At Myofunctional Spot, we provide comprehensive, evidence-based pre- and post-frenectomy myofunctional therapy to ensure optimal surgical outcomes and long-term functional success. A frenectomy—the surgical release of a restrictive lingual, labial, or buccal frenulum—is only one piece of the puzzle. Without proper preparation and rehabilitation, results can be incomplete, short-lived, or even regressive.

Myofunctional therapy plays a critical role in addressing the neuromuscular dysfunction that often develops around a restricted tongue or lip. Whether you’re a parent seeking care for your child, or an adult exploring treatment for yourself, therapy before and after the release is essential for success.

Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy (OMT) is a structured, therapeutic program that uses targeted exercises to retrain the muscles of the tongue, lips, jaw, cheeks, and soft palate. The goal is to establish optimal oral function at rest and during activity — including breathing, chewing, swallowing, speaking, and sleeping.

This neuromuscular re-education supports proper tongue posture, promotes nasal breathing, enhances orofacial muscle tone, and helps eliminate compensatory patterns that develop due to long-standing restrictions.

Performing a frenectomy without addressing the muscular dysfunctions that have developed over time is like unlocking a joint that doesn’t know how to move. Pre-surgical therapy prepares the body for functional improvement and sets the foundation for long-term success.

Pre-frenectomy myofunctional therapy focuses on:

• 🔹 Building strength and endurance in the tongue and surrounding musculature
   
• 🔹 Improving tongue range of motion within current limitations
   
• 🔹 Training new neuromuscular pathways for tongue movement and posture
   
• 🔹 Increasing muscle tone and coordination
   
• 🔹 Reducing compensations and dysfunctional oral habits
   
• 🔹 Preparing the patient for post-surgical exercises and healing protocols
   

The tongue (or lip) may be physically released following a frenectomy, but functional improvement does not happen automatically. In fact, newly freed oral tissues require targeted rehabilitation to prevent poor healing, scar tissue formation, reattachment, or the return of dysfunctional habits.

Post-frenectomy myofunctional therapy focuses on:

• 🔹 Promoting proper wound healing and scar tissue management
   
• 🔹 Preventing reattachment of the released tissue
   
• 🔹 Re-educating the tongue for proper movement and resting posture
   
• 🔹 Reinforcing functional patterns for chewing, swallowing, breathing, and speaking
   
• 🔹 Maximizing the surgical outcomes and long-term results
   
• 🔹 Restoring balance and coordination to the orofacial muscles
   

Whether you are an adult or child, a restricted frenulum often results in years (or decades) of dysfunctional movement patterns. The tongue adapts by using compensatory muscles, and over time, some muscles become overactive while others atrophy.

Myofunctional therapy is essential to retrain these patterns, improve muscle balance, and guide the body toward optimal function. Just as you wouldn’t expect a knee to work properly after surgery without physical therapy, you should not expect full tongue function without myofunctional therapy.

Too often, frenectomies are performed without functional preparation or follow-up. While the tissue may be released, the brain and muscles have not learned how to use that new freedom. 

This can lead to:

• ❌ Incomplete healing
   
• ❌ Scar tissue development
   
• ❌ Tongue reattachment or tethering
   
• ❌ Continued or worsening dysfunction
   
• ❌ Need for repeat surgeries
   
• ❌ Persistent speech, feeding, breathing, or sleep issues
   

We have seen many patients who required a second release procedure due to inadequate healing and lack of therapy. These complications are preventable with a structured myofunctional therapy program.

Optimal outcomes require a collaborative approach. At Myofunctional Spot, we work closely with release providers (ENTs, pediatric dentists, oral surgeons, etc.) to ensure that each client has a cohesive and individualized treatment plan that aligns structural correction with functional rehabilitation.

We also educate and guide each patient or parent through every step of the process — including assessment, therapy planning, coordination with surgical providers, and long-term follow-up.

As with any form of therapy, your participation and consistency are the most critical factors for success. While we provide the clinical expertise, it is your daily practice of exercises and commitment to the process that determines the outcome.

• 🗓️ Therapy sessions may occur weekly or biweekly
   
• 🔁 Daily exercises must be completed multiple times per day
   
• 🧠 You will be training oral muscles that may have never functioned properly before - changing habits takes time!
   
• 🔑 Consistency is key — this is muscle re-education, not a quick fix
   

You are an integral part of the team. We will give you the tools, the plan, and the guidance — but your effort is what drives success.

We understand that social media and YouTube are filled with “do-it-yourself” myofunctional exercises. However, these cannot replace the clinical expertise, customization, and hands-on guidance of a licensed speech-language pathologist and certified myofunctional specialist.

Just as you wouldn’t attempt your own physical therapy after a shoulder surgery, you should not attempt to treat a tongue tie or complex oral dysfunction without proper care. This is a medical process, not a trend.

If you or your child is considering a frenectomy — or has already had one without therapy — we invite you to schedule a comprehensive functional assessment with our team. We will determine the presence of oral restrictions, assess compensatory patterns, and build an individualized therapy plan to support healing, function, and long-term success.

📞 Call: 954-261-9864

📧 Email: info@myofunctionalspot.com

💻 Visit: www.myofunctionalspot.com

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