Sometimes Straightening Teeth Starts With Function
The tongue, lips, cheeks, jaw muscles, swallowing pattern, chewing, and breathing habits all
influence how a child’s mouth functions during growth.
That’s why treatment isn’t always simply about moving teeth.
At Natural Focus Dental, we may incorporate different myofunctional tools and removable
appliances based on your child’s age, development, oral habits, bite, and individual needs.
Our programs may include Myo Munchee®, Froggymouth®, Myobrace®, exercises, and
growth-focused orthodontic treatment.Sometimes a tooth can’t—or shouldn’t—be saved.
When oral surgery is needed, our goal is to provide the necessary treatment while also thinking
about comfort, healing, infection control, bone preservation, and what comes next.
Interactive Treatment
Myo Munchee®
Think of it like exercise for the mouth.
- Myo Munchee is a soft chewing device used for short, guided chewing exercises. Its design encourages activity of the lips, face, and jaw muscles while supporting lip closure, tongue positioning, and swallowing patterns. The manufacturer recommends short daily chewing sessions rather than continuous appliance wear. We may use Myo Munchee as part of a broader program when we want to work on chewing, oral muscle function, lip seal, tongue posture, and oral habits.
Froggymouth®
Sometimes we need to retrain a pattern—not simply move a tooth.
- Froggymouth is a removable myofunctional rehabilitation appliance designed to work with tongue posture and swallowing patterns. Its manufacturer describes approximately 15 minutes of daily use under practitioner direction. It may be incorporated when we identify dysfunctional swallowing, poor resting tongue position, or other oral muscle patterns that we want to address as part of a larger treatment plan.
Myobrace®
Work on the habits while the mouth is still growing.
- Myobrace is a removable pre-orthodontic appliance system designed to address oral habits and function while also guiding developing teeth and dental arches. Depending on the child, Myobrace may be combined with exercises, growth monitoring, expansion, or other orthodontic treatment.
Why Do We Have More Than One Program?
- Because children are different. A three-year-old learning better chewing and lip closure does not necessarily need the same appliance as an eight-year-old with crowding, a narrow arch, or an abnormal swallowing pattern.
We look at:
● Age and stage of development
● Nasal versus mouth-breathing habits
● Tongue resting position
● Lip seal
● Chewing and swallowing
● Available space for developing teeth
● Bite and dental arch development
● Sleep and airway-related concerns
● Your child’s ability to participate consistently
Then we choose the tools that make sense for that child
The appliance is the tool. Healthy function is the goal.
- Not every child needs Myo Munchee, Froggymouth, Myobrace, expansion, or early orthodontics. Sometimes we monitor. Sometimes we work on habits first. Sometimes we combine functional therapy with orthodontic treatment. Our goal is to understand what your child's mouth is doing while it is growing—not simply where the teeth are today. Dental airway and myofunctional evaluations are screening and treatment-planning tools and do not diagnose medical sleep or nasal-breathing disorders.