Disrupted Sleep Patterns

 Myofunctional therapy is an oral health training program that includes exercises meant to improve the strength of the muscles within the oropharynx, including the tongue. It helps to reinforce the correct position of the tongue within the mouth. 

 The oropharynx is the part of the body that includes the mouth and throat. In simple terms, it is a tube lined with muscular tissues. These muscles help us to eat, talk, and breathe. They also help to keep the airway open, especially during sleep. When the muscles of the oropharynx are weak, they may disrupt the flow of air, and snoring may ensue. If they let the tube collapse, the airway becomes blocked, such as happens during sleep apnea. Moreover, a weak and floppy tongue may fall back into the throat and create an obstruction. 

 Research has shown that myofunctional therapy may be helpful for improving sleep-disordered breathing, such as snoring and mild to moderate OSA (obstructive sleep apnea). It has also been shown to prevent relapse of sleep apnea after surgical treatment. In addition, myofunctional therapy exercises play an important role in recovery after lingual frenuloplasty and in maintaining orthodontic treatment results. 

Myofunctional therapist after removing tonsils/adenoids, to help train the soft tissues of the face, neck, and mouth to function properly and foster the ability to breathe through the nose rather than the mouth, ensuring proper oral posture, swallowing pattern, and nasal breathing. Nasal Breathing Is the Key to Reversing Sleep-Disordered Breathing Confirmation. This also helps prevent the regrowth of tonsil and adenoid tissue. Seeing an ENT and myofunctional therapist is important when enlarged tonsils and adenoids are present.

Our genes tell the bone how to grow, but our muscles tell the bone where to grow. By age 6, 80% of upper and lower growth is complete, and by age 7 to 12, it is 90% complete. The posture of the tongue can have a significant impact on the skeletal development of the face, the position of teeth, and breathing. Therefore, proper oral resting posture of the muscles and their functioning are essential in growth and development. The tongue should rest in the top of the mouth, filling up the entire palate. When the tongue is resting in the correct position, it shapes the maxilla (upper jaw) and guides the growth of the face. This helps improve nasal breathing, reduce mouth breathing and snoring, and improve tongue-base obstruction and positional sleep apnea and/or UARS. 

When a child has surgery to remove tonsils and adenoids because of frequent infections/inability to breathe through the nose/sleep apnea. The immune tissue often regrows, and the airway becomes affected again, and the problems and symptoms can return. The relapse rate for sleep apnea and airway constriction after tonsils and/or adenoids are removed is greater than 50%.