Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy

What is Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy?

Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy is the intervention, creation, and re-establishment of an oral environment conducive to the normal processes of orofacial growth
and development. Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy is an interdisciplinary approach to patient wellness. It is based on the knowledge and experience of dentists, orthodontists, and medical researchers.

What is a tongue tie?

Tongue tie is a congenital condition that can affect infants and children due to having a short lingual frenulum that restricts tongue movement and impacts the function of the tongue. The incidence of tongue tie affects at least 4%-10% of infants. There is also such
a thing as a lip tie. Babies who have lip ties almost always also have tongue ties. Lip and tongue ties can affect a babies’ ability to breastfeed, or even take a bottle or a pacifier. They can also affect an older child’s ability to eat, chew, swallow, and speak. Lip and tongue ties can also have other serious health effects.

Patient-writing newbeginnings-elp

There has been a tremendous amount of new information from research studies in the last ten years about lip and tongue ties and their effects on breastfeeding, breathing, eating, chewing, swallowing, speech, and even sleep.

How do I know if my child needs therapy?
What should I be looking for?

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Oral habits such as thumb, lip, pacifier, and finger sucking
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Difficulty chewing meats and other difficult textures
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Drooling past age 2 years
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Messy eating
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A lisp
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Persistent snoring
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An open-mouth at rest, open mouth breathing
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Tongue protrusion during swallow (tongue thrust)
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Facial grimace during a swallow
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Tongue tie (frontal and lateral) or lip tie
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Bruxism (teeth grinding)
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Jaw clicking or jaw pain

What are some lip and tongue tie symptoms?

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Difficulty Breathing During Feeding
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Falling Asleep Often During Nursing
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Slow Weight Gain Or Lack Of Weight Gain
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Shallow Or Poor Latch
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Feeding Briefly Many Times A Day
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Making A Clicking Sound While Nursing
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Acting Extremely Fatigued By Nursing
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Colic
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Taking More Than 30 Minutes To Nurse
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Chronic Reflux

What are lip and tongue tie symptoms that
a mother may feel while nursing?

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Pain During Or After Breastfeeding
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Blocked Milk Ducts Or Mastitis
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A Lipstick-shaped Nipple
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Breasts That Feel Engorged Even Right After Nursing
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Fatigue From Breastfeeding Constantly Even Though Your Child Never Seems To Be Full
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Feeling Like Breastfeeding Is A Full-time Job Feeling Frustrated

Treating tongue and lip ties

If you suspect that your baby or child has a lip or tongue tie, you will want to get it evaluated. A Speech Language Pathologist trained in Orofacial Myofunctional Disorders (OMD’s) can help. Speech Language Pathologists trained in OMD’s can treat lip and tongue ties with exercises and follow up treatment. SLP’s can also help to establish and re-establish muscle patterns affected by lip and tongue ties.

Does private insurance cover OMD therapy?

We work with you to do whatever we can to get the maximum reimbursement from your insurance. Every insurance company is different, so while we cannot
guarantee that your therapy will be covered, we will work with you to provide flexible payment plans and treatment packages.

What does treatment involve?

Myofunctional therapy is the neuromuscular re-education of oral & facial muscles through a series of individualized exercises which help normalize the processes of orofacial growth and stabilization. Therapy includes behavior modification and the elimination of dysfunctional oral habits via one-on-one patient visits and weekly home practice

What insurances do you accept?
We also accept cash, checks, credit cards, and payment plans.

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EPH
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Superior
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CHIP
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Molina
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Amerigroup
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TMHP
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Tricare
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Ambetter
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BCBS
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United Health Care

MEET OUR QUALIFIED STAFF!

Christine R. Adame

M.S., CCC-SLP
Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy Speech-Language Pathologist

Christine R. Adame, M.S., CCC-SLP, is a bilingual Certified Speech-Language Pathologist who has provided therapy for the pediatric population for the past seven years. She has treated children diagnosed with ASD, Down Syndrome, ADHD, Tongue Thrusts, and Food Aversions. She is also very interested in Tethered Oral Tissues (TOT’s) and the long term affects they can cause for posture, breast feeding, chewing, sleeping, and breathing. Christine received her training in Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy at the Academy of Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy (AOMT).

Christine is interested in advancing her knowledge of sleep and OMD’s to better help children and parents who may not even realize that TOT’s may negatively affect the entire body system. She is a member of the Academy of Applied Myofunctional Sciences (AAMS) and the Director of our Rich Beem location.

Monica Tullius

M.S. CCC-SLP Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy Speech-Language Pathologist/Owner

Monica Tullius is a licensed, certified speech-language pathologist for over 25 years. Monica has been in private practice for 12 years. She is the Clinical Administrator and Owner of New Beginnings Pediatric Speech Therapy Services, PLLC clinics where she supervises and leads a team of speech language pathologists and speech pathology assistants.
Monica holds the Certificate of Clinical Competence from the American Speech Language Hearing Association, a California State University at Northridge Assistive Technology Applications Certificate, and a Certification from the Hanen Centre: It Takes Two to Talk.

She received her orofacial myofunctional training through the Academy of Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy (AOMT). She has had great success with therapy for tongue thrust, thumb sucking, drooling, chewing, and frontal lisps. Monica is an active Member of the American Speech-Language Hearing Association (ASHA), Texas Speech Language Hearing
Association (TSHA), and the Academy of Applied Myofunctional Sciences (AAMS). She is a past Secretary of the El Paso Speech and Hearing Association (EPSHA) and has a heartfelt interest in the children of El Paso and its surrounding communities.

FIND US AT 2 LOCATIONS

Eastside Office

1512 N Zaragoza Rd Ste C-1
El Paso, Texas 79936
Phone: (915) 855-0601

Far Eastside Office

3551 Rich Beem Ste B
El Paso, Texas 79938
Phone: (915) 303-5177

MEMBERSHIPS

CERTIFICATIONS
Hanen Centre – It Takes Two to Talk

For questions or for an evaluation call one of our office locations:
(915) 855-0601 (East) or (915) 303-5177 (Far East)