Dr Shereen Lim

03/02/2026

This is the first time I have observed and documented significant palatal vault remodelling in a child without palate expansion, and I wanted to share it despite the imperfect framing of the first palate photo and the inability to display the images to scale.

The first images were taken at 17 months of age.

She was referred to me by her osteopath. At the time, there were concerns regarding a high arched palate, nasal congestion, hearing loss, frequent gagging on foods, loud snoring, and disrupted sleep. Mum was keen to avoid surgery, and we offered a Myomunchee which she took to well.

Since then, her three older siblings started palate expansion with us, and she continued to use her Munchee and MyoSpots alongside them, which helped train her tongue tip to lift and rest higher.

The second set of images were taken today, at just over 4 years of age, coinciding with the insertion of her first palate expander. I believe she has the smallest mouth that I have started expansion on, but there has already been an excellent change in both her oral rest posture and palatal structure even before palate expansion.

Reviewing the positive changes achieved in the earliest years of life, mum said that if she had another child, she would start MyoSpots as soon as they were old enough. She described them as a game changer.

These images illustrate what is possible with simple, early interventions including osteopathy, Munchee, MyoSpots, and the positive influence of observing older siblings, and a persistent and empowered mum.

I also want to add a reminder that we need to pay as much attention to inward facial tension that restrain normal facial growth as we do to resting tongue posture.

This includes checking for lip and cheek ties as a potential root contributor when we see significant distortion and underdevelopment of the jaw and facial structures.

02/02/2026

Lower lip ties and cheek ties have been relatively new areas of attention for me, so I was pleased to catch up tonight on two recorded webinars exploring a topic I have not previously seen discussed in depth, and one I believe deserves wider attention.

The first was presented by myofunctional therapist Heidi Widoff, someone I was not previously familiar with but hope to connect with in the future. She shared her observations that upper lip and cheek tie releases may improve nasal and sinus airflow, along with her hypothesis for how this occurs. I found this particularly fascinating, as I have now seen a good handful of patients experience profound improvements in nasal airflow in the chair immediately following cheek tie releases. Heidi has also helped guide her local dentists in performing releases to achieve these outcomes. She incorporates facial massage alongside these releases, and I would love to learn more from her work. I will definitely be rewatching this one.

The second webinar was presented by pediatric dental colleague Dr Eyal Botzer from Israel. With his characteristic scientific and measured approach, he delivered a comprehensive overview of the evidence on upper lip ties and cheek ties to date. As a pioneer in infant releases, I was genuinely honoured that he referenced my early attention to lower lip ties during his presentation. It means a great deal to have colleagues I highly respect remaining curious and paying closer attention.

For colleagues wondering where to access these lectures, they are part of the Academy of Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy (AOMT) webinar series, available to past students. They offer weekly webinars and group discussions, all of which are recorded. While I have not always made the time to watch them, this year I am committed to immersing myself more. The group discussions and shared insights are just as valuable as the presentations themselves.

Ongoing access to this resource and community, and staying current with leading and evolving insights and research, is a big reason I believe AOMT courses are an excellent starting point for healthcare professionals wanting to incorporate myofunctional therapy into their practice.

02/02/2026

Love this and thanks for sharing Speech Therapy Hertfordshire! 💕

For those in the UK, here are some of the most committed and well trained myofunctional therapists with a speech background.

So pleased to have your support of Breathe, Sleep, Thrive! 🇬🇧

Dr Shereen Lim some SLTs from the UK who are part of a clinical excellence network for OMT who appreciate your work and book that is a great resource for parents and professionals 🙌🏻🙏🏻

29/01/2026

A Necessary Conversation in Orthodontics

Here’s a link to a recent debate between orthodontists on some of the most polarising topics in the field - airway orthodontics, extractions for dental crowding, and tongue-tie.

These are conversations we need to explore and advance standards of care. Credit to the host for moderating with genuine curiosity, open-mindedness, and steadiness in balancing some very polarising positions.

Watching this debate, what stood out to me was how much nuance, familiarity with current research, and depth of understanding of sleep medicine can vary, and how much that affects credibility.

