OMTherapy, LLC

04/10/2025

🦷Oral signs of a struggling child!
-Deep overbite: Top front teeth are completely covering bottom teeth. This indicates smaller growth of the bottom jaw.
-Tooth wear (attrition) from teeth grinding: One of the signs of sleep disordered breathing (SDB) is teeth grinding. SDB stresses out our nervous system. Clenching and grinding is a response to this, and is an attempt to move the jaw and tongue forward out of the airway.

💙After just 3 sessions of myofunctional therapy, they reported less mouth breathing, that he was not experiencing headaches, there was much less drool on his pillow, and he was perkier when waking in the morning.

😊The benefits of learning healthy patterns through myofunctional therapy go beyond what our mouths look like.

Screenings are free.

www.OMTherapyKansas.com

03/28/2025

Repost The Breathe Institute
Did you know that bedwetting (enuresis) in children can be linked to obstructive sleep apnea (OSA)? Research shows that kids with OSA are more likely to experience bedwetting due to disrupted sleep patterns and increased arousal thresholds. Enlarged tonsils, adenoids, and airway obstruction contribute to both conditions, making it harder for the brain to respond to a full bladder during sleep.

When a child stops breathing during sleep, oxygen levels drop, and the body goes into “fight-or-flight” mode. This puts extra stress on the heart, which then releases a hormone (ANP) that tells the kidneys to get rid of more fluid—leading to increased nighttime urination.

If your child struggles with bedwetting and also snores or breathes through their mouth at night, it may be time to evaluate their airway health!

Screenings are free.
www.OMTherapyKansas.com

03/20/2025

Visual red flags of myofunctional disorders: excessive overjet, flaring of upper front teeth, and a pattern toward an anterior open bite.

5 sessions in, we are seeing less flaring, (especially as new teeth erupt), no open bite, and better consistency with tongue and lip placement to support these changes.

He is close to starting his orthodontic treatment.

Could braces alone make the same changes? Yes. But...
if the root cause of malocclusion and dysfunction is not recognized or addressed,
then those patterns remain and can, and often do, cause issues down the line.
Orthodontics and myofunctional therapy together can achieve wonderful outcomes!

Screenings are free.

03/12/2025

Tongue tie affects all ages, children and adults. Myofunctional therapy is a huge support for those having tongue tie release.
Screenings are free.


Repost Dr Shereen Lim
Did you know tongue-tie isn’t just an infant feeding issue?
It can affect breathing, swallowing, and facial development in children. New research reveals why tongue-tie management could be a key to lasting orthodontic results.
Read more here:
A Prospective Randomized Control Trial of Lingual Frenuloplasty with Myofunctional Therapy in Patients with Maxillofacial Deformity in a Polish Cohort
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/.../PMC.../pdf/jcm-13-05354.pdf

03/07/2025

👅Myo and ortho together are helping support her growth!
😬Growth of our jaws is ESSENTIAL for optimal space and function to breathe, eat, and speak.
Screenings are free.

02/28/2025

repost Buteyko Clinic International "If your breathing during the day is less than optimal, breathing during sleep will be dysfunctional too."

"If you suffer with snoring, insomnia, or sleep apnea, breathing exercises can help to significantly reduce your symptoms.
Above all, it is vital to restore nasal breathing during sleep, because breathing through an open mouth activates the stress response, and it leaves the airway more vulnerable to collapse, which can trigger snoring and even cause the breathing to periodically stop altogether.

To enjoy a restful night’s sleep, it is important to practice good sleep hygiene.
• Avoid blue light. If you must use your smart phone, TV, or laptop before bed, it is a good idea to wear blue light filtering glasses for at least two hours before sleep.
• If you spend all day in front of a computer screen, you may find that wearing blue light filtering glasses throughout your working day helps you to sleep and relieves eye strain and headaches.
• If you use your mobile phone as your alarm clock, switch it to flight mode in the settings before you sleep.
• Your bedroom should be cool, airy, silent, and dark.
• Don’t eat or drink alcohol late in the evening. Enjoy a glass with dinner, but then set it aside to give your body time to digest. If you regularly drink late into the evening, you will feel noticeably less groggy in the morning if you give it a miss."

02/21/2025

This is already 15 years old!
We KNOW that mouth breathing can be helped with myofunctional therapy.

Screenings are free.

