Myo Munchee
The Myo Munchee "chewer" was invented by Dr. Kevin Bourke, a dentist in Australia, in 1967 as a way for his patients to improve their oral health. A side effect of using this device and chewing was the growth of the jaw!
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Now his daughter, chiropractor Dr. Mary Bourke, continues to train therapists in the use of the Myo Munchee. Myofunctional Therapists around the world have implemented this simple device in their therapy programs.
By chewing the Myo Munchee for 10 minutes a day, children are able to grow their jaw, improve strength of their jaw muscles while keeping the lips closed to encourage nasal breathing.
DISCLAIMER
The information provided here is based on research and clinical experience of those working in this area. There is research on the impact of Tongue Tie (ankyloglossia) and other oral ties on speech, but the studies are not conclusive. More studies have been completed investigating the effect of Oral Ties on breastfeeding and demonstrate a causal link.
Dr. Moore is a Certified Myo Munchee Practicioner!
She has completed extensive training with Dr. Mary Bourke and her team allowing her to use the Myo Munchee to help her patients!
This device is incorporated into their weekly therapy sessions as an 'adjunct' tool and allows for improved muscle function.
What If My Child Is Not Old Enough for Myofunctional Therapy?
We believe in EARLY intervention and want to get children on the right track even if we cannot jump into a full myofunctional program.
We have developed an entire program around using the Myo Munchee to help younger children work on:
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Improving nasal breathing
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Strengthening the jaw muscles
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Chewing to grow the jaw as it is THE weight bearing activity for growth
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Improved dental health as the bristles clean the teeth during chewing
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We will complete a functional range of motion assessment ahead of implementing the Myo Munchee and then measure and fit the
Myo Munchee for them.
The Myo Munchee is NOT myofunctional Therapy. It is simply a tool used by HIGHLY trained therapists to work on the areas listed above.
Myofunctional Therapy focuses on lips closed, breathing through the nose, AND habituates tongue up resting posture on the palate. We can work on two of these three areas with young children using the Myo Munchee and work with the family/other professionals to eliminate barriers to progress like tongue ties or airway obstruction.
Parents will be shown how to put the Myo Munchee in the mouth, passively held at first if needed, and then how to slowly introduce chewing.
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Ten minutes a day is all it takes!
Contact our office at 336-350-9263 to schedule your child's evaluation.
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Let's get them chewing their way to better dental and facial growth!