Are you a Candidate for Myofunctional Therapy?

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Patients often want to know if myofunctional therapy is right for them. We offer comprehensive full myofunctional evaluations to assess your structure/function and dive deep into your symptoms to help formulate a treatment plan that is specific and tailored to your needs. However, sometimes it's nice to do a self-assessment or screening ahead of time to get an idea of how your symptoms may relate to myofunctional disorders. 

I have created a screening tool to help you learn more as well as see if your symptoms warrant further assessment. At the end, if you have circled more than 10 symptoms, a myofunctional evaluation could be the right next step for you! Let's get started!

(you may have to gather some info about your infancy and childhood if you are answering questions for yourself)

• Section or Breach Birth or Vacuum Used or Traumatic Birth (Long Labor or Birthed Very Quickly)
• Bottle-fed more than 50% of time during infancy
• Painful Nursing/Breastfeeding
• Nipple damage during breastfeeding
• Shallow Latch or Nipple Shield Used
• Poor Weight Gain
• Reflux, Spitting Up, or Colic
• Unable to hold pacifier in mouth
• Milk leaking out of mouth (during breast or bottle feeding)
• Low Milk Supply/Over Supply
• Clicking or smacking noise when eating
• Multiple ear infections and/or tubes placed
• Sucked thumb in past, stopped prior to age 3
• Thumb, finger, or pacifier sucking past age 3
• Parafunctional Oral Habits (Nail biting, hair chewing or twirling, Straw biting, Lip biting, clothes biting, fidgeting in general)
• Diagnosed with ADD/ADHD as a child or considered hyperactive/lack of focus at school or work

• Speech Therapy in the past or present
• Speech delay
• Struggle with Sounds: R, L, S, TH, Ch
• Has a “lisp”
• Mumbling
• General lack of clarity
• Voice projection
• Vocal resonance concerns
• Vocal endurance concerns (fatigue easily)
• Sound “nasal" (hypernasal tone)
• Stutter or Tripping over words
• Frustration with communication
• Difficult to understand by others
• Speak too slowly
• Difficulty speaking fast 
• Difficulty getting words out (grasping for words)
• Check out our Tiny Myo Program for children ages 2-4 years

• Can you hold a popsicle stick or folded sticky note between your lips and breathe through the nose for 3 minutes?
• Tonsils and/or adenoids removed in past
• Patient Breathes through their mouth during the day more than 50%
• Patient Breathes through their mouth or snores at night
• Asthma, allergies, chronic congestion, sinus problems/infections
• Deviated septum/nasal/airway surgery
• Tonsils/adenoids enlarged and visible
• Have a persistent coughing and throat clearing habit
• Have audible breathing

• How much of your Uvula (the hanging piece of tissue between your tonsils)  can you visualize when you open your mouth and look in the mirror? The full uvula? 50%? 25%? None?
• Does your tongue have scalloping on the sides?
• Are your tonsils enlarged? 
• Do your tonsils almost touch?

• Anterior or lateral open bite and/or crossbite
• Large spaces and/or tipping of teeth
• Relapse of previous orthodontic treatment
• Expansion required during orthodontic treatment and/or high, narrow palate
• Tongue crib or tongue guard required during orthodontic treatment
• History of orthodontic or orthognathic surgery (or recommended)
• Premolars extracted

• Mouth is open often, but not greater than 50%
• Mouth is open greater than 50%
• Unsure of where my lips rest most of the time
• Mouth breathing any time during the day or night
• Short upper lip that barely moves
• Unable to close lips comfortable or without effort
• Unable to maintain comfortable lip closure

• Tongue is positioned low, in bottom of mouth, not up against palate
• Tongue tip is against upper or lower teeth
• Tongue tip is between upper and lower teeth
• Back of the tongue is floating or between the teeth
• Unsure of where tongue rests in the mouth

• Digestive issues more than once per week
• Constipation 
• Acid reflux symptoms
• Bloating, burping, hiccupping or gas
• History or current issues with constipation or diarrhea
• SIBO, IBS, other digestive issues
• Alterations to diet - eliminating dairy, gluten

• Tongue thrust swallowing pattern (tongue touches or pushes against front teeth when you swallow)
• Trouble with drooling/saliva pooling
• Difficulty breathing while eating
• Open mouth chewing
• Use of liquids to swallow food
• Picky Eater or Messy Eater
• Water goes down the wrong pipe sometimes or choking on food
• Difficulty swallowing pills
• Hyperactive gag reflex
• Gag on saliva or food textures
• Eat Fast
• Barely chew
• Chew with open mouth
• Have food/residue leftover in mouth and on tongue after swallowing
• Require multiple swallows to clear residue
• Chew noisily
• Loud gulping swallow sounds
• Avoid eating certain consistencies/textures
• Make a facial grimmace or tighten lip/chin muscles while swallowing
• Visible tongue thrust while eating/speaking
• Forward head posture
• Slumped posture
• Drooling
• Drinks regularly from a spouted/sippy cup? (for child)
• Drinks regularly from any spout or baby bottle? (for child)
• Sucks their thumb/finger/pacifier/blanket or other objects?

• Headache/migraine more than once per week
• Jaw/facial pain more than once per week
• Neck/shoulder pain tension
• Grinding/clenching at night, night guard worn or recommended
• Bruxism (teeth grinding)
• Forward head/neck posture
• Rolled shoulders
• Have worked with massage, chiropractor, craniosacral therapist, other body work professional

• Can you whistle? 
• Can you wink? No , one side only
• Can you click your tongue? 
• Make taco tongue?
• Big, Cheesy Smile with pain or tension?
• Lift Eyebrows? Yes, but pain
• Does Your Neck Flex when you Smile or feel tension in the neck? 

• Less than 6 hours of sleep
• Less than 8 hours of sleep
• Occasional or frequent snoring
• Wake up gasping for air
• Sleep test previously taken or recommended
• Diagnosed with sleep apnea?
• Wake up with a wet pillow (drooling)
• Fatigue and daytime sleepiness, poor sleep, and/or brain fog
• Do you wake feeling still tired?
• History or bedwetting or nightmares
• Sleep Walking or Sleep Talking
• Restless or light sleeper
• Uses CPAP appliance or dental sleep appliance

• Lingual frenum was released as a baby
• Can you suction your tongue to the roof of your mouth and hold it for 1 minute?
• Can you suction your tongue to the roof of your mouth and open more than 30%?
• Do you have a heart shape on the end of your tongue?
• Does the frenum or string underneath your tongue attach to your lower front teeth? (looks like the Eiffel Tower)
• Does your jaw move side to side or does your tongue drag on your teeth when you move your tongue from side to side?
• Do you have pain when you reach the tip of your tongue upwards behind your top front teeth?
• Does your tongue lift more than 50% to reach your top front teeth with mouth wide open?

We recommend a full Myofunctional Assessment to anyone who checks 10 or greater boxes during this self-assessment. 

We offer 10-minute free consultations to dig a little deeper and see if we can are a good fit. If warranted, a Comprehensive Evaluation will be recommended to comprehensively assess your symptoms. During a comprehensive Orofacial Myofunctional Evaluations will meet for approximately 90 minutes to complete a full assessment and recommend a treatment plan that addresses your needs.

If you are ready to take the next steps in your myofunctional journey click here to request an appointment.