---"These children do not sleep well at night due to obstructed airways; this lack of sleep can adversely affect their growth and academic performance.
**Many of these children are misdiagnosed with attention deficit disorder (ADD) and hyperactivity.**

---Children whose mouth breathing is untreated may develop long, narrow faces, narrow mouths, high palatal vaults, dental malocclusion, gummy smiles, and many other unattractive facial features.

---It is important for the entire health care community (including general and pediatric dentists) to screen and diagnose for mouth breathing in adults and in children.

---If mouth breathing is treated early, its negative effect on facial and dental development and the medical and social problems associated with it can be reduced or averted."

www.OMTherapyKansas.com

02/17/2025

Great information-tongue ties do not resolve with a "snip".

NOT A SIMPLE SNIP

Understanding anatomy and healing physiology are the keys to achieving a more successful outcome from a procedure.

Every time I see a tongue tie that has been previously snipped, it’s usually not a complete release. Snipping cannot reach the deepest section of the tie that’s located under the base of the tongue and in between the muscle bundles.

Also important is the safety of the procedure. I’ve seen large blood vessels appearing in the middle of a tongue tie release procedure. Can you imagine if I snipped it?

Releasing a tongue tie needs to be approached from a functional perspective. The patients needs support to ensure associated restrictions around the body are also being loosened. This is because the tongue tie is part of the system. Fascia is connective tissue, like our inner skin, that covers and permeates through muscles and organs of our bodies. A skilled and knowledgeable bodyworker is able to manage postural fascial restrictions that may be associated with the tongue tie.

is also crucial in preparing the muscles of the mouth and face before the release procedure and to retrain these muscles after the completion of the release.

The healing process is also an important factor. If possible, I’d prefer healing by primary intention, closing the wound with sutures. For infants, placing sutures is almost impossible, so healing by secondary intention is usually required, with the parents exercising the muscles to guide the wound to heal better and not back to the original.

For the actual procedure itself, my preferred tool is an Erbium laser. I have two kinds: the Waterlase and the Fotona Lightwalker. These lasers release the tie gently, and with precision. I’m able to avoid damaging large blood vessels and reach the deepest sections of the tie.

Simply snipping a tongue tie is not providing the best opportunity for improving functions.

02/14/2025

🤗Successful adult tongue tie release! Collaboration is ALWAYS important, and this proved to be no different.

😊We are all so happy she has had noticeable differences in body tension, tissue mobility, and rest posture.

💙Addressing breathing patterns, oral function, tension, and nervous system regulation before surgery helps improve healing and outcomes. It is NOT just about the tongue.
Continuing to address these after surgery allows the body and brain to progress and maintain healthier patterns.

Screenings are free.

www.OMTherapyKansas.com

02/07/2025

NARROW JAWS/CROWDED TEETH
SLEEP APNEA (OSA)
BED WETTING (or nocturnal enuresis-NE)
*This little person suffers from all these, among other symptoms. We have to look at the whole picture!

Narrow jaws and crowded teeth are a result of oral dysfunction. Obstructive sleep apnea, snoring, and mouth breathing can all improve when oral function improves. When breathing improves, our sleep can improve.

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11430803/ -children-11-01148

TLDR: "These differences highlight the impact of OSA [obstructive sleep apnea] on dentofacial development, with children with OSA showing consistently narrower dental arch widths than healthy children, even after surgical intervention. This suggests that while adenotonsillectomy may alleviate some symptoms of OSA, its effects on dentofacial structure may require additional orthodontic or orthopedic treatment.

Remarkably, within the OSA group, children with OSA and NE [nocturnal enuresis or bed wetting] had even narrower intermolar widths than those without NE at T0, with these differences being statistically significant."

Screenings are free.
www.OMTherapyKansas.com

01/28/2025

I'll add to the early intervention comment: early intervention with myofunctional therapy also can make a SIGNIFICANT difference.

