The Smile Professionals : Dr. Claire Stagg DDS MS FAACP

THE TONGUE

Did you know that the tongue is your second muscle to develop in the embryo, right after the heart? Even before the brain? That's how important the tongue's function is within our connections. And it is also connected by fascia down to your toes! Another deep (pun intended) and unknown connection!

So, here we will visit a few unknown and helpful tidbits to help you along your journey to wellness.
1- The tongue has its own disorders, restrictions and therefore, therapy as well as exercise protocols.
2- In the video provided, Dr. Zaghi, a Harvard and Stanford trained MD and ENT , will explain that though maxillary expansion IS the best way to make room for the tongue as well as opening up the airway, by bringing down the floor of the nose, you still need to be able to bring the tongue to the roof of your mouth for proper function and health.
3- We will present some companies that we work with that provide appliances aiding tongue therapy, thus allowing proper orthopedic development resulting in teeth alignment.

MYOFUNCTIONAL THERAPY

Dr. Zaghi

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Tongue-Tie Compensations →

MYOFUNCTIONAL APPLIANCE OPTIONS
"Myofunctional therapy is a program of specific exercises that target the facial muscles used to chew and swallow. These exercises strengthen the tongue. The oropharynx is the part of the body that includes the mouth and throat. In simple terms, it is a tube lined with muscular tissues." So you see, we can help develop proper airways , especially promoting NASAL breathing, with proper positioning of the tongue and oral development. This can be done with exercises , training with and without the aid of different appliances. Here are a few of the ones we sometimes use:

1- MYOMUNCHEE
These little appliances are geared to the neuro-muscular and oral arch development of children.

2- THE MYOBRACE SYSTEM: Is preventive pre-orthodontic treatment that focuses on addressing the underlying causes of crooked teeth, often without the need for braces or extraction of teeth, unlocking natural growth and development. Treatment is best suited to children aged 3 to 15 and involves using a series of removable intra-oral appliances that are worn for 1-2 hours each day plus overnight while sleeping.

What Myobrace® treatment does:

Corrects poor oral habits
Develops & aligns the jaws
Straightens the teeth
Optimizes facial development
Improves overall health
Promotes healthy eating habits

How does it do this? By helping the child:

Breathe through the nose
Correct tongue resting position
Swallow correctly
Keep the lips together

LEARN MORE AT https://myobrace.com/en-au

How It Works

Waiting until all permanent teeth have come through to begin treatment with braces can unfortunately lead to irreversible damage affecting not only the teeth, but also the child’s overall health and development.

Poor myofunctional habits (poor oral habits) are evident before all permanent teeth are present, which means treatment of the causes can begin much earlier than originally thought. This can be as early as three years of age.

The Treatment Stages

Myobrace® treatment starts with the habit correction and works through a combination of three or more appliances to correct the causes of orthodontic problems and align the teeth as they grow into the mouth. Treatment can begin as soon as the poor myofunctional habits are recognized however, older children have had more time for the incorrect habits and wrong growth patterns to establish, which can require extra effort for a successful treatment outcome. With good compliance, excellent results can be achieved.

There are typically four stages of treatment with Myobrace® involving: habit correction, arch development, dental alignment and then retention.

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