If you are looking for treatment for TMJ, sleep apnea, bruxism, and many other conditions, you may have come across the concept of myofunctional therapy. In this treatment approach, we work to eliminate bad habits of the tongue and other muscles that can impact the structure and health of your teeth and jaws.
This is a great approach to treatment that offers many benefits for you. Here are just a few of the reasons why myofunctional therapy is great.
Noninvasive Treatment
Of all the treatment options available, myofunctional therapy is probably the least invasive. In many cases, all we’re talking about is performing some simple exercises for a few minutes a day. You can often do these exercises anytime and anywhere you want. Do them while you’re watching TV or while you’re cooking dinner. You can even do them while driving to work.
More Removable Appliances
Fixed appliances are often necessary for orthodontic treatment. But with myofunctional therapy, more people can get results using removable appliances. That’s because myofunctional therapy supplements the force of the appliance with consistent force from your muscles, including your tongue, cheeks, and jaw muscles.
Removable appliances can be easier to clean around and can help you maintain oral health during treatment.
Get Better Results
Myofunctional therapy isn’t just an independent treatment, it’s often an adjunctive treatment. It can be used to supplement other treatments so that you get better results. When myofunctional therapy is combined with other types of treatments, you can see faster results, better results, and your results can be more long-lasting.
Improve Function
Another benefit of myofunctional therapy is that it’s not just a cosmetic treatment. Sure, it can help straighten your teeth and provide other cosmetic benefits, but you can also enjoy better biting, chewing, speaking, and swallowing. It can also help you overcome mouth breathing and enjoy more efficient breathing all around.
Better appearance and better function–that’s something to recommend any treatment!
Cure Sleep Apnea
Myofunctional therapy has the ability to actually cure sleep apnea, not just treat it. It’s important to understand that this isn’t guaranteed, but it is possible. Conditioning the muscles of the mouth and airway can not only enlarge the airway, it can help tone the muscles so they do a better job of holding the airway open during sleep.
The result is that your sleep apnea can be effectively cured.
Improve Facial Appearance
With myofunctional therapy, we can achieve more than just a straighter smile. We can potentially help reshape the face. This is more effective when we start therapy at a younger age, but even for adults we can see some significant facial changes.
We can also help people keep their lips closed, which can help you have a more attractive appearance.
Works for People of All Ages
While it’s true that myofunctional therapy works best when people are younger, it can still work for people of all ages. The body is constantly remodeling itself, including the bones. And the jawbones are the most dynamic bones in the body, making them receptive to changes in the forces around them, including the forces released by myofunctional therapy.
With myofunctional therapy, the sooner you start, the better, but it’s never too late.
How Can You Benefit from Myofunctional Therapy?
All these benefits are general, but the benefits you experience from myofunctional therapy can only be known when we give you a personal examination. To schedule your exam and learn how you can benefit, please call 703) 323-8200 today for an appointment with Fairfax County cosmetic dentist Dr. Pamela Marzban in Burke, VA.
