The objectives of this presentation are to give the audience an awareness of what myofunctional therapy is and how to identify myofunctional disorders in your own head and neck pain patients. Most craniofacial, head and neck pain patients are originally breathing disorder patients and once the breathing dysfunction is addressed, many of the orofacial pain, head and neck pain, and breathing symptoms will resolve. This talk will include clinical cases and will review assessment tools and treatment techniques to improve airway patency, head and neck posture, and breathing mechanics. Other topics that will be briefly mentioned are: recent supportive myofunctional therapy medical literature, ankyloglossia and the effects that oral tethered tissue have on head and neck breathing dysfunctions, the possible need for lingual and labial frenectomies, mouth breathing and sleep apnea, and the importance of a multidisciplinary team.
The objectives of this presentation are to give the audience an awareness of what myofunctional therapy is and how to identify myofunctional disorders in your own head and neck pain patients. Most craniofacial, head and neck pain patients are originally breathing disorder patients and once the breathing dysfunction is addressed, many of the orofacial pain, head and neck pain, and breathing symptoms will resolve. This talk will include clinical cases and will review assessment tools and treatment techniques to improve airway patency, head and neck posture, and breathing mechanics. Other topics that will be briefly mentioned are: recent supportive myofunctional therapy medical literature, ankyloglossia and the effects that oral tethered tissue have on head and neck breathing dysfunctions, the possible need for lingual and labial frenectomies, mouth breathing and sleep apnea, and the importance of a multidisciplinary team.
