Orofacial Myology Adelaide

18/05/2025

Any health professionals interested to learn more about myomunchees?

A Simple Tool with Big Impact

Mary and the munchee team are coming to Adelaide Thursday the 12th of June for a free info night. Register to attend here:

https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/munchee-meets-adelaide-tickets-1368261871089?aff=oddtdtcreator

MyoMunchees are silicone chewing devices that support healthy oral development by encouraging natural chewing, lip closure, and nasal breathing. They're easy to use and can complement care in dentistry, speech therapy, and pediatric health.

02/03/2025

Advanced Education with Linda D'Onofrio. Wow! An exceptional learning opportunity and a deep dive into offering the very best care for patients with OMDs. Personalised diagnosis and treatment planning.

Adelaide is hosting this on the 28th & 29th of March and seats are still available

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/aaom-presents-functional-orofacial-myofunctional-therapy-adelaide-2025-tickets-1086509141089?aff=erelexpmlt

Any health professionals who are interested and especially any health professional who is sceptical, I urge you to come. PM if you have any questions.

22/02/2025

NEW YEAR, NEW LOCATION!

We have moved to a new address, 47 Portrush Road, Payneham

Once again, thank you to Brad and the team for supporting us over the years and keeping us running with beautiful consulting rooms.

Monday kicks off at the new location for all appointments. See you there

18/08/2024

Meet Our New Ultra Awesome Oral Health Therapist/Oro-myofunctional Therapist

After completing Bachelor of Oral Health in 2010, Chantelle began working full time at her family dental practice. Pursuing her passions for service, in 2012-2013 she eagerly headed abroad in several service trips to Cambodia, Thailand and Myanmar. She provided dental care, dental education and assisted in building remote communities.

Chantelle began to notice throughout her years of working in the dental sector, a massive lapse in holistic patient care, where the root cause of dental and functional issues was not being addressed. This prompted her to delve deeper into the body-mouth connection. Ongoing education in oro-myofunctional therapy, breathing, food and nutrition and biological dentistry has provided an extensive knowledge base to service clients on a deeper level.

In 2023, after the birth of her first child, Chantelle embarked on a clinical mentorship program with Orofacial Myology Adelaide to consolidate her knowledge into clinical practice. She is excited to be offering a unique experience to children and adults to address oral habits, myofunctional disorders, TMD and orofacial pain

Book an appointment with Chantelle here:
Book Online

08/08/2024

Quitting thumb sucking is important!

Here's why:

Dental Health: Prolonged thumb sucking can lead to dental problems such as misalignment of teeth and bite issues, like an overbite or open bite. It can also affect the development of the roof of the mouth.

Speech Clarity: Thumb sucking can interfere with proper speech development, potentially contributing to issues like lisping or difficulty pronouncing certain sounds.

Thumb and Skin Problems: Continuous thumb sucking can cause skin problems, such as calluses, nail infections, or even deformation of the thumb.

Psychological and Social Impact: Older children who continue to suck their thumbs may face teasing or social stigma, which can affect their self-esteem and social interactions.

Increased Risk of Infections: Hands are exposed to various germs throughout the day. Thumb sucking increases the risk of transferring these germs into the mouth, potentially leading to illnesses.

Quitting thumb sucking can help prevent these issues and promote healthier development in children.

https://www.orofacialmyologyadelaide.com/thumbsucking.html

31/07/2024

We use a targeted approach to address common areas of pain in the face, jaw and head. We use a combination of brief and specific manipulations followed by exercise prescription for lasting results. You will feel immediate relief and we will explore deeper reasons as to why you feel pain.

It's a rehabilitation program for your face and jaw

This program is designed in line with modern research on treatment of jaw and face pain. We complete a full health history, pain mapping and functional assessment of your jaw. We target the muscles that are causing your pain and use movement techniques as a healing agent. Learn about your pain and understand which symptoms need which self-care technique. This program can be extremely effective for many types of pain. Common issues we treat is unexplained tooth, sinus or ear pain, clicking joints, limited jaw opening and related headaches.

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How it Works:
Reduce Muscle Tension: Targeted trigger point therapy followed by specific movements and exercise prescription to alleviate tension in the jaw muscles to reduce deep dragging pain and discomfort (on average exercises take 2 minutes per day)

Improving Muscle Coordination: Enhancing the coordination of facial and jaw muscles for more efficient and less painful jaw movements.

Correcting Posture: Proper oral posture of the tongue, jaw, and head can reduce strain on the temporomandibular joint and restore long term overall function

Promoting Healthy Habits: Addressing habits like teeth grinding or clenching, which can exacerbate TMD symptoms.

