Myofunctional Therapist|Westchester|myofunctional therapy

Myofunctional

Therapy

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Agnieszka Beckford

My mission is to treat children and adults with the respect, listen carefully, connect all the dots, and help people to take charge of their own health and well-being

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Agnieszka Beckford myofunctional therapist in Westchester NY

ABOUT ME

I became a therapist in 2016, trained and certified by AOMT (Academy of Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy). The introductory course was followed by extensive training, advanced courses, workshops, and mini-residencies with great clinicians such as

Mark Cruz DDS, Barry Raphael DMD, Soroush Zaghi MD, Bertrand DeSilva MD, Jennifer Hobson PT,

Valerie Sinkus PT, Robyn Merkel-Walsh CCC-SLP,

Rosalba Courtney DO, Ph.D., and many others.

My education was in dentistry. I worked for a few years as a dentist abroad. I have been working as a dental hygienist in Westchester County, NY for 16 years. I also have a Masters's Degree in Public Health. Orofacial Myofunctional Disorders are a public health concern. They often contribute to a variety of medical and dental disorders. These disorders can include:

Malocclusion (improper alignment of the teeth)
Periodontal disorders
Orthodontic relapse
Changes associated with abnormal jaw growth and position
Sleep disordered breathing

I do not work alone. The treatment includes the collaboration of specialists such as ENTs, orthodontists,

speech pathologists, physical therapists, sleep specialists, and others.

About

MY STORY

I’ve been learning about the impact of proper posture and oral habits on the development of the jaw for many years. I realized that it is extremely important to start early to prevent malocclusion, prevent the development of narrow arches, hypotonic muscles, and allow airway to grow to its full potential.

I got interested in myofunctional therapy because of my child who had a stubborn open bite and a tongue thrust. Fascinated by the vast health improvements the myofunctional therapy offered I became a therapist myself.

Parents look at your kids: Do they breathe through their mouth? Do they snore? Do they have a“gummy” smile and crowded teeth? Are they sitting straight?

Are they"messy eaters"?

Myofunctional exercises really work if repeated regularly. Give them a try.

Community

Spaces

MYOFUNCTIONAL THERAPY

Myofunctional therapy is re-education of oral facial muscles achieved by series of exercises which are repeated daily for few weeks or months and designed to :

* Eliminate oral habits (nail biting, thumb sucking )

* Improve static and dynamic tongue position

* Improve lip seal

* Enhance nasal breathing

* Re-pattern the muscle function

Myofunctional therapy uses behavior modification techniques ,the therapy makes changes slowly over time

The other terms are also used to describe the therapy: orofacial myology, orofacial myotherpy,

orofacial myofunctional therapy (OMT).