FLOW MYO Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy services

03/29/2025

Myofnctional therapy can be a game changer!

03/05/2025

Is it ADHD or poor sleep? Follow Dr. Soroush Zaghi to view a very informative short video discussing this! @ soroushzaghimd

Addressing airway issues and improving sleep can transform your child’s focus, behavior, and quality of life!

Signs like mouth breathing, crowded teeth, tongue posture issues, and worn-down teeth can all indicate airway problems that impact sleep, growth, and overall health.

By screening for these red flags, providers can help identify concerns early, refer for proper intervention, and support optimal development. Prevention starts with awareness—because healthy breathing means a healthier future.



References:
• Gozal, D., O'Brien, L. M., & Row, B. W. (2008).
Consequences of sleep-disordered breathing in children:
What is the evidence? Pediatrics, 122(3), 661-668. https:// doi.org/10.1542/peds.2008-1182
• Bonnin, M., Guilleminault, C., & Powell, N. (2019). The impact of sleep-disordered breathing on children's neurocognitive development. Sleep Medicine, 58, 45-50.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sleep.2019.03.021
• Sedky, K., Bennett, D. S., & Carvalho, K. S. (2014).
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and sleep disordered breathing in pediatric populations: A meta-analysis. Sleep Medicine, 15(2), 168-175. https://doi.org/10.1016/
j.sleep.2013.08.786
• Youssef, N. A., Ege, M., Angly, S. S., Strauss, J. L., & Marx, C. E. (2011). Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and sleep-disordered breathing in children. The Scientific World Journal, 11, 2531-2538. https://doi.org/10.1100/2011/276895

12/31/2024

12/09/2024

Such a great explanation!

Low tongue posture can lead to health issues throughout the body. The tongue is an organ that guides the digestive process, and is critical for both neural signals in the brain.⠀
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When you swallow incorrectly, it deforms the dental arch. In kids we can see ‘open bites’ or high arched palates that indicate the tongue isn’t making proper connection to the roof of the mouth.⠀
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Mouth breathing (even at night), an incorrect tongue resting posture, or an improper swallowing pattern can all contribute to the vagus nerve not being correctly stimulated.⠀
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The vagus nerve is one of the primary parasympathetic cranial nerves and drives the digestive system.⠀
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Correct swallowing activates rest and digest messages that must begin in the mouth.⠀
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During these times, the glands relax and release saliva for digestion, and the body sends hormonal signals reading the body to absorb.⠀
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These are the activities that happen when the body is resting and unstressed, particularly after we eat and when we sleep. The sympathetic nervous system on the other hand stimulates the activities that are connected to the fight-or-flight response.⠀
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When we breathe through the nose, have the tongue in the roof of the mouth, and swallow correctly, the vagus nerve is being stimulated. But when we don’t, it can lead to low vagus nerve stimulation. This can contribute to the factors that are keeping us stuck in fight-or-flight, or actually put us directly in that state.⠀
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If you don’t swallow properly you end up living in a permanent state of stress. This in turn can affect our digestion because after all, digestion isn’t a priority when you’re running for your life. Again, running or fighting is what this whole stress response system is designed for.⠀
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How to start strengthening and reconnecting the tongue to the roof of the mouth:⠀
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‘Table Top exercises’ are where you hold the entire surface of the tongue to the roof of the mouth. Suction the tongue up and right to the back of the throat and hold the posture here. Hold for 20 seconds and rest and repeat 5 times.⠀
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It feels strange, but this is how the tongue should guide the swallow response.⠀
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Do you struggle with breathing?

12/09/2024

What Does the Shape of Your Palate Mean? 😬

Did you know the shape of your palate can impact more than just your smile?

A high-arched, narrow palate might be a sign of developmental issues that can affect:

🛌 Sleep: Narrow airways can contribute to snoring and sleep apnea.

💨 Breathing: A smaller palate leaves less room for proper nasal breathing.

🗣️ Speech: It can influence the way sounds are formed.

🦷 Oral health: Crowded teeth and jaw alignment are often linked.

How we use our tongue and the foods we eat during childhood play a huge role in shaping the palate.

👅 When the tongue rests properly at the roof of the mouth, it helps widen and maintain the palate and promote nasal breathing!

🥕 Eating whole, tough foods encourages proper chewing, which aids in jaw and palate development.

Learn more at www.thebreatheinstitute.com

10/17/2024

I can teach you how to achieve proper oral rest posture. Just reach out!

A tongue tie, or ankyloglossia, can significantly impact sleep quality due to its effect on oral function and airway health. Here’s how:

1. Restricted Tongue Mobility: A tongue tie limits the tongue’s ability to rest properly against the palate. This can lead to poor oral posture, mouth breathing, and reduced nasal breathing, which is essential for healthy, restorative sleep.

