How can treatment help?
Children as young as 4 as well as teenagers and adults are capable of successful treatment. In fact, motivated individuals can develop normal tongue patterns in 3–4 months. Treatment programs must start with thorough evaluations done by professional oral facial myologists. These specialists are trained to identify all of the factors contributing to the incorrect tongue patterns. Then they set up one-on-one individualized treatment programs designed to:
- Eliminate unhealthy habits like sucking fingers, pacifiers and pencils
- Assist orthodontists by creating a normal dental freeway space between the upper and lower teeth
- Correct speech disorders and refine pronunciation patterns
- Tone and strengthen facial muscles and enhance overall appearance
- Eliminate open-mouth breathing and habituate a lips-closed rest posture
- Retrain the lips, tongue and jaw to chew and swallow correctly
- Assist orthodontists in properly aligning the teeth and jaw
- Restore normal oral-facial growth and development
- Facilitate the orthognathic surgery process
- Stabilize great orthodontic results
Our staff
The speech, language and educational therapists at Jodie Schuller and Associates are licensed by the State of California and certified by the American Speech, Language and Hearing Association (ASHA). They have completed advanced training programs in orofacial myofunctional disorders and many are members of the International Association of Orofacial Myology (IAOM).
What our patients and orthodontists say:
“I feel it is impossible to do great orthodontics without having natural and proper muscle coordination. Jodie K. Schuller and Associates have been essential in helping our patients attain correct breathing and swallowing habits, thereby allowing them to get excellent orthodontic results.”
-Gary Hirsh, D.D.S.
“For many of my patients, myofunctional therapy has been the key to the success and stability of their orthodontic treatment.”
-Melanie Parker, D.D.S.
“I was amazed to see the subtle, but wonderful changes in my son's face and smile following his tongue thrust therapy with Jodie Schuller.”
-Lesley Norris, Parent
“My daughter had speech, language and swallowing problems caused by chronic ear infections. Over the past four years, Jodie Schuller has successfully treated her for problems with speech, phonemic awareness and reading. Most recently, Jodie corrected my daughter's lisp by treating her tongue thrust. Jodie is a skilled professional. As the mother of three children, I appreciate that her appointments always ran on time. Jodie employed well-defined systematic programs for each of my daughter's speech, language and swallowing problems. Most importantly, Jodie's patient manner motivated my daughter to do follow-up homework.”
-Alison and John Lane, Parents