At MyoFacial Health of Charleston
we evaluate and treat:
Facial PainTMJ Pain
Mouth BreathingTongue ThrustTongue Tie Sleep Disordered Breathing
TMJ Pain
Mouth BreathingTongue ThrustTongue Tie Sleep Disordered Breathing
What is Myofunctional Therapy?
Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy uses a combination of therapeutic exercises to improve nasal breathing, lip posture, tongue posture, and facial growth and development. These exercises help to strengthen and retrain face, neck, and tongue muscles to reach optimal tongue position and oral resting posture. Orofacial Myofunctional disorders can affect people of all ages and treatment is customized based on your age and needs.
What are Orofacial Myofunctional Disorders?
Upper Airway Obstruction- Enlarged tonsils, a deviated septum, or allergies could all restrict the nasal airway. When nasal breathing is obstructed your body adapts by mouth breathing, which can change the natural position of your jaw, tongue, and lips. An obstructed airway can also lead to poor sleep patterns, ADHD, and fatigue.
Oral Habits - Chronic thumb-sucking, finger sucking, or extended pacifier or bottle use - These habits can put pressure on the teeth and jaw bone, moving them out of alignment and causing malocclusion (misaligned bite). It can also change the tongue's resting posture and swallowing patterns.
Tethered Oral Tissues (TOT's)- Tight, restrictive connective tissue that impedes the range of motion of the tongue, lips, cheeks. TOT's such as tongue ties (Ankyloglossia), lip ties, and buccal ties can lead to difficulty
breastfeeding, bottle feeding, and picky eating. Tethered oral tissues can affect speech, cause excessive drooling, contribute to a tongue thrust swallow, TMJ pain, and pain of the facial muscles and neck.
breastfeeding, bottle feeding, and picky eating. Tethered oral tissues can affect speech, cause excessive drooling, contribute to a tongue thrust swallow, TMJ pain, and pain of the facial muscles and neck.
Signs of Orofacial Myofunctional Disorders:
Misaligned TeethSnoringSleep ApneaMouth BreathingTeeth GrindingTongue ThrustSpeech ProblemsFacial Pain
Goals of Treatment
Restore proper nose breathing, tongue placement, lip seal, and correct chewing/ swallowing patterns. When these goals are achieved, healthy facial growth and development will be restored and overall health will be improved.
Meet Our Therapists
Angela is an Orofacial Myofunctional Therapist based in the Charleston area, dedicated to promoting healthy outcomes for patients struggling with mouth breathing, sleep apnea, snoring, tongue tie, TMJ pain, and other myofunctional issues.
After graduating from dental hygiene school in 1998, Angela has accumulated 27 years of experience in patient care. Throughout her career, she has observed the negative effects of tongue tie, low tongue posture, and mouth breathing on growth and development. Her passion lies in addressing the root causes of these concerns to support optimal breathing, function, and long-term wellness.
With a compassionate approach and a deep understanding of oral and facial development, Angela is committed to guiding patients of all ages toward healthier habits and improved quality of life.
In 2022, driven by a desire to address these myofunctional dysfunctions more directly, Angela received specialized training in Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy (OMT) and founded MyoFacial Health of Charleston.
Randi is a Orofacial Myofunctional Therapist whose interest in airway health began during her career as a dental hygienist. Her 26 years in dental hygiene has provided her with a deep understanding of oral health, anatomy, and patient care, which she seamlessly integrates into her myofunctional therapy practice.
Throughout her career, Randi has been dedicated to improving her patients' overall health and quality of life. Her approach to myofunctional therapy is holistic, addressing issues such as improper tongue posture, incorrect swallowing patterns, and breathing dysfunctions. She works closely with a network of healthcare professionals, including dentists, orthodontists, speech therapists, and ENT specialists, to provide comprehensive care tailored to each patient's unique needs.
Randi is known for compassionate, patient-centered care and her ability to educate and empower her patients. She believes in the transformative power of myofunctional therapy and is passionate about helping people achieve optimal oral and facial function.
Lindsey is a Orofacial Myofunctional Therapist and a Lactation Education Counselor. Her dedication to airway awareness started with her own personal experience with sleep disordered breathing. She started noticing her young children with the beginning stages of sleep disordered breathing and mouth breathing. This sparked her passion for alternative solutions and more answers relating to airway health.
She completed her Orofacial Myofunctional training in 2023 and Lactation Education Counseling in 2024. The connection between breastfeeding and orofacial growth is very strong. It can help the growing structures and prevent the rise of concerns with sleep disorders. As Lindsey and her children are learning and doing more to prevent these concerns, she sees the changes first hand. She is passionate about helping families with these issues and guiding them with the different approaches to alternative solutions.