I want to give a clear shout-out of support to my friend and colleague Dr Audrey Yoon. She has published trailblazing research exploring the role of orthodontics in airway health and precision sleep medicine. I’ve seen her cop a lot of criticism, simply because her work challenges traditional norms, and her influence continues to expand globally.

She did an excellent job calling out extremes of thinking, sharing balanced insights, and speaking from both research and real-world experience as part of a leading integrative sleep medicine team. This is exactly the kind of thoughtful, evidence-informed leadership our profession needs more of.

In this episode of The Digital Orthodontist: Live!, Dr. Kyle Fagala hosts a candid, nuanced conversation on one of the most debated topics in orthodontics to...

28/01/2026

Why Sleep Matters

For many midlife women, the struggle to feel truly rested goes beyond simply going to bed on time. The quality of your sleep is shaped by airway health, jaw development, and even subtle changes in breathing. If you’re waking up tired, experiencing snoring, your own or your partner’s, or dealing with persistent fatigue, this episode offers clarity.

This conversation is designed for women navigating the confusion of sleep disruptions, hormonal shifts, and health changes in their 40s, 50s, and 60s. By unpacking the root causes behind broken sleep, including snoring, sleep apnea, and overlooked dental factors. Host Natalie Tysdal and guest Dr. Shereen Lim provide grounded insights for anyone ready to understand sleep as a foundation for overall well-being in midlife.

Instead of chasing quick fixes, this episode gives midlife women the knowledge to explore airway health, nasal breathing, and the structural influences on sleep, moving past stigma and confusion to informed action.

Struggling with fatigue, brain fog, or restless nights in midlife? You’re not alone.For women navigating perimenopause, menopause, and shifting hormones, sle...

26/01/2026

Grateful to my Malaysian friend and dental colleague, , for capturing this moment on the final day of the Tongue Time Conference.

Twelve years ago, when my first invited talk on airway health was announced, there were calls for boycotts and demands that I be replaced. The idea that early interceptive orthodontics could play a role in healthier sleep and breathing was dismissed as my imagination, and as being well beyond the scope of general dentistry.

It was lonely to stand there then.
That is why moments like this matter to me.

Change did not come quickly or loudly. It came through persistently sharing emerging evidence, case journeys, patient stories, and through collaboration, education, and persistent conversations. Through building integrative events, inviting international voices, creating pockets of aligned professionals, and helping parents understand what had been missed.

To now be asked to contribute to a global conversation on integrated airway health, alongside colleagues and leaders from around the world who are actively advancing this approach, feels like a meaningful win.

What was dismissed is now reaching a tipping point.
What was once isolating is now a collective journey.

24/01/2026

Thank you to speech and myofunctional therapist Gergana Beycheva from Bulgaria for this post!! 🇧🇬

I am so touched by her kind words, and so pleased to have met her in person!

I admire her leadership, and persistence bringing new professionals together, and thank her for her support spreading word about Breathe, Sleep, Thrive! 💕

22/01/2026

Enjoying Paris with my girls. 🇫🇷

They accompanied me to Switzerland and kept themselves busy exploring, snowshoeing, and skiing while I spent long conference days networking and later catching up with friends.

Now I’m following them shopping, and we are enjoying great food, and racking up lots of steps!

It’s been a great reset before returning home and getting back into the full swing of a new year of school, uni, and work for me in 2026!

22/01/2026

I have some goal obsession collecting photos of Breathe, Sleep, Thrive readers from different countries!

To me, each one represents the message of airway health travelling further, creating new ripples of awareness across communities. It’s no longer just the reach of a book, but a movement.

Tongue Time offered the chance to add four more, and a good reason to now celebrate 🎉

🇷🇴 .ilia.teodora.jipa , orthodontist from Romania
She travelled to the Congress because of me, and I was so pleased to connect. She captured my heart and soul, and I am deeply grateful for this new connection.

🇵🇹 Dr Julia from .wellness , Portugal based dentist, originally from the US
We have had parallel journeys learning about airway health and tongue tie. She now connects families to information and practitioners around the world, and has been a strong advocate of Breathe, Sleep, Thrive, sharing it as a resource with the families she consults with. I am very grateful for her ongoing support.

