Home | Spokane Myofunctional Therapy

About Me

Hi! I'm Tamara! I've been a dental hygienist for 20 years in private practice in Spokane and Seattle. I'm local to Spokane and earned by bachelors in science in dental hygiene from Eastern Washington University in 2003. I became passionate about oral development and airway health and started my journey in treating orofacial myofunctional disorders in 2016 when my own child struggled with airway and speech issues. I have thousands of hours completing post graduate training and treating patients clinically. I love working with a variety of people and conditions and treat my patients like family. I have a great relationships with local providers that can assist you on your journey, and together, we will advocate for your optimum health and breathing. I am a member of the IAOM and an Ambassador of the Breathe Institute. I am also certified TOTS trained. At Spokane Myofunctional Therapy, I see all ages and all aspects of orofacial myofunctional disorders. In person therapy for children is through play--music, food and games. For adults and teens, I am happy to do a combination of In person and Zoom to accommodate your busy schedule. During my free time I like to stay active- play pickleball, snow ski, hike, garden and plant flowers, going to community events and sporting games, volunteering and travel. I love spending time with my family and animals. I consider myself a lifelong learner and improving myself.

What is Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy (OMT)?

Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy (OMT) is a short term, non-invasive, individualized program that restores orofacial muscle function and nasal breathing. Finding the root cause of oral dysfunction is imperative to treatment whether it be oral restrictions, such as a tongue tie, airway obstruction, oral habits or developmental. OMT is a collaborative treatment for orofacial and airway growth, speech, feeding, orthodontic treatment and mouth breathing and airway maintenance in children. In adults, OMT addresses orofacial balance, stability of dentition, managing sleep disordered breathing and craniofacial pain and contributing individual habits. OMT is an important component of airway focused dentistry. Therefore, it's effective for co treating airway disorders in those with obstructive sleep apnea and prior to and after orthognathic surgery or orthodontics. Signs and symptoms of orofacial myofunctional disorders vary in individuals such as: tongue thrust, low tongue posture, forward swallow, low facial tone, jaw instability, tongue tie, chronic mouth breathing, chronic nasal congestion, crooked teeth (maloccusion), orthodontic relapse, temporomandibular joint disorder (TMD/TMJ), bruxism (clenching and grinding) problems chewing, swallowing, digestion, poor articulation, forward head and shoulder posture, snoring, mouth breathing and obstructive sleep apnea.

Littles

Young children over 3 or 4 can benefit from orofacial myofunctional therapy to increase oral motor skills for speech and feeding, improve sensory integration and normalize oral posture and nasal breathing and to help develop the orofacial and airway complex. This is a great time to eliminate binky and thumb sucking to prevent poor oral development and malocclusion. The focus is growth and prevention. We have loads of fun making music and playing oral motor games.

Red Flags for this age:

Oral sensory seeking or avoidance

Finger, thumb or binkie sucking

Picky eating

Chimpmunking food in cheeks or spitting out food

Taking a long time to eat

Tummy aches

Excessive gagging

Drooling

Poor sleep

Bruxism (grinding)

Snoring

Mouth breathing

Chronic nasal congestion

High palate

Crowding teeth/Misaligned bite

Excessive cavities

Dental wear

Tongue Tie

Large tonsils

Kiddos

After 5, kids are still growing a lot! They are continuing to develop speech and start losing baby teeth. Often, they may still present with a tongue thrust or low tongue posture. This can negatively affect speech, facial and airway development. They could also be continuing to suck fingers and thumbs. Tongue and lip restrictions (tongue tie) or chronic nasal congestion may be a root cause. Children are also seeing the orthodontist for the first time for a developmental check. Prior to orthodontics, its essential to eliminate oral habits and have proper tongue posture and breathing. For children diagnosed with Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) or those post tonsillectomy, therapy is vital to restore nasal breathing and eliminate snoring to prevent reoccurrence.

Red Flags for ages 5-18 years

Crowded teeth

Misaligned teeth

Maxillary expansion

Dental wear/Broken teeth

Excessive cavities/gingivitis

Finger sucking/Oral sensory

Tongue Tie

Large tonsils

Speech-articulation, mumbling

Mouth breathing and Snoring

Bruxism and Bedwetting

Problems with focus/attention

Picky eating/Taking a long time to eat

Tummy aches

Facial Pain and Headaches

Adults

Adults that benefit from OMT have had oral dysfunction and poor breathing for years, unknowingly. They often complain of poor sleep, sleep disordered breathing, craniofacial pain, headaches, migraines, orthodontic relapse, clenching and grinding, poor immune function and cognition, overall muscular tension, poor posture, limited mobility and cervical spine instability. OMT can dig into the root causes of these conditions and restore oral balance, function and breathing for lifelong health.

Red Flags for Adults:

Shifting teeth

Orthodontic stability

Gum recession/gingivitis

Dental wear/Broken teeth

Bruxism-Clenching or grinding

Facial Pain/Headaches

Neck pain

TMJ pain/Limited opening

Popping, clicking in joints

Fatigue talking/mumbling

Difficulty swallowing

Nasal congestion

Poor sleep, fatigue, brain fog

Mouth breathing

Dry mouth

Snoring or Apnea

Tongue Tie

Orthognathic Surgery

"The Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life." Job 33:4

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