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Exclusively practicing in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Wish You Could Do More For Your Child?
Which Oral-Facial Disorder Can We Help Your Child Soothe?
Just one oral-facial habit, stressed muscle, or tense tissue being consistently used in an atypical way can irritate the complex balance that is your child's head, neck, face, and jaw, causing:
- Chronic Headaches
- Jaw Discomfort
- Head/Neck/Facial Pain
- Grinding
- Clenching
- Atypical Facial Symmetry
An untoned tongue, upper airway, mouth breathing, lips resting open or an oral habit are causes of sleep disordered breathing.
The Advantage Program teaches simple exercises that clear your child's airway and re-train sleeping patterns.
- Snoring: Any Strength
- Apnea
- Breathing Pauses or Gasping During the Night
- Rarely Have a Good Nights Rest
- ADHD
- Abnormal Amount of Unproductive Energy
Retraining certain (currently unconscious) activities can put a stop to most air swallowing which is a cause of stomach discomforts. The Advantage Program can help your child relieve many digestive discomforts:
- Stomach Aches
- Burping
- Flatulence/Gas
- Bloating
- IBS
- Acid Reflux
Stanford University Article:
"A new study says that parents and caregivers can take steps to promote proper mouth, jawbone, and facial musculature development in children to help stave off future health burdens and chronic conditions. Benefits are not just limited to straighter teeth, roomier jaws, and stronger oral muscles."36
When we consistently place something in the way of the teeth and oral structures, the anatomy will slowly form around this obstruction, disturbing the oral-facial symmetry. Like a tree will form around a fence that is in its growth path.
The Habit Elimination Program can help your child put a stop to their habit once and for all.
- Nail Biting
- Hair in Mouth Play or Hair Chewing
- Thumb/Finger/Lip Sucking
- Cheek Biting
- Atypical Jaw Movement
- Other habits that involve the mouth on a repetitive basis
Nasal breathing augments brain function, defines your jawline, strengthens your immune system, lowers your blood pressure, and enhances your core muscles. These are only some of the benefits.
The Advantage Program coaches your child through easy exercises to help them make nasal breathing a habit.
Does your child have these symptoms:
- Getting Sick More Often
- Prone to Cavities and Gum Disease
- ADHD
- Abnormal Amount of Unproductive Energy
- Asthma
- Neck Discomfort
- Snoring/Sleep Apnea
If your child has been working with a Speech Language Pathologist yet continues having trouble perfecting the last few sounds, the Advantage Program can help.
Do they:
- Breathe Through Their Mouth
- Have a Daily Repetitive Oral Habit
- Snore
- Digestive Discomfort
- Teeth are Crowded
"According to the National Sleep Foundation, ADHD is also associated with a variety of sleep problems. When children are tired, they behave differently from tired adults. Adults slow down and become irritable and sluggish. Children tend to overcompensate and become hyperactive.
Because of this, sleep deprivation as a result of sleep disordered breathing, can be wrongly diagnosed as ADHD. Children can be aggressive, over-emotional or moody when tired. One study of 2,463 children aged between 6 and 15 years found that children with sleep disorders were more likely to be impulsive, hyperactive and inattentive."13,15,53
What is Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy?
The mouth, head, and neck are a complex weave of muscles, tissues, joints, bones, blood vessels, and nerves that all need to work together for a smooth, discomfort free daily function.
Currently, we are born and grow with little direction and training in this area of our bodies. We eat the way we eat, we chew on the side that is most comfortable, we swallow whichever way gets the food down, our tongues rest wherever they rest, we breathe the easier way, and we have repetitive habits that soothe our stress that can involve our faces and mouths.
All of these reflexive habits can create abnormalities in your child's oral and facial structures, and since they have been doing them throughout their youthful growth, their bones and muscles have molded around these untrained habits, potentially creating ingrained disorders in their later years.
Orofacial Myofunctional Therapists specialize and only focus on the muscles and tissues throughout the tongue, jaw, face, head, and neck. Weekly exercises are given that either tone or relax these muscles and tissues aligning them to your child's center. Working from their foundation up. Progressively resetting years of habits. Most children will complete the program within the year and yet their new symmetry could last their lifetime.
A Stanford University Systematic Review revealed the lasting beneficial effects of Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy in a wide cohort:
“Current literature demonstrates that orofacial myofunctional therapy decreases apnea-hypopnea index by approximately 50% in adults and 62% in children. Improvements to snoring and daytime sleepiness. Shown effective in children and adults of all ages studied thus far; youngest patient 3 yrs old to 60 yrs old. Therapy has an important role in preventing relapse.”48
Book a Free In-Person Consultation Today
At What Age Can I Begin Oral-Facial Muscle Therapy?
All ages. Any age.
The younger the child, the more flexible their physiology and behavior, but as adults our muscles and tissues can still be toned and relaxed where needed. Making an impact in your health at any age.
Mature 3 to 4 year old mouth breathers can learn nasal breathing.
Mentally prepared 5 year old's can begin the Oral Habit Elimination Program.
7 to 8 year old's and up can start the Oral-Facial Advantage Program.
Who is Eligible for a Free Consult?
Everyone.
All ages can come in for a free consult.
It is a great opportunity for your questions to be answered and to meet your Orofacial Myologist.
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