MyoWorks

12/06/2025

My little “mini me” doing some continuing ed with mom

of Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy

08/06/2025

👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

If your dentist hasn’t asked you about your sleep, you’re receiving substandard care.

I’ve seen it again and again. People come in with cavities, grinding, gum disease, kids with narrow palates—and no one’s ever connected it to how they’re sleeping at night.

Mouth breathing dries out saliva. That raises cavity risk and disrupts your oral microbiome. Grinding is often your body’s way of gasping for air. Kids who snore or toss and turn might be dealing with airway issues that shape the trajectory of their lives.

When I started asking about sleep in my practice, everything changed. We stopped chasing symptoms and started solving root causes.

Your mouth sets the tone for how you breathe. If you’re breathing through your nose, you’re filtering air, keeping nitric oxide levels up, and staying in a parasympathetic (rest-and-digest) state. But if you’re breathing through your mouth—especially at night—you dry out saliva, your mouth’s natural defense system.

That leads to more bad bacteria. More cavities. More inflammation. But it goes deeper. Mouth breathing reduces oxygen, which disrupts deep sleep and throws off your nervous system. Quality sleep is the foundation of everything else.

Grinding isn’t just a stress habit. It’s often your brain trying to open a blocked airway. That grinding wears down enamel and inflames the jaw—but it’s also a clue your body isn’t getting what it needs while you sleep.

Sometimes what looks like a dental problem is really sleep-disordered breathing—like UARS or undiagnosed sleep apnea. That’s why I refer patients for sleep studies or co-manage care with sleep physicians and myofunctional therapists. It takes a team.

Has a dentist ever talked to you about how you sleep? Let’s compare notes. Drop a comment.

And if you’re looking for a provider who sees the full picture, I built the to help. These are dentists who’ve stopped treating teeth in isolation. Functional dentistry is growing—and it’s long overdue.

05/13/2025

So grateful for my momma to trust me in her myo journey 🥰

04/29/2025

03/24/2025

It’s been a bit quiet here on social media. I find often that I make plans and God shows me a different path!

After establishing a dream of pursuing myofunctional therapy in Nebraska, our family was led to Northeast Iowa to follow a calling to take care of family. With that big change, came a new adventure for MyoWorks—establishing my dream in a brand new area. I thought it seemed necessary to reintroduce myself and my business so here we go!

I’m Ashley Askelson, a passionate registered dental hygienist and certified myofunctional therapist. I am a wife, momma and care provider to my sweet brother-in-law, Jacob. When this myofunctional therapy dream became a reality 3 years ago in Nebraska there were different goals in my future. Today’s core goals are still the same: educate others on what I’m passionate about and follow the path that God provides to us.

I encourage you to follow me if you want to learn more! Also feel free to jump over to my website to learn more about myofunctional therapy.
http://myoworksne.com/

01/29/2024

Spotlighting a couple of my favorite products on this MyoMonday!

Myo-Nozzle is perfect helping to keep a correct tongue posture while swallowing. (They have great products for kids too! I actually just purchased the water bottle for my daughter last week!)

https://remasteredsleep.com/pages/shop?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=brand&gclid=CjwKCAiAtt2tBhBDEiwALZuhAF_bsZGltmHjW2vohOaMxtlQdBHEGVMXs1mfq9olVLOv2F8IAA53whoCrhAQAvD_BwE

Intake has been a game changer for me at night! I use to wear nasal strips but found my nose to be so sore in the morning or they would stop sticking during the night. This product uses a magnetic sticker placed on each side of the nostril and then a U shaped device snaps on top. I noticed a big difference when switching to Intake!

https://www.intakebreathing.com/?gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAiAtt2tBhBDEiwALZuhAKrhzwvNUGmkLK93wb2ZKJrhxCsv0Lsf2M8CroQfot7otKTr3Sg9uhoCbBQQAvD_BwE

*Disclaimer—I am sharing these products based on personal experience.

01/15/2024

Fun fact: I have actually had my tongue released THREE times!
Now, before you panic this is NOT normal.
This is why I chose to pursue myofunctional therapy and work to educate about why therapy is important with a release. It’s also important to know your provider.
The first two releases I had were not with a CO2 laser nor did I have therapy. The third, and most definitely best experience, included a stellar provider ( Dr. Amber Ide at Ide Family Dental 🙌🏻) AND pre/post myofunctional therapy.

The photos show some great results in the tissues but my improvement in symptoms is so much more important to me!

01/03/2024

‼️ RELOCATED ‼️

If you’ve wondered why my page has been quiet lately it’s because we’ve had A LOT change in the last few months!

🚛 With the new year here and things settled a bit, I thought it was time to share the news that MyoWorks has relocated!

Our family has moved to Northeast Iowa—the beautiful location of Decorah.

As I am sad to have left Nebraska, I am excited to announce my services to the Northeast Iowa area. BUT no worries to my Nebraska followers! I am still available virtually if you wish! I encourage you to continue following for tid bits of info!

✋🏻If you want someone local, reach out and I will be happy to help you find a therapist!

Stay tuned for the return of MyoMondays!

06/10/2023

— One Year Ago—
I took a huge leap of faith. I felt my heart being tugged to do something outside of my comfort zone.

It took seeing my own children struggling to realize I needed to be the answer.

With A LOT of support from a wonderful husband and tons of prayers looking for the right direction—I jumped.

Countless hours of continuing education courses and an extensive education program later, I received my Certification in Myofunctional Therapy.

I’m so happy I did. I’m grateful to be able to educate our community and offer such a beneficial service to our area.

With that being said, I want to help spread the knowledge.

06/05/2023

Fun tip about myofunctional therapy—
Therapy exercises bring us back to the embryological state. Literally training our tongue to work like it should have as we were developing and stimulating our vagus nerve.

These oral and facial dysfunctions didn’t just come out of thin air. They started in the womb when we were forming.