She will also consider your sleep hygiene, nutrition, and level of stress. After this assessment, you will work together through a personalized program with exercises and referrals to improve muscle function.

Teeth and oral rehabilitation do not take place in a vacuum. Rather, your care is a collaboration between all the specialists that allow for a healthy system. Myofunctional therapy can support the dental goals you are working toward with Dr. Mannering.

What does Myofunctional Therapy treat?

Orofacial Myofunctional Disorders are atypical, adaptive patterns in one’s lip, jaw, or tongue position during speech, swallowing, or rest. They can arise from structural differences, learned behaviors, genetics, and environmental factors. Most often, OMD’s manifest as mouth breathing, , tongue thrust, tongue tie, sleep apnea, and temporomandibular disorders. Many people can benefit from myofunctional therapy, especially those who experience:

  • pain in the jaw, neck, face, back or pelvis

  • clenching and grinding, known as TMJ

  • an open bite or malocclusion

  • tongue tie

  • sleep apnea or upper respiratory resistance

  • facial asymmetry

  • pelvic floor dysfunction

  • a relapse in previous orthodontic treatment, or who are beginning orthodontic treatment or InvisAlign

Who is Diana hernandez?

Many of you have already met Diana at your hygiene visit. Along with being a highly skilled and knowledgeable hygienist, she is a myofunctional therapist. With an extensive resume of coursework in myofunctional therapy, she brings incredible attention and skill to her myofunctional therapy appointments. As her myofunctional therapy patient, you can expect a customized treatment plan to improve your facial and neck muscular function, as well as thoughtful referrals to relevant specialists to further improve your overall comfort and health.