🇮🇪 Dr Justin Roche, paediatrician from Ireland
A professional inspiration and founder of , a world-class integrative tongue-tie centre. I hope to learn more from him and his team in the near future.

🇵🇱 , orthodontist from Poland
I have long admired how progressive the orthodontic community in Poland is, particularly the strong interest in airway health and my own work. I was so pleased to meet in person a colleague who could help represent this region.

My current country count is 41.

🇦🇺 Australia · 🇦🇹 Austria · 🇧🇷 Brazil · 🇧🇬 Bulgaria · 🇨🇦 Canada · 🇨🇱 Chile · 🇨🇳 China · 🇨🇴 Colombia · 🇨🇷 Costa Rica · 🇩🇰 Denmark · 🇪🇪 Estonia · 🇫🇯 Fiji · 🇩🇪 Germany · 🇮🇳 India · 🇮🇱 Israel · 🇮🇪 Ireland · 🇰🇿 Kazakhstan · 🇲🇾 Malaysia · 🇲🇽 Mexico · 🇲🇳 Mongolia · 🇲🇦 Morocco · 🇳🇱 Netherlands · 🇳🇿 New Zealand · 🇳🇴 Norway · 🇵🇭 Philippines · 🇵🇱 Poland · 🇵🇹 Portugal · 🇷🇴 Romania · 🇷🇺 Russia · 🇸🇬 Singapore · 🇸🇰 Slovakia · 🇰🇷 South Korea · 🇪🇸 Spain · 🇸🇪 Sweden · 🇨🇭 Switzerland · 🇹🇼 Taiwan · 🇹🇭 Thailand · 🇹🇷 Turkey · 🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates · 🇬🇧 United Kingdom · 🇺🇸 United States

If you have read Breathe, Sleep, Thrive and are based somewhere not yet on this list and can help expand it, I would love to hear from you.

21/01/2026

Grateful to dear colleagues from Mexico and Morocco for capturing these moments at Tongue Time.

I’ve appreciated all the friends and colleagues who shared photos from the event. It was truly special. So much love, support, expanding and deepening connections, and a great sense of shared mission. Being able to re-live it through all the images captured means a lot 💕

The second Tongue Time Congress will be held in St Gallen next July 8–10, offering a terrific opportunity to explore the region in summer. It will be exciting to see how this community and our knowledge base continues to grow!

20/01/2026

A shout out to REMplenish, the platinum sponsors of the recent Tongue Time congress in Switzerland!

As an event organizer myself, I fully appreciate how meaningful it is to have early support and collaboration from highly aligned sponsors, and how much that takes the pressure off and allows us to focus on all the ways to enhance the participant experience!

Over the years a lot of people have asked me for my opinion regarding their straws.

I’ve sampled them, liked the idea, and seen they can be used incorrectly without the tongue working properly. More recently last year they introduced and shared two grades of straws - an intro one to start with and a more challenging one to progress to after.

But for me the game changer to use it more was being gifted a special edition bottle to use with them in St Gallen! It encouraged me to use it consistently throughout the conference and even now during my travels.

And I can really see how well it works out my tongue. After use, I feel my tongue stays suctioned to my palate much stronger. And it’s a very simple way to incorporate tongue strengthening into every day life!

20/01/2026

A throwback to the Tongue Time Congress in St Gallen!

It was a pleasure to introduce local IBCLC colleague Brenda Munz to my dearest Australian friends and colleagues in the field and spend time with them all!

I’m constantly asked about providers in other cities and I can wholeheartedly endorse these ladies.

✨Dr Marjan Jones - Brisbane
✨Dr Roshanak Amrein - Adelaide
✨Dr Alexandra Kotlar - Melbourne

Drs Jones and Kotlar also offer early interceptive orthodontics.

I relied on others to take photos during this event so you can check out many that have been shared so far on my Instagram stories highlights under Tongue Time 2026!

I cherished the opportunity to connect with so many friends and colleagues from around the world who have shown me so much love and support, and are dedicated to promoting tongue tie and airway health awareness and raising integrative team standards of care!