My Kid and I Just Saw an Orofacial Myofunctional Dentist. Say What?

Let me rewind. On my dad’s side, we’re infamous for... let’s just say “classic English teeth.” I hav a very narrow jaw and cavities started young—how young, I can’t say, but earlier than I’d like to admit. Thankfully, I loved the dentist because they handed out tiny princess rings. It didn’t take much to woo me back then. Mercury amalgam fillings were the norm then, so my mouth became a toxic soup… A health adventure for another day. I had braces at age 12, which I don’t know about you, but I was very happy about. Call me crazy.

Little me in my dentist loving years.

Meanwhile, my mom and brother had cavity-free childhoods. Genetics played a role, sure, but so did the nutrient-dense food of their early years—a nod to Weston A. Price’s research on ancestral diets and facial development. My mother grew up in South America on a diet rich in free range eggs, organic fruit, vegetables and legumes, raw diary, grass fed meat, and regularly consumed organ meats. Sugar and white flour were rare treats. My brother had a similar nutrient-rich upbringing, which might explain his great teeth, sharp mind and enduring energy (something my husband still marvels at).

My mother did her absolute best to feed me a healthy diet throughout the ’80s and ’90s. It was high in grains and lighter on meats—especially organ meats—and thankfully, very low in sugar. She followed what she knew to be the healthiest way to eat, knowledge that was fringe but available at the time, and doing what she truly believed was best. However, it didn’t quite align with Weston A. Price’s research on the kinds of nutrient-dense diets that support optimal facial development and dental health.

Weston A. Price: 20th-century dentist and researcher

Dr. Price studied indigenous diets worldwide. His findings?

·       Traditional diets (think raw milk, organ meats, fermented veggies) led to wide jaws and straight teeth.

·       Processed diets (white flour, sugar) caused narrow jaws and crowded teeth—sometimes in a single generation.

In rural England, Price found healthy smiles in people eating farm-fresh foods, while city-dwellers eating processed fare had more dental issues. This tracked with my own family’s experience.

Sibling Surprise: Firstborns vs. the Rest

One thing that I have always found fascinating about Weston’s Price research is that firstborns often have wider jaws and more symmetrical faces than their younger siblings. He linked this to mothers not having enough time between pregnancies to replenish nutrients. Think Paris and Nicky Hilton, Matt and Kevin Dillon, Kate and Pippa Middleton, Gwenyth and Spencer Paltrow… Look them up!

My Dental Wake-Up Call

During pregnancy, I noticed my teeth turning grey—a sign of mineral loss. That’s when I discovered Nadine Artemis from Living Libations and her book Holistic Dental Care. She describes teeth as living organs with nerves, blood supply, and a detoxifying lymph-like system. With proper care—diet, natural oral hygiene, and stress management—teeth can remineralize and heal themselves.

I followed her practices diligently for years with no dentist visits (thanks to the pandemic and mom life), and at my first checkup in four years, my hygienist was amazed at how little plaque I had.

This video is very old but, I love how authentic and mildly out there she is.

So Where Does the Orofacial Myofunctional Dentist Come In?

I thought I was done with my deep dive into dentistry. I had it figured out—or so I thought. But during a visit to my osteopath for unrelated issues on the right side of my body, he zeroed in on my jaw “click,” which started after I got braces at age 12. They had tried (unsuccessfully) to widen my jaw, and now he suspected that old intervention was behind much of the pain and tension I’d been feeling throughout face, neck and body.

He recommended I see an Orofacial Myofunctional Dentist—a specialist who assesses how the mouth, jaw, and facial muscles function, not just how the teeth look. It wasn’t easy to find one, and the waitlist felt endless. But after a year, I finally got the call: they were accepting new patients.

The timing was perfect. My son had started grinding his teeth at night—so loudly that it would wake me when he shared my bed. I also wanted to get ahead of any potential dental issues for him.

Our assessment with the dentist and her team was incredibly thorough. Over the course of about three hours (each), we each underwent a full set of photos and tests to evaluate how our face, jaw, and neck functioned while eating, drinking, breathing, and even during simple movements. It was eye-opening.

Our Surprising Findings:

Lip and Tongue Ties: Both my son and I have them, affecting movement, swallowing, and even breathing.

Chronic Tension: Years of tension radiating into my neck, shoulders, and forehead.

Narrow Jaws: No shock there, but now we have a plan to gently guide growth and relieve pain.

Unbalanced Vagal Tone: Apparently they can see this from looking at the uvula, the little ‘thing’ that hangs down at the back of my mouth. It is elongated and curved to one side. I know. All of this is beyond, but would certainly explain my low consisten HRV and elevated stress measured on my. oura.

The Plan

We are both going to get our lip ties cut in a couple of weeks. We will have to do myofunciontal exercises to prepare the tongue for release as this can be a little harder to manage post clip. In addition to ongoing myofunctional exercises to retrain our tongues and muscles, followed by gentle dental appliances to expand our arches. Thankfully, my son’s still growing—his progress will be faster.

Why This Matters

This isn’t just cosmetic. It’s about:

·       Better sleep and breathing

·       Reduced pain

·       Improved swallowing and digestion

·       Long-term oral and overall health

I never thought I’d be on a dental journey with my kid—but here we are, stretching our jaws and learning as we go. Stay tuned for tongue-tie releases, superhero-colored appliances, and maybe even some retro headgear.