Myo is not difficult. A few minutes a few times a day for exercises is needed. These can be completed while driving in your car, sitting at your desk working or on the couch at home. There will also be one passive exercise to promote nasal breathing and tongue/palatal contact up to 30 minutes each day. It is recommended you watch TV or engage in a similar distracting activity during this time.

All tools will be provided in your Myo Tool Kit.

Myo does NOT hurt. For patients with TMJ dysfunction or orofacial pain we will start slow with the Jaw Stabilization Program before advancing to more vigorous movements. Some fatigue during exercises is to be expected at first. I will always advise if something is hurting to stop and let me know right away.

For your treatment to be successful, it takes about a year of programming your brain for life long changes. The Myo Program includes three phases that vary in intensity and time needed.

Intensive Phase: 8-10 Weeks. It is important we see each other more frequently in the beginning of treatment. This phase we work on different exercises each week to challenge the neural pathways in your brain and trigger awareness of the tongue and facial muscles. We will start to work on proper tongue posture starting with the tip of the tongue and working our way back.

Generalization/Maintenance: 4 Months. Over time as functions improve and your brain is re-wiring we will space out the appointments more and more. We will continue to work on breathing, chewing, swallowing, and tongue rest posture.

Habituation: 6 Months. At this point we focus on checking in monthly. The end goal is your body has now developed the new patterns as your new normal. This is where we can bring awareness of habits, sleep hygiene, along with head and neck posture.

Short answer, ALL AGES!

Long answer…

My true passion is prevention. If we can address a child’s dysfunction early in life we can aid in proper oral and airway development, promote restorative sleep, lessen anxiety and the long list of ailments linked to OMDs.

I try and put the FUN in functional. With kids I use fun filters on the videos to keep them engaged in therapy. Caregivers helping should always engage in positive motivation, never punishing or shaming during therapy.

While children respond amazingly well to therapy thanks to their growing brains adults can also benefit from this therapy.

Adult myofunctional therapy can address jaw pain, sleep disorders, alleviate gas/hiccups/excessive gag reflex and improve facial aesthetics.

It depends on your plan and how the therapy is performed. Payment for therapy is paid up front and a “superbill” can be provided to you after each phase of treatment that you can send to your insurance for possible reimbursement. Payment is due at the beginning of each phase typically unless an alternative has been discussed and agreed upon before starting therapy. In-office and/or teletherapy visits are more likely to be reimbursed versus the self guided option.