Our Services
What to Book?
Booking an appointment is very much driven by what your end goals are.
Assessment
Approx. 2 hours
A time for the Orofacial Myologist to gather background history and factors that could be contributing to the current issues... A time to take videos to study oral and facial muscle patterns... A time to take assessment photos... A time to evaluate breathing, swallowing, and chewing habits... A time to take measurements... A time to teach... A time to listen... A time to determine an individualized treatment plan... A time to make appropriate referrals to other allied health professionals.
Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy
Individualized Treatment Program Plan
- ideally, appointments are booked every other week for 30 - 60 minutes
A time for customized therapy, retraining function, to achieve goals.
*An Assessment must be completed prior to starting therapy.
Habit Elimination Program
Typically takes 5 appointments
Ages: 4+
A time to use the science behind the habit... A time to eliminate negative oral habits, such as thumb/finger sucking, nail/cuticle biting, tongue/lip/cheek sucking/biting, prolonged use of a pacifier, hair/pencil chewing... A time to use positive reinforcement strategies to make the difficult transition a good experience for everyone... A time to use the program on its own, or along with orofacial myofunctional therapy.
Must have assessment prior to beginning program.
Pre- and Post- Frenectomy* Appointments
Ideally, these are part of a therapy program
Following an assessment appointment, if it is determined that a frenectomy* is required, based on appearance, function, compensation issues, and symptoms, these appointments provide a time to prepare the tissues, diminish scar tissue, help prevent reattachment, limit compensation issues, encourage movement, and begin on a path to establish full function.
Sometimes, when someone has a suspected "tongue-tie", it is beneficial to start myofunctional therapy prior to surgery, since retraining the muscles in the mouth and tongue can potentially eliminate the need for the release procedure if the individual can adequately achieve the desired function,
*A frenectomy is another word for the procedure that releases the restriction of a tethered-oral tissue, often called a lip- or tongue-tie.
If you are interested in Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy, but do not live in Lethbridge or Southern Alberta, please use the directory on the International Association of Orofacial Myology website to find an orofacial myologist near you (type in your location).