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