What is Orofacial Myology?

Orofacial Myology is the study of the oral and facial muscles which includes the tongue, lips, cheeks and jaw. Myofunctional therapy is about reinstating or facilitating correct oral function and establishing healthy and beneficial muscle movement. We teach good function through active and passive exercise progression. Our main goals include restoring preference for nasal breathing day and night, tongue rest posture lightly suctioned to the roof of the mouth, comfortable resting lip seal and maturation of the oral phase of swallowing. This enables the mouth to maintain an equilibrium of the orofacial muscles for stable orthodontic results and normal, healthy, pain free movement.​

What Qualifies You to Practice
​ORO-Myofunctional Therapy?

​To qualify as an Orofacial Myofunctional Therapist in Australia you must be either a Medical or Dental Professional registered with the Australian Health Practitioners Regulation Agency (AHPRA) or a Speech Pathologist registered with Speech Pathology Australia (SPA). These are all University degrees that have formal training directly with the face and  mouth and provide a solid foundation for further training. Only if you have these qualifications can you then go on to complete recognised post graduate training. This ranges from introductory to varying levels of advanced education and international certification. For more information visit the Australian Association of Orofacial Myology

The Australian Association of Orofacial Myology has a list of properly trained providers. Check out the listings for your area here. 

Our Story

We are university qualified Oral Health Practitioners with extensive training and knowledge of the orofacial muscles. Orofacial Myology Adelaide was founded in response the overwhelming need for non-invasive, therapeutic treatment for orofacial muscles. We work with a wide range of people from children to adults to assist in normal and healthy orofacial muscle movement. This includes oral habit elimination such as thumb and finger sucking cessation, myofunctional disorders that contribute to orthodontic problems and relapse as well as temporomandibular joint disorders and orofacial pain. 

Mission

​​It is our mission to ensure we are at the forefront of this emerging field. Our passion and enthusiasm will continue to drive life long education and learning to improve the lives of our valued clients. Our business will provide a platform to deliver our services to our clients, educate other professionals and promote Orofacial Myology in to the future.

Vision

Our vision is that all people are nasal breathers and live free of orofacial dysfunction. We want health professionals, parents and teachers to be able to recognize these issues and we will be here to give strategies to those in need. We see a future where all families have breastfeeding support and recognize this as the best prevention. We want all dentists and orthodontists to screen for airway concerns and provide treatments that support airway health. ​

Meet our Team

Tess Norris

Senior Oral Health Therapist
Bachelor of Oral Health (Adelaide 2010)

Tess is an Oral Health Therapist with over 10 years of clinical experience working in the dental industry. She continues to work in private dental practice treating children and adults. With experience and training in general and orthodontic dental practice she has valuable insight and experience into how myofunctional therapy and dentistry can combine for powerful results. Over the years she has developed a unique approach through ongoing and extensive education both nationally and internationally. Her commitment to ongoing education and training facilitates delivery of individualised therapy programs to treat a range of problems. Her proudest moments are working with children to address functional problems that contribute to facial growth changes. "Orthodontics can do phenomenal things, but nose breathing can prevent a disaster". She routinely collaborates with dentists, specialists and health professionals to provide an integrative approach to addressing client issues. 

Tess is dedicated to lifting the profile of myofunctional therapy in the local community and has a strong focus on education. She is an active member in the Australian Association of Orofacial Myology. This association is a non-for-profit organization here to promote, support and educate its members and the community.  

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