Welcome to Functional Oral Health
I'm Alex
Registered Dental Hygienist, Myofunctional Therapist, & Breathing Optimization Coach
I founded Functional Oral Health as a way to communicate online the discussions I was having in the dental practice setting.
There is so much information available, that it can be overwhelming & difficult to navigate through it all. I’ve put together the pillars of what I believe it means to have optimum oral health, which in turn, affects the quality of your life.
Breathing
A fundamental act of daily life that we all take for granted. On average we take 20,000 breaths per day. However, unless it is performed correctly, it can have a major impact on the quality of our lives as well as how long we live. We were given a nose for a reason. Proper breathing requires that we use our nose correctly to get the maximum benefit for the air we take in.
Myo
Myofunctional therapy is a form of therapy that is intended to optimize & correct improper function of the muscles designed for breathing, chewing & swallowing. The first step in determining if MFT can help, is to determine if there is a problem. Programs usually involve exercises, tools & appliances to help strengthen, tone & improve overall function.
Conditions that improve with MFT are:
-sleep issues, bruxism, chronic fatigue, facial skeletal growth, orthodontics, teething grinding & speech concerns to name a few.
Biological Dentistry
The International Academy of Oral Medicine and Toxicology (IAOMT) definition:
“Biological Dentistry is not a separate, recognized, specialty of dentistry, but it is a thought process and an attitude that can apply to all facets of dental practice and to health care in general: to always seek the safest, least toxic way to accomplish the goals of modern dentistry and of contemporary healthcare.”
Sleep
An area of health we take for granted, until we start noticing a lack thereof. A proper nights rest consists of having a quiet, cool & comfortable place where we should be able to fall asleep within 10 minutes & awake feeling rested, refreshed & ready to take on the day. When sleep quality is affected, this can cause a fair amount of worry & distress if not correctly dealt with. If sleep issues arise, we have a series of steps to assess if there is in fact a sleep hygiene concern or a more serious sleep apnea or sleep disordered breathing concern.
Nutrition
The key to systemic and oral health is the quality of our food. Good quality food not only provides for the needs of every cell in our body but also helps keep those cells functioning optimally by eliminating toxins and waste products. In this day and age, it is more difficult to meet our needs due to the lack of nutrients in our daily diet, that's mostly consumed from low nutrient dense & heavily processed foods that are readily available.
Tongue & Lip Ties
Under construction :)
Pre & Post Pregnancy
Under Construction :)
Neuromuscular Dentistry
Under Construction :)
Resources
