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Welcome to...
DAKOTA OROFACIAL MYOLOGY
Hello, and thank you for stopping by to view the information about orofacial myology! Phyllis has always loved learning and working with the muscles of the mouth and face. The first paper she wrote in college was about a new technique retraining the muscles for children with cerebral palsy. She is excited to develop programs for the people she sees and continually tailors any exercise or program to allow a person to be successful, while continually improving the skills they already have.
Deficits in oral motor skills directly impact a person's speech and eating. Many people who require braces have some oral motor problems. For example, one 13 year old came in with a right and left open bite. When observing the tongue rest posture, it was noted she had a very wide flat tongue that laid on the upper surface of the lower teeth on the right and left sides. As the tongue improves in strength and movement, it will move off the teeth when resting (not eating, drinking, or talking). As the tongue rests in the correct position the teeth will shift to make the correct position.
When the tongue rests on the teeth, it causes pressure against the teeth much like braces use pressure to move the teeth back into position. The tongue and lips often work against the bone and teeth. If a person has ever studied the structures and muscles they know that "in the battle between muscle and bone, the muscle always wins." So if the tongue rests between the teeth on the bottom teeth, as soon as the braces are removed, the tongue will begin to move the teeth out of alignment again.
Phyllis is excited about the effects of muscle therapy as she has personally experienced improvement in physical therapy for her lower back, and continues a daily exercise program. So, we hope to have "wet your palate" for information about muscle therapy (orofacial myofunctional therapy). Browse through the rest of this site and if you have any more questions please feel free to contact us by phone or email.
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