Beyond Breathing Myo LLC

08/27/2025

11/11/2024

I focus a lot on kids but there are adults out there suffering as well (myself included!). Some of the 🚩 in adults can be:

- GRINDING - Have you chewed through multiple night guards only for the dentist to chuckle and say “you’ve got one strong jaw!” 😬

- DECAY - Do you seem to have a new cavity every time you’re seen at the dentist? Mouth breathing is very drying to our tissues and will even alter the oral microbiome and ph of saliva setting us up for decay. (Not to mention it alters the actual growth patterns of our jaw & face!)

- TMD - Do you suffer from painful jaw joints and were given only two options, a night guard or invasive surgery? These “solutions” are not addressing the root cause - oral dysfunction!

- CHRONIC HEADACHES/NECK & SHOULDER PAIN - I absolutely advocate for chiropractic and cranio sacral care BUT if you are not seeing lasting results there may be a deeper issue at play. Let’s investigate!

- SLEEP APNEA - Are you one of the 8 million users of a cpap machine in the US? It is also estimated that an addition 33 million people would benefit from sleeping with a cpap in this country alone. Sleep apnea can definitely be a multifaceted issue but a lot of times it is the result of years of childhood sleep disordered breathing not addressed when younger.

Contact me to see how I can get you on track for better sleep, breathing, and function! It is never too late to lessen our symptoms and improve our health.

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11/05/2024

Would you agree that our diets have changed over the years? Ancestral diets consisted of harder foods that required a lot of work out of our jaws and masticating muscles.

When purées and baby cereals were created it did a disservice to the growth and formation of jaws in young children. Our jaws require stimulation in order to develop correctly. Bones grow when muscles and forces push and pull on them and like other muscles in our body the function of the facial muscles improve with movement.

Our modern diets are composed of a lot of soft, mashed, & processed foods that do not provide the optimal benefit of chewing. This is why, in current times, we are seeing an explosion of underdeveloped jaws and changing facial structures. What does this lead to?

-sleep apnea
-sleep disordered breathing
-crooked/crowded teeth
-narrow dental arches

Providing whole foods that require more chewing will help your child get an early start to optimal health & growth.

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10/21/2024

😮‍💨Insufficient airway!

Often times, as children with insufficient airway transition from infancy to toddlers/older ages they start presenting with symptoms like:

- dark under eye circles
- Bed wetting concerns
- lack of focus/hyperactivity
- dental decay
- digestive issues

Children are being diagnosed with ADHD and medicated without further investigation. Children are presenting with rampant decay and we are blaming sugar and/or lack of home care. We are being told that bed wetting is normal and something they will simply grow out of. I’m not saying these are 100% true for every child BUT was their airway evaluated?

A recent review found that children with sleep disordered breathing had a high rate of attentional deficits (95%) and up to 30% of children had ADHD with obstructive sleep apnea. I would cautiously say that number may even be a little higher.

Imagine the world of difference in the lives of these children if each one was evaluated for oral dysfunction & insufficient airway BEFORE medicating and chalking oral issues up to a lack of home care.

It is my hope and prayer to help your family get to the root of symptoms rather than using bandaid solutions. Contact me to receive an in depth evaluation and to get on a path of proper breathing.

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10/16/2024

Hi! 👋🏼 I wanted to take some time to introduce myself and the why behind my passion to help you!

My name is Laurel. I’m a wife and a mom to two kids & three dogs. I graduated in 2009 from the OU Health Science Center with a Bachelor’s in Dental Hygiene & have been working in a private practice setting since. I am a big advocate of root cause, holistic health. I’m a Christian and believe in God’s perfect and divine design in how our body is meant to function.

With motherhood comes the beautiful ability to be in tune with our children. As ours got older my intuition began telling me that little things about each of them might just be a little off. Between the two of them I was noticing:

- restless sleep
- under eye circles
- lack of focus/calm
- frequent choking on beverages
- enlarged tonsils
- thumb sucking habit
- snoring
- sleep disordered breathing

I had heard about airway health and Myofunctional therapy a few years ago and knew that each of our children were presenting with their own challenges that would need addressed. As a dental hygienist I was aware to a degree but was fascinated by it all as I began to dig into the field.

It was around this time I myself started being seen by a chiropractor and body worker. I have moderate to severe scoliosis and history of an emergency c-section that has led to adhesions. In dealing with my adhesions, chronic migraines, head & neck tension, and digestive issues it was discovered I have a grade 4 tongue tie.💡What?! Why had no one ever mentioned this to me?! Why had I not recognized it myself? I had NO
IDEA these symptoms could be related to a tongue tie.

With this new information and knowing our kids also need therapy themselves I jumped right into training earlier this year. This field is without a doubt my chance at helping you and your family get to the root cause of your symptoms and I’m thrilled at finding this calling beyond dental hygiene.

10/16/2024

📆 October is almost full & I’m now booking into the next few months - use the link above in my profile to schedule!

10/16/2024

Myofunctional disorders are often multifaceted. It’s important to not only address the function with therapy but also release tension and address the airway. Based on your specific needs this can sometimes mean you are seeing more than one provider.

Having a strong team of professionals working together is vital in achieving optimal function and long term health.

Thankfully, here in OKC we have a number of experienced providers that are ready to meet your needs. If you need a referral or recommendation feel free to send me a message!

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10/09/2024

Why do these matter? When our tongue isn’t able to move independently from the jaw/floor of the mouth it becomes difficult to achieve a palatal suction. This creates a low tongue position and often times and open mouth posture.

When we sleep, we want our tongue lightly suctioned to the roof of our mouths to maintain an optimal airway. Tongue ties prevent this allowing our tongue to fall back and block the airway.

Contact me to learn how you can achieve an optimal palatal suction!

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10/09/2024

Are you brushing twice daily? A frequent flosser? Eating a balanced diet? Tongue scraping?

Do you feel like despite your best efforts you’ve got new decay at each checkup?

You may be a mouth breather and not realize it! Ask me how Myofunctional therapy can lower your risk of dental decay.

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10/09/2024

Often times restricted tongue movement (a tongue tie) or poor tongue muscle tone can lead to forward head posture. In many cases we will also see areas of compensation happening in muscles working harder to make up for the support and function the tongue should be providing.

Forward head posture ends up increasing the workload for many of the muscles attached to the upper cervical spine. Over time, this leads to muscle imbalances that cause:

-headaches
-neck pain and shoulder tension
-discomfort in the mid back
-pins and needles in the arms and hands due to pinched nerves
-temporomandibular disorders (TMD) & clenching, just to name a few.

If you are one that gets treated by a chiropractor, has regular massages, or are routinely seen by a body worker and can’t seem to figure out why your pain and headaches keep coming back, you need evaluated for a tongue tie (definitely speaking for myself here too!).

Be on the lookout for an announcement of when I will start seeing patients - it’s coming very soon! 👏🏼

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