I was introduced to myofunctional therapy during the first year of my dental hygiene career over 10 years ago. At that time, I knew I wanted to pursue a career in which I could work closely with patients who care about their whole body health and getting to the root causes of their issues.

Through a couple years of research and as I grew as a dental hygienist I found a mentorship program where I intensively trained to become a myofunctional therapist. I worked as an associate for my mentor as I developed my own practice in the Pacific Northwest and via telehealth starting in 2016. I also ran her practice exclusively for 3 years before dedicating to my own practice full-time and having my own associates and team. I have spent time mentoring and training other specialists in the beginning of their myofunctional therapy careers to get them off the ground. I also have begun the certification process with the AOMT and enjoy being part of a growing, well-developed, established organization. In 2020, I started the Munch Bunch Myo Podcast with my friend and co-host, Kimi Nishimoto, to reach patients to give education and help navigate the airway space.

I am continually learning and have taken courses and implemented training protocols through The Breathe Institute and became an Ambassador for their programs, as well as audited the Tongue-Tied Academy of Richard Baxter (author of Tongue-Tied and leader in the field). I’ve taken courses specializing in TMJ/D pain with the Fast and Functional team. I am also a Munchee Educator with Myo Munchee based out of Australia and took Buteyko breathing re-education courses. I am a member of the AAPMD and am a part of my local CoLab. I also attend the American Laser Study Club Symposiums.

I have continued to grow my practice in the northwest and beyond and have associate therapists who work alongside me to see patients. It is amazing to work with people from all backgrounds and venture into an area of healthcare that isn’t well known or recognized by most people. However, with more and more research, I have been seeing a shift in the acceptance in alternative, holistic, functional care.

I had the privilege to work with patients in person for three years in the Portland, Oregon area before fully integrating my practice online. I work closely with some amazing local dentists, ENTs, pediatric dentists, and orthodontists to provide the best care for my patients. I have learned that most dentists, pediatricians, orthodontists, and ENTs do not fully understand myofunctional therapy because most were simply never trained in this topic as part of their medical or dental education. It is amazing to see people’s health transform in front of your eyes over the course of treatment. I believe in the whole-body approach to health that recognizes how the mouth directly relates to overall health of the body. I have also started speaking locally to grow our network and include practitioners from all backgrounds to help address the increasing growth, sleep, and airway concerns in my community.