2. Obstructed Airway: When the tongue isn’t able to lift and position correctly, it may fall back during sleep, especially when lying down, partially blocking the airway and contributing to snoring or even sleep apnea. This leads to disrupted sleep cycles and poor oxygenation.

3. Mouth Breathing: Tongue ties often result in mouth breathing, which can dry out the mouth and throat, cause fragmented sleep, and increase the risk of respiratory problems. Nasal breathing, on the other hand, helps promote deep, restful sleep and supports overall respiratory health.

Addressing a tongue tie with Myofunctional Therapy and release can improve tongue function, promote better nasal breathing, and, in turn, improve sleep quality.

10/02/2024

09/04/2024

07/05/2024

Thank you Dr. Johal for your experience and expertise!

07/03/2024

I can show you how!

👅✨ **The Power of Your Tongue!** ✨👅

Did you know your tongue is essential for optimal craniofacial development?

When at rest, the gentle and consistent pressure of the tongue against the hard palate, balanced by proper lip sealing, guides maxillary growth.

05/09/2024

Parents, you can identify if your child isn't growing enough space to fit their adult teeth.

The biggest development period of a child’s life happens between ages 5-11.⠀
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From age 5, a child sheds their 20 milk teeth to make way for 28 adult teeth.

It's an incredibly sensitive, and resource heavy period.
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At 5-6 the lower central incisors get loose and fall out.

Then until age 12, the arch is growing and expanding to accommodate the huge explosion of space required for the adult dentition.⠀
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Crooked teeth occur when the jaw bones don’t grow enough to accommodate adult teeth. The adult teeth will jostle and move with what space there is. If their time comes, and there isn’t enough space, they move into whatever position they can.⠀
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Sometimes if there really isn’t enough space, they will get stuck up in the bone, buried under the gums and may only be found with x-ray.
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At around age 11, these last teeth begin to move into the dental arch.

You can see the signs of a child with an underdeveloped bite.

They begin early and become more and more obvious as more adult teeth erupt.

Mouth breathing, low tongue posture, swollen tonsils and adenoids, snoring, forward head posture, and misaligned teeth often run together.

Other factors can be systemic.

Sub-clinical hypothyroidism is far more common in kids today and we're seeing trends in the clinic where it runs in the family.

Adequate nutrients for the thyroid to form thyroid hormone is critical. It also balances signals with the parathyroid hormone that regulates calcium and vitamin D.

It requires selenium, vitamin C, and zinc to form thyroid hormone efficiently, as well as magnesium.

As you can imagine, this is a hungry engine, and lots can go wrong. When the body is deficient in vitamin D, long bones can be deformed in children, due to inadequate placement of calcium.⠀

Children born with vitamin D deficiency are lacking the nutrients needed to grow this system. It’s written on their faces.⠀
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You can spot the early warning signs. Slow growing jaws create mouths and habits that don't develop to their potential.

Has any parents identified this in their children?

04/11/2024

If you’re not doing breathing exercises daily, now is the time to start.

Personally, understanding how my body breathes has helped in so many aspects of life, in particular concentration and application during times of stress.

The scientific literature backs up what I felt during the process.

Increasing your lung capacity is one of the most powerful and effective ways to improve your health.

Your lungs not only exchange vital gases to all the cells in the body, they also relay information to the immune system. By slowing and increasing the amount of surface area that air has to your lungs, you increase the amount of time that your immune system gets to ‘look’ at the air around you.

Then your immune system can respond as needed.

Simply put, breathing is a fast tool to calm your nervous system. In order to do so, you need to have a handle of the muscles that control breathing.

While breathing is complex, the first step is to understand your diaphragm. Breathing properly allows the calm, which activates your vagus nerve, the cranial nerve that triggers the relaxation response.

In a 2017 study, highly anxious people were assigned to take a course in diaphragmatic breathing relaxation

After eight weeks, they reported feeling less anxious compared to a group that didn’t receive the training. They also showed physical signs of reduced anxiety: lower heart rate, slower breathing, and lower skin conductivity.

The truth is your lungs can do more than you think they can. You just need to connect to their ability.

Try this exercise daily to increase lung capacity:

1) Take a deep breath in expanding your diaphragm and taking as much air in as possible.
2) When you reach your peak, pause for 2 seconds, then breathe in further
3) Pause again, and breathe in further
4) Pause again (don’t think about it) and breathe in further again.

Now the exhale:

1) Exhale all the way to the bottom when your lungs feel empty
2) Pause for 2 seconds, then exhale again
3) Pause again, exhale further
4) Pause again (don’t think about it) exhale again.

Take a deep breath in again and repeat 10 times.

Did your lungs do more than you expected them to?