24/07/2024

Is your tongue contributing to orthodontic problems?

The muscles of the face, the lips, the tongue and the jaw should move in a way that supports healthy breathing, eating, speaking and swallowing. Poor muscle movements of the face and mouth are collectively known as myofunctional disorders. These disorders can contribute to changes in facial growth and orthodontic problems such as dental open bites.

Correcting an open bite may require orthodontic treatment. However, a dysfunctional oral rest posture and swallow can lead to unstable results and relapse. Teeth move as a result of pressure. Excessive tongue pressure can undo your orthodontist's work.

Oro-myofunctional therapy is worth the effort for a healthy smile!

03/06/2023

On Wednesday evening I presented to a group of final year dental students at the University of Adelaide about the multidisciplinary treatment of sleep breathing disorders in children.

I feel so proud to be sharing this knowledge and helping to create awareness among tomorrow's health professionals.

Thank you to my wonderful clients (you know who you are 😉) who gave me permission for me to share your success stories.

26/04/2023

Fact: Chronic and prolonged mouth breathing is not normal or okay

Ear Nose & Throat Specialist Dr David McIntosh summarises the following facts perfectly. I wanted to share his post with all of you xx

'Mouth breathing in children can occur for various reasons, such as congestion due to allergies or a blocked nose, a habit formed due to thumb-sucking or pacifier use, or a structural problem like enlarged adenoids or tonsils.
Mouth breathing can have negative impacts on a child's health and development, including:
1. Increased risk of dental problems: Mouth breathing can cause dry mouth, which can lead to dental problems such as tooth decay, gum disease, and bad breath.
2. Impaired speech development: Mouth breathing can affect the way a child's tongue and lips move, which can result in speech problems such as lisping or mispronunciation.
3. Sleep problems: Mouth breathing can disrupt a child's sleep, leading to snoring, sleep apnea, and fatigue during the day.
4. Facial and dental growth: Chronic mouth breathing can affect the development of a child's face and jaw, leading to malocclusion (misalignment of the teeth), narrow palate, and other orthodontic problems.
If you notice your child frequently breathing through their mouth, it's important to speak with an ear, nose, and throat specialist to identify the underlying cause and address any potential health issues.'

Thanks Dr McIntosh!

Mouth breathing in children can occur for various reasons, such as congestion due to allergies or a blocked nose, a habit formed due to thumb-sucking or pacifier use, or a structural problem like enlarged adenoids or tonsils.
Mouth breathing can have negative impacts on a child's health and development, including:
1. Increased risk of dental problems: Mouth breathing can cause dry mouth, which can lead to dental problems such as tooth decay, gum disease, and bad breath.
2. Impaired speech development: Mouth breathing can affect the way a child's tongue and lips move, which can result in speech problems such as lisping or mispronunciation.
3. Sleep problems: Mouth breathing can disrupt a child's sleep, leading to snoring, sleep apnea, and fatigue during the day.
4. Facial and dental growth: Chronic mouth breathing can affect the development of a child's face and jaw, leading to malocclusion (misalignment of the teeth), narrow palate, and other orthodontic problems.
If you notice your child frequently breathing through their mouth, it's important to speak with an ear, nose, and throat specialist to identify the underlying cause and address any potential health issues.

13/04/2023

Promoting Orofacial Myology in Australia
I am proud to announce my new position as president of the Australian Association of Orofacial Myology. I am a passionate advocate for increasing awareness and education about myofunctional sciences in Australia. I am dedicated to help our association to grow and thrive for the betterment of our members and the community. We have a lot of work to do, and I am excited to take on this challenge.

07/01/2023

This study published in 2012 was the first to provide strong evidence that mouth breathing, snoring and gasping during sleep preceded problematic behaviours like hyperactivity.

The children with greatest risk of problems at age 4 and 7 years were those whose symptoms of disturbed breathing peaked at 30 months. This was attributed to 30 months falling within a critical window in which children have the highest need for restorative sleep.

The results suggest that children may not truly grow out of mouth breathing, snoring, or obstructive sleep apnoea. Instead there is risk they may grow into a different child than who they would have been without those symptoms.

Here is the link to a 2012 press release on the study, which is still very relevant today.

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/640792

02/01/2023

The new year brings an exciting new change for our office. We have found a lovely new home at 539 Greenhill Road, Hazelwood Park. Its just a hop, skip and a jump from our old office. We are still working with Burnside Chiropractic and a big thank you to Brad, Renee, Jodie and the team for your continued support.

Thank you to all of our wonderful clients, colleagues and referrers for your continued support. We have some exciting plans for 2023 and can't wait to share with you all.