A Natural Face-Lift?

April 30, 2014
134 Views

Natural Face-Lift with Oral-Facial Myo-Functional Therapy

What factors decide your face and smile? The answer is much more than genes.

Jaw lines can define a face and a career

Jaw lines can define a face and a career


What can influence weak chin, buck teeth, underbite, overbite, open bite, long “horsey” face, or squat “bull dog” face? The answer is important for both suffering adults and growing children.

Form Follows Function is a basic law of Nature. Myo- is Greek for muscles, and Myo-functional Therapy is much-overlooked natural solution in your appearance and medical-dental problems.

Inside Your Face

Good facial form comes from a balanced dental-facial skeleton, which provides optimal air and blood supply for superior functions. Unattractive faces have unbalanced features that can cut down quality of life and drive up health care costs.

A weak chin, even after braces

A weak chin, even after braces

Improved profile with expander appliance and Myo-Functional Therapy

Improved profile with expander appliance and Myo-Functional Therapy


Below the surface, layers of muscles are anchored to your dental-facial skeleton. These muscles play a big role in life: eating, drinking, swallowing, speaking, smiling, socializing, and expressing feelings.

In particular, the tongue on the inside and the lips and cheek muscles on the outside shape your appearance through the Law of Form and Function. This is why Oral-facial Myo-functional Therapy (OMT) can help many head-neck-jaw-dental problems.

Swallowing Function Drives Dental-Facial Form

Source: www.Springer.com, http://www.springer.com/978-3-642-21836-1

Source: www.Springer.com, http://www.springer.com/978-3-642-21836-1


Swallowing is a vital function to sustain life and maintain health. It is a complex maneuver involving many mouth and throat muscles and the tongue.

On average, we swallow 1,200 times a day. Imagine the shape of your abdomen if you did that many sit-ups a day! Now imagine the consequences of swallowing INCORRECTLY that many times a day from age 1 on.

A correct swallow uses only the throat muscles without facial grimace around the mouth. An Abnormal Swallow (AS) can get food and saliva down, but with the side effects of disfigure jaws and face over time.

As is a hidden cause of malocclusion (bad bite) that requires expanders and braces in children. In adults, AS perpetuates chronic pain, fatigue, snoring, teeth grinding, and greater wear-and-tear in the face and throughout the body.

Signs of AS

  • wrinkles around the mouth
  • deep chin cleft
  • lack of lip seal
  • chapped lips
  • finger sucking
  • snoring
  • teeth grinding
  • pain in head-jaws-neck-shoulders
  • tongue thrusting
  • bad bite

Tug of War Tongue 2

Facial and dental appearance as shaped by "Tug of War" between the tongue on the inside, the lips, cheeks on the outside and teeth in between

Facial and dental appearance as shaped by “Tug of War” between the tongue on the inside, the lips, cheeks on the outside and teeth in between


Facial and dental appearance as shaped by “Tug of War” between the tongue on the inside and the lips and cheeks on the outside and teeth in between. reverse smile lines and deep creases around the mouth.

Inside-Outside: A Tug-Of-War

Behind all abnormal swallows lurks an over- or under-active tongue. Imagine a tug-of-war between the lips and cheeks on the outside, the tongue on the inside, and teeth in between.

In Scenario A, the tongue on the inside is stronger. So, the front teeth are pushed outward, resulting in buck teeth, open bite, weak chin, gaping lips, or various combinations. In Scenario B, the lips and chin muscles on the outside are stronger. Therefore, the lower front teeth are pushed inward, which contributes to crowded teeth, clicking jaw joints (TMJ), neck pain, snoring, and wrinkles around the mouth.

Other Complicating Factors:

Teeth straightened with braces can relapse if abnormal swallow persists with either scenario. Both scenarios can be further complicated by the following conditions:

  • Tongue tie, which anchors the tongue to the lower jaw and keeps it from reaching the root of the palate. Tongue tie prevents the tongue from working as Nature’s expander and handicaps growth of the mid-face.
  • Mouth breathing, which separates the tongue from the palate even if there is no tongue tie
  • Swollen tonsils and adnoids from allergies, pet danders, and food sensitivities
  • Unfavorable habits: finger sucking, lip biting, nail/pencil chewing, jaw clenching
  • Poor head posture, as in playing video games or working on lap tops
  • Sedentary lifestyle without exercising all four limbs and big muscles regularly.
  • Obesity at any age
  • Tongue cushioning between upper and lower teeth to relieve the stress on jaw joints
  • Lack of iodine and low thyroid function

In summary, oral-facial muscles can shape teeth and face like the wind form sand dunes. Tongue posture and swallowing are powerful factors in dental configurations and facial forms. Until these frequently-applied forces are balanced, the resulting form and function will relapse despite treatment. Oral-facial Myofunctional Therapy is a natural solution.

