At Miami Designer Smiles, we prioritize not just the appearance but also the overall functionality of your mouth. Whether it’s cosmetic dentistry or preventive care, our dentistry approach includes the latest treatment options that align with our commitment to holistic oral health. One area we specialize in is Myofunctional Therapy—importantly known for solving children’s speech articulation problems.
Understanding Myofunctional Therapy
Myofunctional therapy, often under-recognized, is a series of exercises that target the facial muscles used to chew and swallow. It supports the proper alignment of the teeth, jaws, and tongue, thus directly improving a child’s speech articulation.
At the heart of our Myofunctional therapy services at Miami Designer Smiles lies a deep understanding of how interconnected our oral health is to our overall health. As such, we not only focus on rectifying incorrect muscle patterns but also dive into the root cause—whether they’re conditions such as thumb sucking or a forward resting tongue.
How Does Myofunctional Therapy Help?
Speech Articulation: The Connection with Myofunctional Disorders
Speech articulation issues are more common in children with orofacial myofunctional disorders (OMDs), affecting an estimated 38% of the general population and up to 81% of children. OMDs occur when the tongue’s muscle movements are atypical, affecting essential functions like breathing, eating, speaking, and even social interaction.
Here, Myofunctional Therapy plays a crucial role. It helps correct oral and facial muscle patterns, leading to improvements in speech articulation. Moreover, the therapy aids in enhancing overall oral motor skills, thus influencing the child’s ability to eat and drink properly.
Benefits beyond Speech Improvement
While it directly affects children’s speech articulation positively, Myofunctional Therapy also carries a host of other benefits. It strengthens oral and facial muscles, promotes nasal breathing, and aligns oral and throat muscles for improved swallowing patterns—all of which contribute to an improved quality of life.
A Proactive Approach to Dental Health
As part of our general dentistry and pediatric dentistry services at Miami Designer Smiles, we believe in taking a proactive approach. Untreated OMDs can have serious consequences. For instance, they can affect facial and skeletal growth, bite alignment, jaw joint movement, oral hygiene, and the success of any orthodontic treatment.
Through Myofunctional Therapy, our team, led by Dr. Raul Garcia and Dr. Concepcion Sanchez-Garcia, is committed to helping children overcome their speech articulation problems by not just treating the symptom but addressing the underlying cause. Simultaneously, the therapy prepares the child’s oral foundations for any necessary orthodontic work, thus making it more effective.
Our Approach at Miami Designer Smiles
Dr. Raul Garcia and Dr. Concepcion Sanchez-Garcia don’t see Miami Designer Smiles as just another dental clinic; they view it as a platform to transform lives—one smile at a time. We offer a variety of services, from cosmetic dentistry to myofunctional therapy, with the intention to help our patients live healthier, happier lives.
Myofunctional Therapy is no exception to our commitment to comprehensive dental care. The therapy is designed for individuals of all ages, but its impact is found significantly in children, who are in their formative years and can gain immensely from this early intervention. We have witnessed it firsthand when a child gradually begins to articulate better, shaping their social confidence and life in unimaginable ways.
Overcoming speech problems, improving facial aesthetics, and enhancing overall well-being—it’s all possible at Miami Designer Smiles. We are here to guide you every step of the way, from diagnosing the root cause to planning a personalized therapy path and ultimately celebrating newfound confidence with you. Because at Miami Designer Smiles, your smile is our mission.