In addition to treating sleep disordered breathing, Dakota Dental offers
myofunctional therapy, a series of facial and tongue techniques and behavior modifications that are designed to improve breathing, bite, and orofacial posture.
Chewing ability can therefore be influenced by temporomandibular joint dysfunction, pain, orofacial
myofunctional disorders, occlusal anomalies, tooth loss, the use of poorly fitting dental prostheses, the presence of caries, and periodontal disease (1-4).
However, the use of pacifiers and bottle feeding may cause speech disorders,
myofunctional disorders and emotional difficulties (8).
The use of
myofunctional appliances in the UK: a survey of British orthodontists.
For the correction of under developed/ backward placed lower jaw (small size mandible) by using
myofunctional appliance to accelerate or stimulate the lower jaw growth to achieve a normal profile.
Truksinas et al., "
Myofunctional therapy improves adherence to continuous positive airway pressure treatment," Sleep and Breathing, vol.
For children, as well as adults, orofacial
myofunctional exercises can be taught by
myofunctional therapists.
Breathe Easy
Myofunctional Therapy, 3100 Squalicum Pkwy, Bellingham, 604148491
Validity and reliability of a protocol of orofacial
myofunctional evaluation for patients with obstructive sleep apnea.
Wright, "The use of
myofunctional appliances in the UK: a survey of British orthodontists," Dental Update, vol.
There are studies on the use of biofeedback for the therapeutic intervention [12-14], about the use of expiratory muscle strength training for swallowing [15], about the effects of surface electrical stimulation [16], and on
myofunctional exercises for swallowing [17,18].
