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.