Real-life results of Oral-Facial Myo-Functional Therapy

Real-life results of Oral-Facial Myo-Functional Therapy


Here are some examples:

Oral-facial Myofunctional Therapy is a natural solution

Here are some examples:

Myo-Functional Therapy as Natural Face Lift

Myo-functional Therapy (MFT) is physical therapy exercises to balance the tongue on the inside with oral-facial muscles on the outside. Practiced diligently and done correctly, OMFT can be a powerful non-surgical solution for a number of dental-facial conditions mentioned earlier.

Before treatment can begin, the following steps are needed:

  • Baseline Questionnaire to be completed by the patient
  • Examination and diagnosis by a qualified dentist regarding the causes of malocclusion, and the aforementioned checklist of additional contributing factors
  • Diagnostic Records of presenting conditions, including dental-facial and postural photos, dental models, dental X-rays, and CT imaging to evaluate airway, sinuses, jaw joints, facial asymmetry, head-neck misalignment, and more.
Top left: Pre-treatment with asymmetry of head-face-neck-shoulders and deviation of lower jaw to right side; Top right: 2 weeks after one-time Botox injection to break-up muscle spasm; Lower center: Facial balance and radiance after 2 months of Oral Appliance and Myo-functional Therapy

Top left: Pre-treatment with asymmetry of head-face-neck-shoulders and deviation of lower jaw to right side; Top right: 2 weeks after one-time Botox injection to break-up muscle spasm; Lower center: Facial balance and radiance after 2 months of Oral Appliance and Myo-functional Therapy

Recent Blogs

Alternatives to CPAP: 6 Ways to Treat Sleep Apnea Without CPAP

May 30, 2023

Imagine sleeping with a device that sends constant pressurized air to keep your airways open as you sleep – that is what a CPAP does for obstructive sleep apnea patients. However, there are options for sleep apnea treatment without CPAP. So, to stay informed on what the CPAP alternatives are, continue reading! What is Continuous […]

2571 Views Read more

Sinus & Tooth Pain: Exploring the Link Between Teeth & Sinuses

May 15, 2023

Did you know an infection in your sinuses can affect your teeth? Our entire body is interconnected, with no exclusion of any body part. Sinuses are located near your mouth, so when it becomes infected, the resulting pressure causes pain in the upper teeth. But how to know if you have sinus tooth pain or […]

4213 Views Read more

Waking Up Gasping for Breath: What is Your Body Trying to Tell You?

Apr 30, 2023

Imagine going to sleep after a long day, looking forward to a deep slumber – but it ends with you waking up gasping for breath. It can be pretty spine-chilling to catch your breath during sleep as if you’re choking. But what could be the reason? When you wake up with a gasp, it could […]

752 Views Read more

What’s the Link Between Sleep Apnea & Genetics?

Mar 15, 2023

Many individuals do not realize that the disorder they are suffering from might run in their family. If you or your loved one has been diagnosed with sleep apnea, there’s a possibility that it was passed down. The belief that there exists a connection between mouth and body is well-founded; sleep apnea is known to […]

85 Views Read more

Wellness While On Vacation

Oct 9, 2019

“I need another vacation to recover from this vacation!” Does that sound familiar? Or how about, “I’m on vacation, so I’m going to indulge, then diet after I get home”? What’s the point of going on vacation: to harm – or to restore – yourself? Is it possible to make wellness fun? I decided to […]

85 Views Read more

ABC Before D: Dr. Felix’s Guide to More Health at Less Cost

Aug 12, 2019

A quiet revolution is starting in medicine and dentistry: Chronic pain, fatigue, and overall health can be improved without drugs. Oral sleep appliances can activate stem cells around natural tooth roots to widen both the jaws and the airway, as I describe in Six-Foot Tiger, Three-Foot Cage and Early Sirens. “What you write in your […]

128 Views Read more

Fix Mouth Breathing with Buteyko Breathing

Dec 29, 2014

Got chapped lips, dry mouth, inflamed gum, bloating, snoring, bad breath, anxiety, and/or sleep apnea? Habitual Mouth Breathing (HMB) may be the culprit, and Buteyko Breathing can help. HMB is an unhealthy habit with many oral-systemic side effects. In children, HMB can lead to undesirable cranio-facial changes, narrowed jaws, crowded teeth, long face, weak chin, […]

138 Views Read more

Habitual Mouth Breathing: Damages and Solutions

Dec 15, 2014

Nose breathing is basic to natural health, while habitual mouth breathing (HMO) can contribute to cavities, bleeding gums, narrow jaws, crowded teeth, less attractive face, snoring, aging faster, and more — see over-breathing next. Are the lips of your child apart when she/he is sitting quietly? Are they dry and chapped? These small signs can […]

226 Views Read more
Skip to content