🦷 Did you know that how you breathe affects how your jaw and teeth develop? Proper nasal breathing during childhood isn’t just about health – it’s also key to creating a beautiful, functional smile.
Here’s why:
✅ Normal Jaw Growth: The natural direction for jaw growth is forward. This is guided by gentle, consistent forces from the lips and tongue, much like the principles used in orthodontics.
✅ Tongue Power: Every time we swallow – about 2,000 times a day – the tongue presses against the roof of the mouth with a force of up to 500g. This upward pressure helps shape the upper jaw, ensuring it grows broad and U-shaped to house all the teeth comfortably.
✅ The Role of Tongue Position: When the tongue rests in the roof of the mouth, it supports the natural growth of the upper jaw. The lower jaw then follows suit, leading to a well-aligned, broad facial structure.
🚨 What Happens with Mouth Breathing?
• Mouth breathing keeps the tongue low in the mouth, preventing it from shaping the jaws properly.
• The result? A narrow, V-shaped upper jaw, crowded teeth, and a longer, less balanced facial structure.
As dentist Raymond Silkman says: "The most important orthodontic appliance that you all have and carry with you 24 hours a day is your tongue."
🌬️ Nasal breathing helps keep the tongue in its ideal position, activating the maxilla and promoting proper cranial and facial development.
💡 Early intervention with techniques like the Buteyko Breathing Method can make all the difference. Breathe better, grow better!

Want to learn more? Visit our blog or DM us today! 🌟

01/17/2025

"Did you know the shape of your jaw and the alignment of your teeth are connected to how you breathe?

Mouth breathing during childhood doesn’t just affect health; it can impact appearance too.

Without proper nasal breathing:
👄 The tongue doesn’t support the jaw’s growth
🦷 Teeth become crowded and crooked
👃 The face grows longer and narrower

With early intervention and the Buteyko Breathing Method, you can improve breathing patterns and support natural, beautiful development.

💡 A healthy face starts with healthy breathing."
(Repost Buteyko Clinic International)

Screenings are free.
www.OMTherapyKansas.com

01/01/2025

Happy Healthy New Year!

If you have been thinking of improving your health in 2025, know that myofunctional therapy is beneficial for improving whole body wellness.

With therapy, you can improve symptoms of poor breathing patterns, allergies, anxiety, snoring, and sleep apnea. Therapy helps you with supporting stability in your TMJ, swallow pattern, and function of your oral and facial features.

The benefits are not just limited to your mouth and face! Your overall quality of life can truly be enhanced.

Screenings are free.

12/23/2024

However you choose to celebrate, enjoy!

12/18/2024

I agree so much! Quality of sleep affects EVERYTHING.
Myofunctional therapy addresses oral dysfunction associated with sleep disordered breathing.
Every OMTherapy session addresses breath and body awareness, and thoughtful techniques for life long habits.
Screenings are free.

My books are available on Amazon:
Snored to Death
Don’t ignore the snore
Sleep disordered breathing- A parent’s guide
A parent’s guide to sleep
A parent’s guide to ENT
The ABC of ENT, ASD, and ADHD

12/11/2024

Such an important, informative post.

"​Snoring, gasping for air, teeth grinding, or restless sleep. These are the signs.
​
​Have you seen them?"

Mental symptoms of sleep apnea are more serious than the temporary grogginess caused by drowsiness. During an apnea (Greek for “without breath”) you actually stop breathing, which starves the brain of oxygen. This duress, paired with chronic fatigue, can is now known to cause physical brain damage.

This brain scan shows that the brain blood flow in a subject with obstructive sleep apnea (left) is markedly lower compared to a subject without the sleep disorder.

The problem is greater in women with sleep apnea, which may explain the worse apnea-related outcomes in females than males.

Researchers at UCLA compared the mammillary bodies—structures in the brain that are important in memory storage—of several adults suffering from sleep apnea with those of healthy people. They found that the bodies in the troubled sleepers were nearly 20% smaller than in their untroubled counterparts

Obstructive sleep apnea is a serious disorder that occurs when a person's breathing is repeatedly interrupted during sleep, hundreds of times a night. Each time breathing stops, the oxygen level in the blood drops, which damages many cells in the body.

The signs are:

• Day time sleepiness
• Anxiety
• Brain fog
• Memory problems
• Cold hands and feet

If left untreated, it can lead to:

• High blood pressure
• Stroke, heart failure
• Diabetes
• Depression
• Alzheimer’s disease

We know there is injury to the brain from sleep apnea, and we also know that the heart has problems pumping blood to the body, and potentially also to the brain.

When measuring blood flow in the brain using a non-invasive MRI procedure: the global blood volume and oxygen dependent (BOLD) signal. This method is usually used to observe brain activity.

Sleep apnea starve the brain and signals from the nerves in the arms and legs are slower due to the damage throughout.

​Snoring, gasping for air, teeth grinding, or restless sleep. These are the signs.
​
​Have you seen them?

11/20/2024

Breathing with OMTherapy is not just about nose breathing.....