Chapter 3
What Happened to Our Faces and Teeth?
Open bites from not breathing, chewing, or swallowing correctly.
Image source: Hefei Craft Child Product Co., Ltd. Baby furniture with bars like a cage. Also, the baby’s head lies flat against the
mattress.
Image source: Oberoi Fine Arts, Firozpur, “Oberoi Arts Fiber Face Sculpture” Sculptures similar to those in Florence, Italy from the 1400s
Helmet baby. Many babies today wear a helmet to try to shape or reshape the head.
Chapter 5
Growing Awareness of Root Causes of Health Issues
Middle image source: timeless, “Angled bottle stock photo,”2004. Pacifier, bottle, sippy cup. Caution: These products may deform your face!
Thumb sucking can deform the face too!
The child’s upper jaw is not being pushed forward and is preventing the lower jaw from growing forward.
Chapter 6
Damage with Prolonged Thumb Sucking
Deformed thumb from prolonged thumb sucking
Lips don’t close, low tongue posture, and mouth-breathing from thumb sucking
Before/After myofunctional therapy
Top right image source: Orthodontics, “The Crozal ‘light wire appliance’ for Okotoks
Orthodontic patients!” 2015. Model: Jesus Misajel
Bottom left image source: Elizabeth Caughey, “ALF appliance,” 2016.
Bottom middle image source: Crozat, 2023.
Bottom right image source: Myoresearch.com, “Biobloc 1 (BBI).”
Some expanders that airway-focused dentists use
Froggymouth®
Myo Munchee®
Images source: Barbara Greene.
Images source: Barbara Greene.
Mouth-breathing face (left) versus nasal breathing (right) and before/after myofunctional therapy.
Left image source: Orthodontics, “The Crozal ‘light wire appliance’ for Okotoks
Orthodontic patients!” 2015. Model: Jesus Misajel
Appliances dentists use to stop the tongue from coming forward.
These appliances pictured restrain the tongue but they do not
retrain the tongue or change the function of the muscles.
Before/After removal of heavy glasses and muscle re-patterning exercises
Open bite and open mouth posture with labial frenum restriction
1) Before
2) During treatment
3) One year after, from her college dorm — camera-ready smile!
Heart-shaped tongue
Restricted anterior lingual (tongue) frenum (also called a tongue tie)
Restricted lingual (tongue) frenum (also called a tongue tie)
Restricted posterior lingual (tongue) frenum (also called a tongue tie)
Restricted posterior lingual (tongue) frenum (also called a tongue tie)
Maxillary or upper lip tie
Mandibular or lower restricted frenum causing gum recession
Flaccid lips examples
Flaccid lips examples
Flaccid lips examples
Overbite
Open bite
Cross bite
Under bite
Bite showing severe grinding
Over jet
Beautiful lips frame the teeth in a symmetrical, heart shape
Image source: garnil.club,“Lip color,” 2023. Flaccid, puffy lips from incorrect breathing and function
Chapter 7
Why Fix A Crooked Smile?
Neglected teeth
My Patient Philip: A Case Study Over 40 Years
Philip, age 13
Philip, age 17
Philip, age 24
Philip, age 24 before/after surgery
Philip, age 43
Philip before jaw surgery at age 48
Philip, age 49, after jaw surgery, Philip was sent to a myofunctional therapist to adapt the muscles to the new structure.
Philip after two months of myofunctional treatment, feeling better!
Philip today…pain free and happy!
