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.
