#Myofunctional Dentistry

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Revolutionize Your Oral Health with Myofunctional Dentistry Services

Revolutionize your oral health with Myofunctional Dentistry services! This groundbreaking approach targets the root causes of common dental issues, enhancing not just your smile but also breathing, swallowing, and facial aesthetics. Say goodbye to traditional treatments and hello to a holistic, transformative solution. Experience the Myofunctional Dentistry revolution today!

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Hidden Benefits of Myofunctional Dentistry You Need to Know

Uncover the hidden benefits of Myofunctional Dentistry! Beyond straightening teeth, it addresses underlying issues like mouth breathing and improper tongue posture, leading to improved breathing, sleep quality, and overall health. Say hello to a brighter smile and better well-being. Discover why Myofunctional Dentistry is the secret to optimal oral health today!

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Discover the Future of Dental Care: Myofunctional Dentistry Essentials

Discover the future of dental care with Myofunctional Dentistry! This revolutionary approach focuses on correcting oral and facial muscle function, improving breathing, sleep quality, and overall health. Say goodbye to traditional dental issues and hello to a healthier, more confident smile. Learn the essentials and transform your oral health today!

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The TAO Method - An Airway-Centric Approach to Dentistry

An airway-centric approach in dentistry is one that doesn’t simply emphasize the teeth and gums, but also focuses on the craniofacial respiratory complex (CFRC). This is the anatomical region that oral surgeons, ear, nose, and throat (ENT) physicians, and speech language pathologists focus on.

In treating snoring and sleep apnea, many dentists fit patients with custom mandibular advancement devices (MAD). These temporarily shift the tongue and jaw forward, such that throat constriction is eased and airway space increased. They may also recommend continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machines, which place a mask around the nose and mouth, providing mild air pressure that helps the airways remain open during sleep. Unfortunately, both solutions require cumbersome equipment that, while providing welcome relief, may seem burdensome and interfere with one’s quality of life. They are also typically only applied after the symptoms have already manifested to such a degree that major medical intervention is necessary.

A pioneer of the airway-centric approach to dentistry, NYU professor and author Dr. Michael Gelb has developed the multifaceted TAO (TMJ, airway, and orthodontics) method of treating patients with complex issues that require increasing the size of airways, resolving temporomandibular joint (TMJ) issues, and utilizing innovative orthodontic device therapies. Instead of treating these distinct issues in silos, they are integrated within one holistic way of viewing how patients breathe, sleep, and function from an early age.

When the TAO method is applied with young patients as a diagnostic and treatment journey, the hygienist takes on responsibilities as a de facto “oral PA.” Using the fascial, swallowing, and tots (FAST) approach, they conduct myofascial screening that looks at speech and swallowing together in identifying orofacial myofunctional disorder.

The airway-centric team approach begins with the discover that an infant lacks the “suck, swallow, and breath” reflex. They are not able to swallow and breathe simultaneously, which can impact successful feeding, whether on breast or bottle. Airway-focused therapists apply techniques that tie the oral motor and sensory systems together and grow the airways. This enables infants to breath nasally as they move beyond sucking to swallowing soft foods (at around 3 months). Similar issues also occur with the transition to solid foods at around 6 months of age. Through the use of a FAST pediatric feeding screener, issues with breast feeding can be identified early and steps can be taken to ensure that they are corrected.

Changes to infants’ faces in the first couple years of life are also monitored. Issues such as mouth breathing, combined with nasal resistance, can indicate a likelihood of potential airflow issues such as sleep apnea developing later in life. As early as two and a half or three years of age, TAO-trained professionals may recommend non-invasive myo-training oral appliances, such as HealthyStart or Vivos, as a way of training the tongue to go up and the lips to press together. This helps convert kids from mouth breathers to nasal breathers at night. This contrasts with traditional approaches, in which professionals would typically wait until around 12 years before introducing orthodontic appliances to the oral health care matrix. The key with the TAO method, as Dr. Gelb describes it, is “intervening as early in life as possible for those at risk.”