We are all created for nasal breathing as it warms air, filters air, increased oxygen delivery, increases our airway volume and manages nitric oxide. Mouth breathing has detrimental health effects and changes how our face grows, contributes to our posture and ability to regulate stress and stimulate our vagus nerve. Breathing is the most important need and correcting how you breath is number one in restoring health.

Did you know that our jaws are getting smaller compared to the skulls of our ancestors? Our diets have changed thanks to industrialization the majority of our diets consist of soft processed foods and they are taking a toll on our facial development, dental and gum health as well as our physical health. TMJ pain is highly reported and chewing is exhausting for many. Most people do not chew their food enough prior to swallowing and have digestive issues related to poor chewing.

Myofunctional therapy addresses the first two stages of swallowing, oral preparatory and oral propulsive. These stages manipulate food and liquid in the mouth, breaking it down and moving it to the back of the mouth to trigger the swallowing reflex. The tongue creates pressure inside the mouth to open the esophagus and where the tongue contacts the mouth can impact the pressure and quality of the swallow. Tongue thrust patterns push the tongue forward into the teeth rather than upward to the palate, creating dental problems and poor pressure. Many find swallowing pills to be challenging or report fatigue, coughing, choking and needing to drink frequently during a meal.

Oral rest posture has a direct influence on the shape and form of the oral cavity from the palate, base of the nose and mandibular plane. The tongue muscle is able to change shape, gain strength without gaining mass and can gain fat. If the tongue is not resting up in the palate it will have adverse affects to oral occlusion, nasal development which impacts nasal septum growth and shape and can impact tonsil and adenoids. Teaching proper rest position is a major part of myofunctional therapy.

Do your lips come together at rest? Do you have to put effort into using your lips in order to breath through your nose? Lips play an important role in maintaining proper muscle control and often compensate for poor tongue function. Can you chew with your lips closed or are they open? Do you use your hands to move food around in your mouth? We target lip function as the muscles of the face and mouth are so interconnected working on lip strength can directly support inner throat muscles.

Tongue function and mobility can directly impact speech, chewing, swallowing and breathing. When the tongue frenulum is tight and limits mobility for elevation, retraction, lateralization and protrusion in the anterior or posterior portion of the tongue, the muscles of the face help to compensate movements in attempt to get the functional outcome needed. The tongue muscle is much stronger and has better endurance than facial muscles and fatigue is often a side effect of compensation. Myofunctional therapy addresses functional limitations and referrals for care.

To produce speech your teeth, tongue and lips play an important role in making speech sounds. Where you place your tongue, how you shape your lips and the nasal resonance you create impacts the sounds the come out of your mouth. During continues speech your tongue never stops moving and has dynamic movements some slow and some rapid. When there are compensations occurring the tongue is making improper contact with the articulator or the lips and teeth may be used incorrectly thus creating impaired speech sounds. As a speech language pathologist, we are able to treat phonological and articulation errors that impact speech intelligibility that are related to orofacial compensations.